Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Co.

I have had Colonial Life insurance Short term disability for over 15 years. I do a routine call every year or two to see if:

(3) that I get to talk to a live person if I have questions or concerns. My last check was about two years ago and a live person did answer after many prompts and seemed knowledgeable and kind.

However, on my check this year, I could not get through the multiple prompts, there was no number to get through to a live person and I could not even get on their website needed some kind of passwords that never worked. I got the bright idea to enter my own work extension ** and somehow that bogus extension got me through to a voice mail and someone called me back in 2 days. I was told

(3) they did not give me a number to call them back at, so I had to use my own guessed extension number again. There was an apology but more excuses so I cancelled my 15+ year policy. I have never heard of a company giving excuses for poor service. My question is what if I needed them, what if I was injured and needed to use my policy?

This has to be the worst company to deal with. Mr ** from Destin Florida office came to our office, to set this up. I told him over 3 times, I have a biopsy coming up in June, and that my PSA level was a little high. He lied to me and said, I would still be covered, because I was not diagnosed with cancer yet. He had me sign up, and now Colonial Life is refusing to pay the claim. I have been fighting with them for over 7 months now, and Mr. ** keeps lying to the insurance commissioner to cover his butt. They will do anything to get you to sign up, but will then fight you're claim. This was straight out fraud, and I'm still fighting them. The only good part is that I am a manager, and can talk my employees into dropping them, and new ones not to sign up with them.

It takes way too long for them to process claims. Their customer service reps are no longer allowed to put us through to a supervisor when we have a question. They kept 7 days from my recent disability claim, and told me that the waiting period is only when you first open a claim, not every single time you submit a claim. My husband was recently denied his claim for over a year because Kaiser put his diagnosis second on the same line as another admitting diagnosis. And all they keep claiming is that there is nothing that proves that he had a sickle cell crisis last October 30th, when the discharge paper clearly states that he did.

Our overall experience is horrible. We were promised health insurance to take effect on August 1st. It is now September 10th and we are uninsured--still waiting for the health insurance, health insurance cards, and the health insurance policy. This company misled my boss, telling him to cancel his existing insurance with the previous insurance company and Colonial's policy will go into effect. He cancelled and Colonial totally dropped the ball. They were very unprofessional through the whole mess. Even the corporate website's Customer Service "Contact Us" site was of little help.

I had been a teacher in East Baton Rouge Parish for more than 12 years. Two years ago, I started undergoing medical treatment for a painful knot in my back caused by work-related stress. (I still have knot.) On July 26, 2002, I went to a physiatrist (physical medicine specialist), who gave me one of a series of treatments, an epidaural injection in my spine (under an x-ray machine) to relieve the pain. He made a mistake in administering the anesthetic prior to the epidaural, and injected the anesthesia into an artery. It went to my brain and I was in coma for five days. I was in the hospital for three weeks: I was totally disoriented when I regained consciousness and did not recognize my husband and daughter. I had months of physical rehabilitation, and right now I am seeing a physical therapist who specializes in balance and vertigo, Dr. Charles P.

I have permanent disabilities dating from that injection by the doctor. I have no balance, and have almost total hearing loss in one ear, memory loss and extreme mental confusion. I have been under treatment by Dr. Stephen Z, a neurologist, this entire time.

It was only after last Christmas that I was coherent enough to begin to apply for a disability retirement. For all these reasons, and because I can no longer drive (I suffer from extreme vertigo), I was approved for teachers' disability retirement this summer (my first check was 8-1-03).

I had been paying for disability insurance after I found out that I would have been covered by disability insurance when I had my daughter by C-section in 1991 and had to stay off work for a month. The insurance promised I would get $1000/month if I was disabled.

It has been very difficult to get the insurance company to honor their word. I received one check from them for $5000 last winter--it came in very handy. But to get a check each month I am supposed to go to Dr. Z (which is a hassle for my husband to take off from work and drive me there) all over again, even though my condition has not changed. Dr. Z has documented that on one occasion, they lied and said he had not sent the papers when he had.

Now they have done this again. They called me TWICE this month and told me by automatic recording that they were processing my claim, but I have not received anything from them. My husband took the paper to the doctor to sign at the beginning of August and yesterday I called them and told them if I don't hear from them by Friday I would take action.

I do not want to continue this policy, but I still have many medical bills and need to have one more check. I have just settled out of court with the doctor, who admitted negligence. But the legal system takes time, and the settlement check to me from my lawyer has not cleared at the credit union yet. Please advise me on what I need to do.

P.S. Last summer I gave the insurance company automatic withdrawal rights from my bank account in order to keep the policy active (previously the premium was deducted from my paycheck). Now, they take my money, but have not replied when my doctor sends them the forms they require each month to document my disability. My husband believes that I should wait until they give the insurance payment they are processing, but I believe I should stop their automatic withdrawal immediately. I don't know what to do. I think they may tell you everything will be taken care of, but then continue to procrastinate.

I should also mention that they have never said in any correspondence that the coverage wasn't for PERMANENT disability.