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Liberty Mutual - Disability

Marlene of Rocklin CA (07/15/08)
I had paid for disability insurance when I was working. After 6 mo. Liberty stopped paying my benifits. I contacted the Insurance Board in CA and they started to pay me again. Six months later they did the same thing. I was too sick and in pain to continue fighting them so I got a lawyer. Liberty sent me to their physical therapist who said I was not disabled (I later found out thru an ex employee of Liberty's that they paid these consultants $6,000.00 for finding in Liberty's favor).

This happened in the late 90's early 2000's. As a result of their hanky panky I am without an additional $700.00 per month. I did eventually receive Social Security disability benefits. So much for planning for the future.

I became homeless as I could not pay my rent. I fell behind in my bills. I had even considered suicide. I was too weak and tired to fight anymore.

Wanda of Cunningham, TN (06/20/08)
I worked for the bank from 1982-200 when I became disabled. I paid my Ins. through payroll deduction.

In 2000 I became disabled, they called and bothered me almost every month until Sept. 2007. They stopped my ins. I am worse now than when I became disabled.

Anneliese of Tracy CA (06/19/08)
I have been out on disability for two months now.. I have seen no disability check. They keep dragging their heels saying.. wrong fax number sent documents to.. in fact it was correct. Now need more medical records. Bunch of BS.. I am really thinking of getting an attorney. I was wondering if anyone has considered a class action suit?  I am not qualified for State Disability because of my husband. I am on the verge of losing everything because of this delay.

fiancial hardship..potential loss of home and car.

Luz of Brooklyn NY (05/14/08)
Im on temp. disability and was on my last two weeks of treatment when my case manager was transfered and then my benefits was cancelled. When I spoke with Mr. Palmer, he as extremly unhelpful and rude. I explained my siutation and was told theres nothing he could do. This was quite odd because my old case manager was not like this. Then when I ask why was my case manager changed, he stated that, that not my buisness and hung up the phone on me.

I have no means of income and cant my bills. I fear that I am forced to go back to work without being completly healed and will futher damag my injury.

Tracy of Hays NC (12/14/07)
My short-term disability claim from 9/20/07 was denied by Liberty Mutual, primarily due to the case manager failing to obtain complete medical records. From there, my file went to an appeals board (it took a week for the case manager to even mail the file to the board)--only after I filed a complaint with the NC Ins. Commissioner. Several doctors gave me a documented no-work status due to impairment, and complete medical documentation to support that was provided to Liberty; however, Liberty continues to drag their feet saying they are having medical boards review the physician's documents, etc.

It's now been 3 months and there is still no resolution as Liberty seeks to cut costs by denying every claim and hoping that an endless appeal process will eventually turn consumers away from continuing to try to obtain any disability pay. Every time I seek answers, I am told: They are reviewing my file. It shouldn't take 3 months to review a file when there is clear medical documentation to support the medical disability by two physicians.

Severe economic consequences resulted as Liberty failed to issue a disability check. I am a widow supporting 4 children. We had to beg, borrow and do whatever we could to pay our bills when we should have been financially secure. I paid Liberty for years for that financial security in case of an illness only to find it was a scam. There's no money for Christmas, and I am now behind on many bills.

Gregory of Kinnelon NJ (08/10/07)
While working at Lowes Home Improvment center I was crushed by a falling exterior french door due to no fault of my own. My leggs went numb and my knee hurt. Less than a month after I was told to go back to work 100 %, my quadraceipt separated from my knee at the exact location where it was crushed. Im told my leg went numb because my back was also crushed. After a year of Physical Therapy My back, I'm told from atrophy and the door breaking my back, has giving me pain which makes my leg injury seem tame. I have made a yomans attempt at building my core to what it was but now realize that most things I could due before I will never do again.

Now my good leg has gone south and I'm in PT for that. I have tryed to get my last corizone shot in my back for the pain but I have developed melanoma and must wait six weeks after my impending operation before I can seek relife. I know its hard to belive but Liberty Mutual has cancelled my Long Term disability insurance as they belive I'm all better now.

I'm forced to go into my savings account I have a wife and two young children. I have little prospect for employment. If I walk a short distance my leg swells and the pain in my back and leg has me looking for Dr. Kovorkean. I cant squat,pick up much stand or swim in the surf. For a guy that went downhill sking with his son on his back before this happened I'm pretty worthless.

Lynn of Oakland CA (02/24/06)
My employer and I have been paying Liberty Mutual premiums for over a year. Last year I was diagnosed with four major debilitating diseases including Interstitial lungs disease and sarcoidosis. My experience with Liberty Mutual has been a nightmare. From the beginning I was passed off from one worker to another, never getting the same info twice. They told me I couldn't collect state disability and private disability at the same time (I stupidly assumed it was a fraud issue) so I signed off on them taking out over-payments. I later found out that that was their policy, it had nothing to do with legality.

Meanwhile they finally paid me at the end of my first two months of medical leave. Thank God for the $900 from state disability over those two months. When they paid me they said they would automatically take the overpayment that state disability was paying me out of my next check . (I was still under the misinformation that I could not legally collect both disabilities.) I, again stupidly, assumed I had done the right think by not reapplying for state disability after my medical leave was extended. Lib M.informed me that my not reapplying for state disability meant the state no longer saw me as disabled and I no longer had a valid claim with Lib Mutual. Gooo Figure!

So, now again, I don't have the money to pay for my medication, rent, car note etc... again. I also can now add peptic ulcer to my list of illnesses. 

Myrtle of Fort Worth TX (01/27/06)
I went out on short term disability on December 16, 2005 after going to the doctor on December 15th for an illness that actually started to affect me on December 14,2005. I spoke with Sarah with Liberty Mutual on Dec. 16th stating that my physician, Dr. Abbott, had taken me off work because she was concerned about my elevated blood pressure and depression. Advised by Sarah that the information would be submitted and that I would be assigned a case worker. On Dec. 21 after no response from a case worker, I contacted Sarah again who advised me that Paula C was the person who would be handling my disability insurance.

Finally on Dec.27th a letter postmarked Dec.21st arrived via mail stating that she, Paula, hadn't been able to reach me. On Dec.27th I called and spoke with Yolanda in customer service at 1230p.m. I told Yolanda that I had tried on numerous occasions to contact Paula but had no success. Yolanda told me to just keep calling because she, Paula, was responsible for my case. On Dec. 27 or 28th, I finally was able to speak with Paula. I advised her that I had a follow-up appt. with Dr. Abbott and was scheduled to tentatively return to work on Dec. 30, 2005.

Paula told me that my claim would be covered until Jan.5, 2006 and that I and Dr. Abbott would receive paperwork in mail for completion concerning medical update relating to the status of my illness. I never received any such information. On Jan. 16th or 17th, I contacted Nokia, my employer, inquiring whether they had heard anything about my STD claim and was told that all that was received was a call from Paula stating that she spoke with me and that I told her that Dr. Abbott's office would fax over information but that she hadn't received anything.

From there, I contacted Dr. Abbott and spoke with Elizabeth. Elizabeth informed me that she faxed the information and left several messages that have been documented but had never received a return call from Paula. I then called Paula twice with no answer. Again, I called customer service and was told that Paula was extremely busy and that as long as I left a message. Finally today, Jan. 27th after 8 days (after being told by the customer service representative that she had to respond within 48hrs which she has never done for me or Elizabeth as well as Dr. Abbott who called!) I received a call at 330pm that she, Paula, was dropping my case because she has been unable to get a response from me or my physician's office and that I would not be paid!

That is not right. She has obviously failed at performing her job and as a result - I HAVE TO SUFFER. I pay for short term disability and I feel that I have not been treated fairly during this whole ordeal with my health. And lets just discuss my health. I was ill, the last thing I should have had to worry about was an inconsiderate person.

Jerry of Thonotosassa FL (04/14/05)
on 11-9-02 I stopped for the night at Pilot truck stop in Little Rock, AR. I got my paperwork together to go inside and as I was getting out of the truck I missed the bottom step, fell to the ground and tried to catch myself with my right hand, which  caused my right wrist to be broken.  I was a truck driver for P.A.M. Allen Frieght Services.

Well before I drove a truck I was in construction. I am a single father of 4 -- the insurance company never paid me compensation until I was almost ready to go back to work at which time I realized I could not do it any more because of the pain. I tryed construction but there is no way I will ever be able to use a hammer again. After losing my house in Memphis, I moved back home to Florida where I tried to work briefly at another trucking company -- again severe pain so bad that I could not even shift gears, so there I sit on the side of the road to try to let the pain subside.

I never got my MMI because the insurance company would not release my med records to the doctor in Florida. I have not worked since november 2003 and my case is past their statue of limitations which they caused by not releasing my records. I have only one son living with me now, the other three stay with their mom as I am on public assistance and awaiting SSI disability.

I have been writing congressmen an senators to try to get help but they can't or won't help. Liberty Mutual tactics has reduced me to almost not existing. Four  years ago I could pick up and use a 90lb air hammer and use it horizontally --  now I am lucky if I can pickup a cast iron skillet with my right hand.

Joseph of Culdesac ID (05/25/03)
I was injured by slipping on the ice at a worksite in Calif in 3/97. I was paralyzed from the waist down, airlifted to Stanford University in Palo Alto and operated on for cauda equina syndrome (basically 5 discs reptured in lower back at the same time pressing on spinal cord). After surgery and physical therapy able to stand and walk but never regained feeling in legs or much below the waist. My employer, American States Insurance Co (yes, I was an insurance building inspector) refused to accommodate my workload and forced me on to disability.

Liberty Mutual is the Comp carrier. Absolutely the worst people I have ever dealt with in my life. Dragged their feet on even paying RX bills, real stinkers. Hired PI's to follow and videotape me. To give you the extent of my injury, they KNOW its real, they have surgical reports, MRI's , weekly medical reports from 1997 to date (5/03) and even Social Security rated me 100% disabled the first time around with no appeals or anything.

Liberty Mutual has refused to pay for wheel chair rentals (oh yea, I just rent a wheel chair for fun), wouldn't pay my Urologist bill (no, nobody with a major spinal injury needs a urologist!) and just gives headaches at every opportunity. I live in Northern Idaho, they made me come to LA for three evaluations with their chosen physicians. Guess what, all three said I was a total of 236% disabled!! 36% depression (I wonder why), 100% Ortho and 100% cardiac. What do the idiots from Liberty Mutual do? They hire some idiot unlicensed PI to follow me around now 6 years later and try to videotape me! I have a lawyer in LA but he seems to be as frustrated as I am.

Tom of Oroville CA writes (10/30/02):
In March, 1996 I went to work for Sears at Unit #2068 in Visalia CA. By the fall of that year I was suffering from a chronic, asthma like disease. The condition seemed to get a little better through the winter months but the next spring and summer came back much worse than before. At he time, the entire mall where the store was situated was infested with literally hundreds of pigeons. There were pigeon droppings literally inches thick on the sidewalks under the parapets and Sears had even removed the downspouts from the roof drainage system because the would become plugged with the stuff so that the roof couldn't drain properly during rains. The loss prevention manager for the store at that time stated that he had been on the roof and seen these birds living, mating, dying and defecating on every surface up there, including the air intakes for the air conditioning system.

My breathing problems steadily worsened over the next few years and I began to discern a pattern. The symptoms would lessen during the cooler months and worsen during the warmer months when the AC was being used. (There was no heating system in the stores so the system was not in use during cooler periods) I finally asked my doctor, who had been treating me for the allergy symptoms, to refer me to a specialist to try to determine what was triggering the problem. I underwent a battery of different tests including allergy scans, and CAT-scans of my lung and sinus areas. Nothing showed up. I mentioned the fact that the air conditioning ducts in the store had not been cleaned or maintained within the memory of people who had worked there for years including one who had been there since the building was constructed. (Store managers were given a budget and if they were able to "beat the budget" they got any savings or at least a portion thereof as a bonus with their own compensation. The air conditioning maintenance was apparently the first service to be dropped completely, although other cleaning and maintenance services were steadily being cut back too.)

When I told him about the pigeons he recommended a series of blood tests for toxins connected to the pigeon infestation in the air conditioning system. They came back positive for pigeon feces and at least one other substance that would have been present in such a situation. (Full medical records are available) A report was filed with OSHA and a claim was filed with Liberty Mutual Insurance Cop. which was the carrier for Sears. This was done in April, 2002. I heard nothing for several weeks then was told to go to a doctor named Lessinger in Fresno, which I did on July 10th. He spent about ten minutes with me, listened to my lungs and asked a couple of questions. In the letter directing me to this doctor, Liberty Mutual also stated that I would be informed of their findings and a decision would be made by July 24th. The letter also informed me that this has to be done within 90 days of the original claim or the claim is presumed to have been accepted.

The rest of July went by, then August. Finally, the first week of September, I consulted an attorney who called Mr. Coker. This was the first notice I had that the claim had been denied based on Dr. Lessinger's findings that the disease was "not industrial". Liberty Mutual also claims to have sent a team out to inspect the premises and the allege that nothing was found. This would have been AFTER my report to OSHA which resulted in Sears having to clean up the mess, so naturally the conditions would have been better than I reported. This cleanup was witnessed by other employees in the store who saw the “exterminators “ on premises just after I had filed my complaint. Liberty Mutual made no attempt to talk to other employees or any other effort to determine what conditions existed before Sears was FORCED to clean up for the first time in the memory of anyone working there.

My daughter then called Liberty Mutual a couple of days after the visit to the attorney and demanded copies of any and all documentation including the report from Dr. Lessinger. Mr. Coker assured her they would be sent out forthwith and expressed dismay that I had not received it at the time it was due. It is now nearly the end of October and I have yet to receive a single written notification of any kind from this company. I need the documentation in order to file any appeals or even to hire an attorney. So far, every attorney I have talked to has stated that he/she doesn't have time for a case that has been denied but that if the insurance company had accepted it they would be happy to take it since it would be a slam dunk. (Attorneys are limited to 12% of workers comp recoveries in California and are therefore reluctant to take on cases that require much extra work on their parts. This is understandable and Liberty Mutual appears to be quite aware of it. California seems to have some kind of law preventing you from suing your employers for wrongful injury so that appears to be out. The California Insurance Commission will not handle cases involving worker's comp abuses by insurance companies and I can't find any other agency to complain to.

My condition appears to have stabilized somewhat since I left Sears but has gotten no better. The coughing fits cause other problems with other conditions including CHF and physical injury. The consequences were that I lost my job and the Employment Office says that I cannot receive unemployment compensation because I am too ill to accept work if it's offered. The coughing spells have resulted in rib separations, muscle spasms in the chest wall, aggravation of an old back injury and loss of consciousness and possibly at least one small stroke due to loss of blood flow through the carotid and temporal arteries.

I was unable to pay the remaining copays on all of the medical and lab work I had to have done and that was turned over to a collection agency which calls me every day I leave my phone on. I cannot collect welfare assistance for 17 months because when I left Sears, they cashed out my 401k. I would only have received $108 per month anyway. I'm living with (and being a burden to) my daughter who is a single mother of two and works for Butte County and can't really afford to take care of herself, let alone me. I'm under treatment for massive chronic depression as well as the lung disease itself. Luckily I was able to get medical assistance and food stamps. I take 11 different medicines, several of them connected directly this condition.

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