MetLife Disability Insurance Reviews

A little over a month later I have a bad reaction to a medication increase that took me out of work for a week and a half. This claim was denied stating my Dr never provided paperwork but Metlife never sent it. I finally had to go through Amanda ** a supervisor because they kept saying my case worker Marlene could never reach me. Turns out Marlene had the wrong phone number all along but I only had ONE number but Metlife couldn't tell me where the other number came from. Luckily after a month after the week and a half off Amanda was able to fix the claim. I finally got paid for that time.

September 9th I began to get overwhelming pains in both arms, burning, numbness, soreness. It kept me awake at night for a while but the condition kicked it into high gear where I couldn't tolerate the pain. I took fmla leave as I didn't know what was happening and thought it was a side effect from my many medications and it would pass. My PCP scheduled an emergency nerve study thinking it was either carpal tunnel or nerve pain. The study revealed carpal tunnel worst in my non-dominant hand than in my dominant hand. I called Metlife and filed std. They got my PCP paperwork fine but said it wasn't enough so I forwarded the nerve study and an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon.

Marlene calls me to tell me she has to deny my claim because I took fmla for depression and std for carpal tunnel that I can't have TWO symptoms at once. Are you kidding? I argue with her and become very upset. I've been out of work since September 9th and still haven't gotten any pay, my rent is past due and so are my lights. I had to pay 200 dollars out of my pocket for a nerve study and these people are telling me I can't be sick with two things?

So I am having surgery on both hands October 12th. Metlife still has yet to pay me. Supervisors play phone tag and call you when they want. I contacted a local attorney to see if this would be a workers compensation case since I haven't had issues until working for Verizon. Yes, it is. He also advised me regardless what fmla is for I should be entitled to it by law.

So I am giving Metlife one last chance, waiting on a disability unit supervisor to call me back. If they tell me my claim is denied I am seeking legal action. Reading all the reviews they have no idea the strain they put on already sick people. No compassion. I had to get my therapist to calm me down after the conversation with marlene. She had to make me realize my worth even though Metlife didn't see my worth. So I am a Verizon employee, out of work due to a carpal tunnel injury to both hands on 10 different medications for depression, diabetes, pcos, high blood pressure, and most of all pain and Metlife has my entire medical work up and they STILL deny my claims.

It's sad that Verizon would employ such a disgusting company to handle their employees. Honestly the whole ordeal has me not even sleeping at night anymore and my depression is bad enough to be admitted to a hospital. The government should crack down on Metlife. Why? Because I have 100% considered just applying for full time disability rather than ever have to go through something like this again. Yes, I am willing to give up the job I love and support my family with to never have to deal with a company like Metlife again. This is the pain and sadness they encourage in people.

I sent all the hospital paperwork into MetLife and they called me stating that they will be denying my claim as the 8 days have passed and I explained to them that my employer was to code the first few days as FMLA already approved then STD to cover the remaining time through current. My time card submitted by Verizon was incorrectly coded and MetLife wants to deny my STD claim. I am just recovering from an emotional breakdown and this has me ready to go back to the hospital. I am so upset that I don't know what to do. I have 2.83 in my bank account and I am at the mercy of MetLife and Verizon to protect my children's welfare and to be approved and paid.

I don't know where to turn. In a past STD claim with MetLife, a claim was denied and I sent in my return to work paperwork in from my doctor and was told by MetLife that an employee at Verizon's HR CHANGED the date. I sent an appeal and won it because right is right and wrong is wrong. I suffer from Bipolar and PTSD and have been in therapy for years. I pay disability as a employee and feel that it is always a horrific nightmare dealing with trying to be approved for any type of benefit with Verizon. I just don't know what to do, I am extremely emotionally upset at this point and at the brink of being homeless.

By April 2016, it was apparent that I would not be able to go back to work as soon as anticipated, and on April 27, 2016, I applied for individual disability. Within three weeks, MetLife had received all required documentation including my medical records, and by June 9. 2016, I was informed that there were multiple unanswered questions, and that I would have a 2-week window - I responded on June 21, 2016. Since then, I have kept in touch with my IDI Claims representative, and was told that due to the complicated nature of my case, there was a seven member team assessing my claim, as whether to rescind the policy and return my premiums, or grant me the conditions of my policy.

Would you believe that as of today, September 4, 2016, no decision has been made and I have been told that this team cannot meet before September 12-13 2016 (via telephone conference), due to other engagements i.e. vacation. Yes, you heard me right! Imagine being ill and on medical leave for more than 6 months, applying for disability over 4 month ago, responding to all questions over 2 months ago, being depleted of ALL financial resources with expenses including a mortgage, and two children (one of whom is already in college), and you are being told that your temporary means of financial support is not a priority.

Furthermore, I am returning to work (at reduced hours), and will receive my first pay check from my employer before a decision is being made by MetLife! For many who are temporarily or permanently disabled, we seek to have some degree of medical and financial normalcy, but MetLife shatters this with its lack of consideration and respect, in this intentionally delayed process. To my IDI claims representative - T.S, Claims Manager - A.W, Director of IDI Claims Dept - J.D., the Assistant Vice President - J.M, as well as your executive board, I only have one hope: that for every person that has suffered at your hands, that each of you have a sleepless terror-filled night; and judging from your negative claims review, you would become Full-Time Insomniacs!

These people denied my claim almost immediately because the STD claim wasn't filed at the same time as FMLA. Wtf don't your two departments talk to each other? Also the case worker was rude and dismissive to many of the things I had to say. It didn't take a genius to see, hear, and feel their agenda of finding ways to deny your claim. First time I dealt with a company that I felt true evil. Sick people to do that to people that pay into this coverage and truly need help as I was suffering from depression, anxiety as well as other debilitating joint pain and nerve pain.

They have a round table of sorts that determine if you are disabled for the first 2 years from performing your current job and then after that it switches to any job! What a load of **! That is not what I purchased 15 years ago. They change the rules in the middle of the game! I could hire a lawyer and give away 50% of the money I should receive. I can really see how that is fair! Not! I guess I could go back to school and become a lawyer and screw everyone legally! It is sad that the country that my parents and grandparents built has gone to **! To the point, eat ** MetLife and I hope and pray you go bankrupt and your staff gets some horrific disease that prevents you from working and collecting! **!

My company pays for short term disability 100%, but Metlife just has to ensure their bonus structures are not impacted. God forbid their executives and managers receive less of a bonus for paying on a 6-week claim for a single mother of two. Insurance companies are a major issue in this country. Organizations such as these have a God complex. If this coverage is paid for and a doctor states that an individual is unable to work while seeking treatment, they should validate and approve these claims immediately. They already receive their payment so who are they to be so greedy. Here's a thought Metlife execs; take less expensive vacations and downsize your lifestyles to align with the average, middle class American, or maybe make an honest living instead of hoarding payments due to hardworking consumers.

I would understand if I had ever taken a leave of absence in my 16+ years in the workforce or even abused any such benefits previously, but that is not the case in my situation. I am currently in the appeals process, which could take 45 days. Guess what? I'll be back at work before I ever even see any of this money. So now my concern is how I will buy groceries or pay my basic utilities. It's already not as though I live beyond my means, but I do require income to keep the lights, food on the table and gas in my vehicle so I can drive to and from work.

Thanks for nothing but added duress during an already extremely stressful and difficult time Metlife. Your practices and "clinical assessments" are disgusting and even sickening. My guess is that your preference would be for someone to completely lose their proverbial marbles and suffer a mental breakdown before they are deemed worthy of any short-term disability payments from your organization. Here's to reaping what has been sewn Metlife!

Both my doctor and IBM management agree that I am unable to return to my regular job at IBM due to my illness and injury and that my condition has not improved since the time I first went on Short-Term Disability and has indeed worsened. MetLife has determined I am not disabled and according to the plan this means I am able to return to my regular job at IBM. I am on unpaid leave of absence and therefore my family has no income and I am having to pay for IBM medical and life insurance benefits and all other living expenses from my savings.

I believe MetLife is trying to wait me out until my circumstances become desperate and my life is ruined. How is it I was disabled from Dec 2015 - May 2016 when without any improvement in my medical situation I suddenly became ready to resume my regular job at IBM in July? I requested a different case manager at MetLife when I first applied for LTD and they refused. I believe this case manager has had it out for me since I first submitted my claim with MetLife. I hope someone at IBM would help me and find out why MetLife is treating me this manner.

I don't even know how I will pay my son's college tuition for the fall and he may have to drop out of college. I had the same MetLife Medical reviewer, a Puja something that was mentioned elsewhere on this site and a case manager Tammy ** who I shouldn't comment further on since I would violate the site policy. In my opinion MetLife is a dishonest and corrupt insurance corporation that profits from cheating the sick and injured. If you are with MetLife you think you have disability insurance until you try to use it.

This year's came just six months after Cigna conducted their last 'review' and this year Metlife has come up with some crackerjack - box doctor by the name of Puja ** who has never seen me and I have never heard of in my life to refute medical evidence of disability from my four current treating doctors. This after subjecting me to pages-long 'updates' from said 4 doctors, which I had to get to each doctor while battling pneumonia so bad it sent me to the hospital.

Now, I find out that Metlife faxed my doctors a document to respond to, but only gave them a week to do it, with proof of their opinions - and they didn't bother to tell me this until one day before the deadline, so there was no way for me to chivy my doctors into sending said documentation; or even explain what it was and how they were expected to respond! As a result, half my doctors couldn't respond before the deadline, so now Metlife can "decide" I'm not disabled and go with the crackerjack box doctor's assessment...

Real nice tactics, Metlife - very classy and they claimed to be 'helping' me... Yeah, right. Metlife can go suck a bag of **! They're just as bad as Aetna, who pulled the same dirty tricks in 2009. It took 2.5 years of legal wrangling to get the LTD back and it almost went to court but I guess that's what happens when money is your only bottom line. Don't bother getting any kind of insurance through these jokers - all they care about is money.

I called the doctor and they pulled the phone logs and showed no phone calls from MetLife. With a series of phone calls, I fixed this error and got the information to MetLife. However, it was past the payment processing deadline and I did not receive my paycheck from work. (The payments are apparently sent to Molex, and then they pay me.) I started my part and complied at every turn. Every communication I received was always after the fact, and I spent many hours fixing it. At a time when I have added expenses from medical bills, I do not need to miss a paycheck. There is obviously some breakdown in how they process the claims and it is unacceptable to deny a claim after the fact without communicating issues.

Short term payments began with no interview and receipt of one letter. Two months later payments stopped with no calls or letters. My case agent had never spoken to me ever. After calling the toll free number numerous times, I find out they are obtaining medical records to decide if they should extend me to long term. That was February 2, 2016. I am writing this on May 2, 2016 and have had zero income since. They refuse to return calls until you leave pushy messages then some lady leaves a message with no name or extension number. They've gotten records from three doctors but find them "insufficient." Keeping me in limbo means I can't even appeal. I'm dipping into retirement to live. The records they seek will not show any major change. I've been told not to even expect remission. Metlife's phone center folks have been very kind but their case agents and supervisors are rude, do not understand chronic illness, and just don't care.

After my short term disability through IBM ran out after 6 months, Metlife took over as my long term disability insurer. They had me complete all the forms, apply for Social Security Disability, and approved everything. I started receiving monthly checks for half of my regular salary. About 3 and 1/2 months, I get a call from some guy who asked me a few questions and then a month later I get a letter from Metlife saying I don't meet their standards for disability and are cutting my payments off. This was out of the blue. I had not worked and still have not worked since my heart attack in 2008. I was independently evaluated by a company that said I was unable to work. Social Security Disability approved my case without a hiccup. But, for some arbitrary reason, I was not Metlife material. On top of it all, they wanted me to pay back the approx. $8,000 they had paid me.

I found this out when I received a collections letter. Colorado state law says they are only entitled to be reimbursed a $1,000 a month from my Social Security or Work Comp award. When I questioned them on this, they said they do business out of their headquarters in Massachusetts. Well excuse me, but you entered into a contract in Colorado and Colorado rules override their little excuse. But, they continued to pester me with collections, etc. until I threatened to sue them. Then, they submitted my case upstairs for review which took about a year for a decision and of course the decision was in their favor and the time for me to file a suit had expired. Then, they started up with the collections business again. Someday, when I'm older and grayer and don't have anything to lose anymore, someone in Metlife is going to get a surprise because I'm holding everyone of them from the top down accountable.

Luckily we had all the paperwork so when they asked for it a second time we could fax it right to them. It came down to me threatening a lawsuit, telling them I checked consumer affairs reviews and see how they operate. But what got it settled was me calling my H.R. Department at work and telling them what was going on. After all the company I work for let them come in and sell me the insurance and I wanted them to know how I was treated. So the H.R. Dept. called MetLife and not 5 min later MetLife called me and said a check was in the mail and they lied about that. Didn't receive a payment for another 8 days. Over a month after I had my surgery, missed my mortgage payment and a few other late bills they finally paid. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of frustration before anyone even thinks to look at reviews. Good luck and call the human resources dept of the co. you work for to get help.

They only require that you every year to get your doctor to update your health condition. That is great and also it is bad because when you have cancer in your kidneys there is little to no cure and no one that is going through this needs to all time be annoyed by a insurance company that does everything to knock you out of your income even though my doctor tells me that it is crazy to have to give updates when you are totally disabled but I would like to thank MetLife. You have been GREAT to me!!!

I was on short term disability for about 3 months and eventually right around Christmas I could not get seen again by my doctor until right before my coverage was up. MetLife never sent paperwork to the doctor on time and I was not paid for a month through my employer. Nothing worse than being sick and not knowing if you are going to get paid, not knowing if you are going to lose your job. I eventually went back to work, I still wasn't well but, I needed to get paid. All I can say is MetLife made it very difficult on me during my disability.

Fast forward -- long-term disability benefits, once they started, have been less of a problem. However, we did not get Nov or Dec 2015 disability payments into our checking account. In early January, we got a form letter from MetLife informing us that they had overpaid us during 2013 and 2014, and they had recouped the overpayment. We have been unable to get anyone to explain where the recoupment came from. Therefore, we can only assume it came from the Nov and Dec 2015 payments that were not made to us. Note that these payments were withheld with no prior notice to us so that we could make arrangements to get money into the accounts to cover what needed to be paid. None, Zip, Zilch, Nada - NO PRIOR NOTICE to us.

Last week, we got a call from a MetLife representative. "I'm sorry, but we made an error in your cost of living adjustment, and we have overpaid you by $67,000 (yes, that's sixty-seven THOUSAND) and we need to make arrangements for repayment". I don't know who got that extra $67,000, but it wasn't us. Surely we would have noticed it. Finally managed to get two live human beings on the phone. Neither could explain anything to us. We also asked for corrected tax forms for 2013 and 2014 so that we could go back and amend our tax returns - if we were overpaid, then our tax was overpaid. We were advised that they DO NOT ISSUE corrected tax forms. They will issue "letter of credit" that we can "just show to the IRS" and make everything right. What? If you own a company or have short term/long term disability policy thru MetLife - find another company ASAP.

Then MetLife sent more disability forms and also wanted my Social Security. The physicians that treated me refuse to complete more forms since they have already deemed me disabled. My new primary physician doesn't want to get involved as he didn't know me until 2015. When I contacted MetLife the woman rep stated that they have the right to demand current disability forms. "Just because Social Security accepted your total disability doesn't mean they need to."

At my time of initial disability I was 58 years old and had over a 40 year work history. I also have Lupus, Sjogren's disease, Raynaud's disease, arthritis, and hypertension. I need to use a walker for most ambulation and also have a motorized scooter due to my disability. I worked for St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Las Vegas, NV for almost twenty years paying MetLife twice monthly for my insurance. I paid so I would receive one half of my monthly pay. The hospital stated employees would receive the benefits that were paid for. MetLife has no right to say I must report any form of income so they can adjust my benefits. They are destroying me financially. I want everyone to know how MetLife operates. There needs to be an immediate class action suit against their fraud.

I finally spoke to someone in late November who said my Dr's had not sent in the correct paperwork. I followed through and had all my medical records re-sent from all three of my Dr's. Still I heard nothing from MetLife and so I called on Jan 4, 2016 and had no reply. I called again today Jan 6, 2016 and did not get to talk to my caseworker a Mr. ** whom I have never spoken to and was told by another person named Kathleen that I had been denied and that she could not really talk to me about the claim until I read the letter and for me to call back with any questions I might have after I receive it.

In this day and age when life is so difficult especially when one is ill, how can an insurance company be allowed to judge your illness and how it affects you personally without ever even talking to the patient? My Dr's all agreed I needed to take time off in order to heal and yet MetLife disagrees. I had an attack of diverticulitis which landed me in the hospital for 4 days, with acute liver failure and had knee surgery within a 3 week period. My liver failure made me weak and my body was shutting down, kidneys, bile tree issues, and a deep depression. I work with children in an educational field. I could not expose my students to my condition as it worsened, how could MetLife not agree that my short term disability was necessary. It is a fraudulent company that misleads its clients in their time of need. I would not recommend them to anyone.

I have been out of work since 10/28/15 with no pay, my Dr. has repeatedly faxed in information, made phone calls directly to Metlife, dictated a letter to them and it is still not enough. I spoke with my claim manager Haydee on 12/24/15 and she was supposed to call me the following Monday with a decision and or any information needed to further process the claim. I have left repeated messages, a call back request was put in and to date I have not heard from Haydee. They claim they don't have enough information even though this is the same company handling my APPROVED FMLA claim for the same condition. This company has costed plenty of people their jobs, undue mental and financial stress. None of my co-workers on either job has anything good to say about this company nor do any of the physicians who have ever dealt with them.

How can a company the size of MetLife get away with just 'making a mistake' that results in undue stress and financial hardship and no one will look into this? I read the complaints and wonder why someone isn't reporting to the Insurance Commission? I certainly am planning on it and am in the process of an Appeal (which I'm sure MetLife will deny). Sounds like a class action suit is in order based on the number of complaints I am seeing on this Consumer Affairs site. All I can say is you better keep all of your faxes, correspondence, receipts, etc. from MetLife because you will need those copious notes at some point.

Now I have a private investigator showing up in the parking lot of my doctor's office with a cell phone hanging out her car window taking video. In my face. I'm videoing her too and going to file a harassment/stalking complaint with the police. My house has been subjected to repeated multiple minor criminal mischief which I believe is Metlife's PI trying to get me outside - although I'm too sick to do so, so I have to pay someone to repair the damage. Now I'm having cameras installed to catch them and prosecute. And if they mess with my car again I'm going to have to protect myself with Texas Castle domicile law. I'm buying a taser because at this point I don't feel safe walking to and from my car/doctor’s office with the "in your face" PI tactics I saw today.

I'm being evaluated by a Neurosurgeon for a shunt in my brain to drain CSF and something in the left side of my brain which is causing seizures. Stress triggers the seizures so Metlife has apparently decided to increase their harassment. I'm not going to quietly "go away". I hope each and every one of you will write your congressman with your Metlife story and suggest they initiate legislation to change ERISA law to allow punitive damages against Metlife or any other insurance company to be awarded in lawsuits for such bad faith behavior by Metlife. Or maybe a CNN news story about Metlife's behavior is best way to get better behavior by Metlife by publicly exposing them and calling for new ERISA legislation.

I was also informed of a "3-day waiting period" in which I would not be paid... I would be paid for a 40 hour work week at 60% of my pay rate. But I would not be paid until the end of the month. (I happen to work 48 hours a week.) With the minuscule amount of "payment" they're offering I would have been better off taking the money. I have been paying them for several years and stuck it into an account, I would have had the money to cover more of my bills. God forbid anyone that has to take a month or longer off due to an injury you’re going to starve while you're waiting for someone to contact you from this company.

I went out on 8/6/15. And for the next two weeks while I was staying on top of it, I kept being told it was being referred to a LTD specialist. Their system kept showing I went out in February 2015. That alone took two weeks to get corrected. On 8/26/15 my claim was approved through 9/3/15. On 8/27/15 I had my follow up visit with my doctor. Based on my progress, he submitted a request to extend things out for one week. On 8/285/15 I confirmed that Metlife received the paperwork from the Doctor. I was told it would be reviewed within 5 days. After that time period had elapsed, I kept calling to check the status. Each time I was told I would receive a call back within 24 hours and each time they verified my contact number.

Fast forward to 9/21/15, still nothing. So I decide it's time to escalate to a supervisor, I've been patient enough. Surprisingly enough, the moment I ask for a supervisor, it appears they are calling an incorrect number. Supposedly they contacted my doctor on 9/15/15 to request more info. I ask how much time does the doctor have to get the info to them. They could not answer. I advised them adequate time needs to be given since I am just now being notified that they need more information and that they have called an incorrect CBR even though EVERY TIME they verify my CBR correctly. Because of this, I request to speak to a supervisor.

When I arrive to work on 9/22/15 I was informed by my HR department that my 1 week extension was denied. Strange coincidence that happens on the very day I point out their incompetence and request to speak to a supervisor. Later in the day I speak to my case manager, she confirms she has called an incorrect number trying to reach me and that she made a decision to deny my claim since additional info was not received from my doctor. I advised her, since I am just now finding out about this, she should re-open the case and allow my doctor 5 business days to respond. But of course, that is NOT an option, even though it was THEIR mistake. Now I have to go through an appeals process, in which they have 45 days to make a decision.

Just a quick recap, they have all documentation on 8/28/15, they take a full 11 business days before they decide to review my extension. Once they do, they reach out to my doctor and give them LESS THAN 5 business days to respond. The way I see it, my doctor is in the business of treating people and Metlife is in the business of approving/denying claims. If they take 11 days to review my account, my doctor should have 11 days to respond. I am being PUNISHED for THEIR incompetence. I am back at work now. My focus should be on performing my job functions, I shouldn't have to be still dealing with Metlife's incompetence.

I don't remember feeling that way, but they still sent me home. I've had to move because of the events that have occurred and this has been both a blessing and a nightmare. It has been 4 years now and they continue to deny me. Preexisting condition, no, not possible. And then it was the dates, no, they had them wrong! Now it's not enough or not a extreme amount of medicine given or I didn't get therapy during a certain period. If I had, had money, I would have had insurance and got help but instead I died inside and cried and I had no way to express how I felt except to the person that hurt me the most. But, now I've changed my mind, because the person that has done the most damage is "METLIFE" by continuously making my life a living hell and for having to continue to relive these horrible events over and over again.

They are ruthless, they leave documentation out and they are just sneaky, manipulating and mean! Don't ever trust them or better yet, stay away from them period!! I read that they denied people that lost limbs at their jobs, the disability they paid into and Metlife kept it. I would be disgusted with myself if I worked or represented this company at all. It's worse enough their logo is the "Peanuts!" Don't trust them!! They Lie!! They Cheat and they could care less about you. In fact, you're nothing but a bother to them and they need your disability money for bonuses to give to the people that work so hard at keeping it away from you forever! Hahaha, sorry, they think it's theirs. I certainly don't know how they sleep at night. After 4 years of back and forth, I'm about to just give up on it all! Please, I beg you. You never, ever want to go thru the pain and suffering they have put me thru, ruthlessly for years, and why? They can!

I have received numerous letters stating that I have to have my funds adjusted because of state disability. I don't know how many times I have called the rep telling her that I am not receiving any other income. Now it is at the point where she does not even reply to my calls and nothing has been done. I have an issue with my spine which prevents me from doing everyday things. What do I do? Hire a lawyer? How do I pay for one? MetLife is not listening to their customers!

The next thing I advised her that I have been off work since March 9 from my company. I work for Kaiser Permanente Foundation Health Plan in the Mid-Atlantic Region for over 4 years which I never filed any disability claim in my life before with this ** company like that. So I advised her that I have no income since then and due to my illness my doctor has put me off work! However, she did not even submit my claim with all the information that I have provided her and she has submitted my claim incorrectly and she did not provide all my future appointments that I have with my psychotherapy. She asked me what is the reason of my disability and I have told her that I have major depression and etc...

After 5 days I have reached out to her in reference to my disability claim. She had never reached out to me throughout the time that I have emailed her. I have left her a voicemail and I did not get anything from her. However, I escalated my concern to a manager and she was finally able to be available... During the 6 days that she has received my documents and information that she needed - she did not submit my claim until April 30 2015. Are you serious **? You had me wait so long and telling me that you was very busy and overwhelmed with thousand of claims and that was her excuse. Anyways I insisted that I wanted a clear reason of her job responsibilities. She is a miserable person in MetLife and this company is about profit and I am so disgusting by this company. I do not want to contact this company ever until I bring a lawsuit against them.

CAN'T wait for a lawsuit class action against this ** company that is denied everyone claims based upon a nurse the company hired to deny claims so that way, the company can keep their profits and no money will be distributed to individuals that are deserved based on their medical disabilities. Now I still have no income which my car notes, my apartment rent, my loans, credit card bills, all other stuff that I have to take care!! I am just going to be a homeless until God will say enough is enough. I am so disgusting in my stomach about this ** MetLife Insurance and I'm going to contact the CEO of Kaiser Permanente to choose another provider because I don't think this company deserve to be in the business!!! I will look forward for a class action lawsuit against MetLife and they have caused more damages to my ongoing health issue.

Something needs to be done to prevent this from happening. I am now struggling to pay my bills and get by until this is resolved. I wish I was able to go out and work but my health is preventing me. If there is any suits against MetLife please count me in. My primary doctor told them over and over again I am not able to work and if you look at my blood work and medical work from 2013 to now they are far worse. I am sorry if I am a little all over the place but my brain does not function like it use to.

The non helpful employees that tell me a different story every time I call told me my only option was to call our company (United Airlines) and ask them for another policy in mid year... (yeah right)... but I did and they said it was the only policy they offered, period. Having this should be a crime against children in general and even more so when it comes to children with disabilities. HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE company that rather HURT children than help them. Company that disregards special needs kids and the overall safety of kids to save a buck. I am filing this complaint along with contacting anyone celebrity, lawyer, online review sites, and more to spread the word and we will all ban together against companies like MetLife that HARM children and special needs children.

In my opinion They could not be this incompetent rather these are deliberate company wide frustrations tactics endorsement and even taught to defraud and not pay legitimate STD claimants. They post system updates on accounts as though the payments have been processed to pay all the while knowing they haven't actually mailed them or they have deliberately misentered data to keep money from being applied to claimants account.

I have a rare form of Colitis and had abscesses and multiple ulcers in my colon. I have a duodenal ulcer diagnosed by endoscopy about 1 month ago. I have cysts and fibroid tumors. I have had diarrhea for almost 8 months and took steroids for 15 weeks. When I stop the steroids the diarrhea returns. I developed a reaction to the steroids including neurological issues and cataracts in both eyes. I have constant abdominal pain, nausea, severe bloating and distention. I was diagnosed last week at the hospital with SIBO, a small intestine bacterial overgrowth infection and I am taking antibiotics now for 2 weeks.

I had a very unpleasant phone interview with Nurse ** from Met Life. I felt that she was very rude to me and extremely insensitive in her tone, underlying insinuations and declared that she would be sending out my claim for further review as she saw no reason why I cannot return to my job as a Flight Attendant. She upset me so much that I was violently ill for 24 hours. I asked for a copy of the recorded phone record which they said they can't access for me. I reported Nurse ** was rude and unprofessional in my opinion and Met Life did not respond to me. I did verify that I am a Met Life customer as the employee. Nobody from Met Life called me back to discuss my complaint and several days later my claim was denied.

I had a follow up call which I recorded after informing my Rep. that I would be doing so. The Rep. confirmed that the Met Life doctor consulted says that I can work as a Flight Attendant, serving food and drinks to passengers with a bacterial infection and diarrhea. This is not acceptable, of course. What kind of a doctor would allow a food server to work with the public under these conditions? Who are these so called doctors who go against our own expert physicians and diagnostic test results? I asked Met Life twice to see one of their doctors in person so I could be evaluated professionally and they said that was not to happen and they just go by paperwork.

This company deserves a Class Action Law Suit from what I read here! We all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. We are the customers here. We pay premiums for their service and our insurance benefits. Their process and mistreatment of me has exacerbated my conditions and is not conducive to healing. I encourage you all to record all conversations with Met Life. Tell them you are doing that and they can't say no. They record everything too. I am consulting an attorney. Best of luck to you all in your health struggles.

When I first started on LTD, there was a lot of litigation. Part of that litigation required that MetLife provide a copy of my LTD policy to my lawyer, which they did. I did get a chance to read it over briefly, and one section of the policy, stated that I would not have my benefits removed, or reduced, if I were able to perform any type of work that paid less than half of my pay for a straight 40 hour week at the time I was injured. Knowing this I looked for, and have at times found a few very light duty, part-time jobs, well within these limitations, that I was able to do to add some additional income. Often, these jobs didn't last more than a few months, to a year or so, before my pain level reached a point where I ended up having to quit. At this writing, I'm 60 years old, 61 in less than a week.

There's one thing I know for sure, I can never work as a cable splicer, as I will never again be able to climb a telephone pole, or climb in, and out of manholes, and some of the other places that are required as a cable splicer. I simply don't have the training or skills, nor am I now, and most certainly never again will be medically able to work a job with the income potential I had as a cable splicer. It's not a pleasant prospect, it is just my reality. Initially, a MetLife rep would contact me every two years to ask for updated information on my current medical condition, which hasn't changed much since I completed all the hospitalization and rehab I did post accident. This did not seen unreasonable to me, and I always complied, contacting my various doctors, so they could send the required info to MetLife.

Now, over the last several years, a new MetLife rep is contacting me every 3 to 6 months for these medical updates. I've asked why they have started contacting me so often lately, with the only answer being, it's just standard procedure under my LTD policy. I have asked several times for a copy of my LTD policy, so I can see exactly what I, and they, are required to do with regards to the LTD policy just to verify what I'm being told, but I have yet to get a copy, or even a direct response to my request. It's not that I can't provide the info they require, I just want to know my rights under my policy. I just feel like I'm being harassed, and I believe it's just because I have, in a small way, attempted to bring in a little extra income that, as far as I knew, was acceptable under my LTD policy.

In each correspondence they threatened me with cutting off benefits that I paid for for over 13 years. Each time they asked for more paperwork I was advised everything was good to go over and over again. Then a new letter would show up asking for yet more info. Now after my doctors have filled out yet more info they continue to question the diagnosis. This is after MetLife's "people with tenure" along with a "nurse" verbatim from my case manager of which states "they" state my "condition" is "questionable" for employability. I also provide them with permanent and total disablement from the VA and SS, yet they stated they use those documents as review and not as "determining factors" in my case. Plainly put the Case Manager who has my case now advised my doctors nurse that they are going to do everything they can to get me back to a "Sedentary" lifestyle sitting behind a desk.

I think it is repulsive that we as a country allow companies such as this to be able to go AGAINST doctors orders/statements in order to get a % of revenue back from each case they get the disability payments stopped. Anyone can read about chemo brain, bone pain, etc. all which comes with my disease yet here is a corporation that can play with people's lives, life they play with their budgetary operation plans. Shame on them and shame on our country's leaders for allowing this to happen.....

He is working on returning to work soon. Make sure you get first and last name and direct phone number as well as which facility your worker is at. Make sure you keep your claim number in a safe place and let your employer know how horrible this company is. My husband and I are nearly broke from helping our son. He still has his health insurance but must pay copays for his personal medical and medications. Son has not received dime one. Son was put off of work by his employer due to some gait issues subsequent to a spinal injection. He did not go on disability because he started the process. It is becoming very obvious that this company is crooked or just plain incompetent. Any company considering them as provider should be ashamed.

Saw dr. a week later and she referred me to an orthopedic surgeon thinking I had carpal tunnel. Filed claim with MetLife. Was approved. Was off work from February 2014 to August 2014. During that time I was dealing with carpal tunnel symptoms, found out I had bulging discs in my neck, neck pain, physical therapy, and doctors, MRIs etc. MetLife denied me in July. Seemed funny since I was entering long term. Their reason, I was improving.

Ok I understand but my doctor wanted me off work until September pending appt. with rheumatology. So I went back late August. I knew I wasn't ready and sure enough. I kept having pain flare ups/muscle spasms in my neck. Missed a lot of work. Then one morning in October woke up to my back being so stiff I couldn't move or breathe. The pain was unbearable. I had no idea what was going on. Dr. said it was a muscle spasm and during the exam she noticed my trapezius muscle was tight. Put me back in physical therapy.

Early November my PT noticed my thoracic spine is rotating to the left. My paraspinals are so tight along with my trapezius. It's pulling my spine to the left. X-rays proved I have rotary scoliosis in my thoracic spine. Chiro X-rays proved my entire spine is rotated. Worse in C5 & 6, T4, 7 & 10 and my lumbar. My hips are uneven so I got a heel lift. Both my dr. and chiro want me off work until mid February. Opened claim December 29. Checked today and my claim is denied on a Saturday?

What gets me about this is I have TWO doctors telling me I'm disabled and MetLife has a nurse. Someone a step down from a DOCTOR decide if you're disabled. What's wrong here? So I'm taking my doctors orders hoping to get benefits, been off work for a month, and now I'm going to lose my car. My landlord is going to kick me out all because of this.

My Doctor has stated on 9/12 and 12/3 that I am not ready to be release back to work and nor can I drive for 6 months. So MetLife took it upon itself to provide my medical date without my permission to an outside consulting Doctor to review my case and stated that I can return back to work. I have signed a release to get copies of ALL the data that they have on me including their doctors report, and I was told yesterday I was not allowed any of my data, a violation of my Hipaa Right just for starters and stated that my claim would end 2/8/15.

They took precious time out off me that I could have and should have been able to spend with my husband who is now deceased and are still fighting me for his life insurance money which I paid for!! This needs to stop!! Our quality of life should be of value too!! They are crooks!! Looks like lots of attorneys will get paid to have them keep their end of a legal responsibility! They need to be held accountable! May we all receive our benefits paid for and worked for! My story is so long and horrific it would take me an entire book to go over all off their wrongful pain! 4 Drs who know I'm disabled and know what I'm going through and BEEN through. They both need to pay for their commitments!!

My claim for STD due to stress, anxiety, & depression, was promptly DENIED within 1 week of submission due to missing medical information. Two of my doctors provided medical information to MetLife yet, I am being told my claim is just "closed" and not "denied" while they wait for the medical information. But the status online and in the letter states the claim was DENIED. (How are they able to deny a claim if they have not - according to them - received the medical forms for review to base their decision on??)

The apathetic call center reps and this ridiculously condescending case manager cause so much stress and frustration with their deceitful tactics. (My BP is rising while I type this.) I was advised by MetLife at various times that: They had the wrong ph # for me and could not reach me. (My # has not changed since 1998). My doctor had not replied to their request for medical records. (I watched my doctor fax the documents one of the three times she sent them over). The claim status shows "In Review" on their internal systems, but may show "Denied" on the website b/c they do not have a "pending" status available on the website. My claim is not Denied, but merely "Closed" until my doctor provides the missing medical information.

Meanwhile, my job is stating my claim is considered "Denied" as reflected on the website. I am now facing having to repay the funds paid to me and possibly losing my job for time taken off that was uncovered. If I had any idea this is what I would face with filing a STD claim, I would have just stayed at work and waited to pass out from the stress and high BP. I do not have the money for an attorney, and I do not know where to begin with a class action lawsuit, but I am definitely interested if either opportunity comes my way!!

I also appealed their decision to deny my claim. Now they have told me that my appeal was also denied due to lack of doctor's visits before the hospitalizations. As I explained to them I went thru the emergency room and was hospitalized from there. How is that not medical documentation?!! I am looking for an attorney who can assist me in this matter with obtaining the financial compensation due me and to make it known to Metlife that their basis of determining eligibility is based on falsity and that they are hindering employees with legitimate claims from obtaining monies due them.

If I could I would make it known to ANYONE who is even remotely thinking of having Metlife for insurance to think again!!!! Because of my employer I have to deal with Metlife and as such have encountered nothing but excuses from them and them telling me there is nothing else I can do about their decision. There has to be some way to settle this and also bring awareness to the general public as well as my co-workers how having this insurance may negatively impact them!!!

My Dr and I concluded I had to stop working and rest before I have my surgery. I was placed on a specific diet to try and avoid attacks. I filed a claim the next day. I physically went to my drs office and had them fill out the paperwork. I faxed it and Metlife stated they got it, but my claim status went from pending to denied. I was now on the phone with metlife everyday, stating my info was not enough to prove my case, I sent my mri/ultrasound and all records of my gallstones. However, since I had those tests prior to the start of my claim they could not use them. I'm basically be penalized for trying to work through the pain. My claim is still denied even though I just had surgery.

I asked them to contact my surgeon if they needed that paperwork and they basically told me my surgery doesn't matter, I'm still denied. So now here I am stuck in bed recovering from a gallstone removal surgery, in pain and can't move. Not getting paid and wondering if my job is on the line now. They don't want to help me, I have gotten them everything they asked me to, and I'm still denied. What kind of benefit is it if it only causes more stress. I've been with my company for 11 years and never needed to take time off. I have a legitimate medical issue and Metlife will not even help me, apparently removing organs that are diseased doesn't count.

Initially my claim was denied due to "lack of medical information." However I have the same information that was sent to MetLife and in 44 pages of documents that excuse just was not going to work for me. I requested to speak with Came, she's boss and received a call from the Unit leader Helene. She is now saying there is plenty of medical information, but that my claim is denied because my doctor's notes show "reported" symptoms, but not "observed" symptoms. They are full of crappie if they think I'm going to now let that excuse slide. I am contacted a law office for class action lawsuits and I will continue to work on this. MetLife will not get away with this!!! I requested to speak with the unit leader, Helene's boss. I am now waiting for a callback from Richard, the operations manager.

After countless calls, and e-mails with no responses, we finally received a call back from another "new" rep assigned to his case. Now they were saying they had not received information from all entities (hospital, his work, and the VA hospital and pharmacy). My husband argues on the phone with them after they kept on lying about their process saying he had a "preexisting" condition. Which was not identified to him when he had bought the policy and was paying on it. Now they are requesting more records prior to the actual day he bought the policy.

I finally got on the phone with the rep, threatened her with me getting a lawyer, and she lied even more saying that a fax just came in with some of the required information they needed to review his claim..what a coincidence..NOT. This company is so unprofessional and very dangerous. We will continue to fight and submit all required information, and will call them continuously. My suggestion to anyone who is going through the same predicament or something similar, document all your dates on when you spoke, who you spoke to, the time, and make notes during the call so you have documentation.

When you mail them or fax them any documents, make sure you have a delivery confirmation receipt and follow up with an e-mail to the rep who is currently assigned your claim to ensure all bases are covered. One should not have to go through all of this to get money you are entitled to. I will NEVER do business with them after all of this is over. I can't believe how they treat their policy holders. My husband is too exhausted to handle all this stress, so I take it on..and they are unbelievable. A lawsuit should definitely be filed on behalf of the consumers. DO NOT TRUST THIS COMPANY. Do your research and find another company that will work for you. They are disgracing Snoopy the dog. SMH

At first, it was puzzling to me that no one at MetLife had the courtesy - or the humanity - to reach out to me to request whatever documentation might be missing prior to this official denial. Then, I read these other stories and I realized that my case is not unusual; this is their MO (modus operandi), to lie, confuse, harass, intimidate, and all else to make the ill person feel truly more ill at each confrontation.

I was approved almost one year ago, in September 2013, and now seemingly frivolously, MetLife just obliterates all that my MDs have documented (all my specialists agree that I am unable to work), and further invalidates the true nature of my health condition. The official notice of denial, which was faxed to me yesterday, is riddled with typos, errors, and omissions. MetLife states "protecting families for over 145 years," and then just throws sick and disabled people to the wolves.

My mistake by not filling the forms out before my surgery (I was only to be in the hospital a few days). Complications kept me in for 12 days. By day 8, I was alert enough to call my rep to inquire about my claim. She did not call me back. I had my daughter take paperwork to my surgeon to launch the claim proper. After I knew the paperwork was faxed, I placed another call to my rep. I did not get a return call.

When I was discharged from the hospital, I called again. This time I called into their regular line to talk to any rep to find out about my case. I was advised my paper work was received and that they had 5 days to review the information and get back to me. I did not get a call back, nor did I get a payout. My next phone call to MetLife, I called in and spoke with a rep (not my assigned "I don't return a phone call rep"). I asked to speak to her supervisor. The supervisor approved my payout and I received 3 weeks' pay the following Friday. All is well, until my chemotherapy. I received pay outs from April 28 thru June 28, my first approval time frame.

When July starts, I called into them, not to my rep who doesn't return phone calls, just to the rep on duty answering my call. I gave them the oncology contact info so they can get the updates needed regarding my care. "All is well" I think, until no payout is received a week later. I called into MetLife to inquire. The rep (not my assigned - I don't want her (she reminds me of a dead beat worker who could care less about me or doing her job)). The rep reviews my claim and tells me she faxed paperwork to my surgeon, not the oncologist I provided. I ask for a supervisor to call me back.

While waiting for the return call, my assigned rep calls me back, asking what I want, explaining she just faxed info to my oncologist. (Huh? ) The supervisor calls me a little later and tells me the rep sent the info to the oncologist a week prior...really? 3 different stories? A day later, my oncologist has no paperwork from MetLife. I see to it my case worker at the cancer center who offers to get involved on my behalf. She called them. She called me back to tell me that my rep told her that she did not need paperwork from my oncologist. When my cancer center case worker said "I would like to have that in writing, since you are the first to tell me such a thing", then the paperwork was received by my oncologist who faxed them back on a Thursday.

Knowing the 5-day rule to review the paperwork, I didn't bother wasting my time to follow up until the next Wednesday. I called and left a message with my rep and she returned my call! I asked about my case, she told me she would get back to me by Thursday. Guess what? She did not call. Friday, I called into MetLife and spoke to the rep who answered the line (aka not my assigned rep). I asked her about my case, she reviewed it and advised it had not been reviewed since my call on Wednesday. I asked for a supervisor. Supervisor reviewed my case and promised it would be reviewed firsthand the following week (Huh?).

Now I have to say the supervisor seemed concerned about the lack of activity on my case and surprised me by calling me 2 hours later at 6pm on a Friday to tell me I was approved, not for the full time, but at least until the end of September. I got a letter confirming our conversation the very next week. The next week, I did not get a payout. Now I've got to call into them again to find out why.

I work for a large telecommunications company that starts with a V. I am a union employee with over 16 years of service. I am a customer service rep. with high quality ratings. I will see this through to my satisfaction. Seeking legal help will result in me sharing my money with an attorney, which I will not enjoy. At this point in time, I will rely on my knowledge set and ability to review and interpret the laws. I truly believe my case is being handled by a deadbeat rep who doesn't know jack and fakes performance. Heck, they exist in my very own work place!

I'm going to call in again and escalate! Supervisor hate escalations! I'm nice to them, but I stick to the facts: SHOULD I REALLY HAVE TO BE BABYSITTING MY CLAIM WHILE I'M HAVING CHEMOTHERAPY?! Wish me luck, and the same for all who suffer my fate.

I went back to work 5 1/2 weeks later (too soon I admit now) but I had to get my wife and daughter back onto my insurance due to them canceling them because lack of paperwork they say. I worked for 6 mo while I waited for the meds to do their job and break up that blockage. In mid June, I went to the cardiologist for a stress test and being lazy or what scheduled the results appt about 3 weeks later. Before we were to be told the results, I was on the treadmill at the gym when my defibrillator went off, not once but twice. The artery that was a measly 10% blocked in Jan was now 95% blocked causing basically another heart attack. Two more stents for that ken and another attempt at the blockage and no luck.

So this is when my mess started with MetLife, I got the StD pretty quick after the waiting period. There was the usual 'missing paperwork' problems but nothing too serious. The fun started in between STD and LTD. After my Dr basically told MetLife that I will not be working due to disease that affects my arteries quickly. I went about 3 months without any money coming in because they said I didn't turn in proper paperwork and blah blah blah. My Dr turned in everything that was needed of him and we were not sure of the holdup. Meanwhile MetLife is doing a grand job of making feel like I am sponging off the government or something.

I don't know how many times I told people I would change spots in a heartbeat, no pun intended. I was talked to rudely and got to the point that my sweet wife told MetLife they are to talk with her only, my heart can't take the way they are talking to me. I was told my Dr even contacted MetLife himself and he never does this. If only Met Life knew how it felt to ask your sister to buy your family some groceries because of them holding up my LTD!!!

During one of my many days of web surfing, I came across Senator John McCain's website, here in Az he is all for long term care and stuff. I emailed his office about everything that had happened and how it was not right for them to treat people like this. Lo and behold, I got a call from MetLife and the same ** that had my claim and she told me that my claim got approved for LTD. The next week I got a letter from McCain's office telling me his office actually got in contact with MetLife to,discuss 'things'... Ha ha ha ha. The squeaky wheel got the grease this time.

I have not had one problem with MetLife since. My ordeal now is dealing with my SSD claim. That has been denied twice and now at the 2-yr mark of the 2nd heart attack I am waiting for a hearing date but am told it s/b soon. Dealing with Met Life, be persistent and call BS on them when needed. If all else fails email McCain's office!! I hope everyone good luck in their dealing with ML.

Six months into my disability, I applied for SSD, at the recommendation of health care providers. In many situations it can take up to 2 years for approval. I was approved in less than 6 months. SSD however, (or anything for that matter) doesn't influence Met Life in any way, shape, or form. They even boldly stated that a government approval of disability makes no difference to them. It is now 3 years into my disability. I was supposed to be collecting 60% of my salary but have been reduced to $0 as time marches on. My condition is worse than when I was originally approved. And I do have medical documentation and clinical proof to substantiate this. Met Life however, continues to deny me saying "my proof" isn't proof enough. Don't try challenging a denial on your own either.

Hire an excellent attorney and even then, this company will lie and cheat their way in a attempt to forever "beat around the bush" and never pay. Most disability lawyers are very familiar with Met Life and the disgusting, despicable and highly unprofessional tactics they use against the disabled. And most of these lawyers tend to agree that the horrific practices by this company should be deemed criminal. Lastly, I don't know how a billion dollar insurance giant can be allowed to continue such injustices at the expense of the unfortunate. And if others out there are totally fed up with Met Life like I am, perhaps a class-action lawsuit might just be something we should look into. Anyone??

I called doctor office. They are so rude too and even told me will charge me 25 dollar per page for any forms or letter needed. This is the first time I heard this. Maybe because they already got the payment from the surgery. Anyways tried to call them and left a message. Nobody tried to get back to me. I tried to fax discharge papers for the dates. I don't know. And doctor office said when they talked with them they said it's all ok. But they told me a different one. METLIFE is such a pain in the ass and we better sue them.

Every year I have to come up with $1,000.00 to pay my lawyer to deal with Metlife LTD through Verizon. If I had to deal with them on my own, they would deny me, first chance they got. They don't want to pay and that is what this is all about, it is not about being ill or disabled. It isn't verifying your disability, it is Metlife trying to find a way to deny your benefits, you are entitled to. I Had a tough time finding a lawyer, and I had to basically pay one lawyer to get the name of the lawyer that is representing me now. DO NOT try to win on your own, this is your life this is your financial future, you can not risk it. You see the stories here, and yes I believe you will lose everything you worked your butt off for. Sorry to the woman who lost her marriage, your husband wasn't a good one, marriage is for better or for worse sickness and health. But I know it is very stressful and can stress your relationships.

If anyone ever wants to sue metlife for harassment, I am all for it and I am in for the long run. I get somewhat depressed of how they treat me and try to take all I have left from me. Get a Lawyer. Mine is in Boston, they travel all over the US to represent people with disabilities. Rafik they handle Erisa too. They are my life savers, my hero's, thank goodness for them. Good Luck and Hang in there, don't give Metlife any information or speak to them about your condition. They can only send you forms and review the information your doctor fills out. They try to act nice on the phone and sympathetic but they will take you for everything.

The first claim that I submitted was on February 6th and it was denied therefore I was not paid anything from February 5th to August 5th, 2012. The basis for the denial was I did not provide objective medical evidence of my illness and did not provide any documentation to support my inability to perform my job function. Since Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome does not have diagnostic tests proving their existence and according to MetLife's skilled medical board the Hypothyroidism was not severe enough to be interfering with my job I did not have a valid claim. It did not matter that at times I could barely walk and I was sleeping up to 18 hours a day even though every month my physician increased my Thyroid Sublingual.

I had also begun to see a Neurologist, who with some testing, diagnosed neuropathy in my legs. In order to protect my job my employer placed me on a Work Place Arrangement in which based off of the medical information I provided them they would put me on an "Unpaid Medical Leave of Absence". So ironically, Verizon Wireless placed me on "Unpaid Medical Leave of Absence" with the same documentation that was submitted to MetLife. In July, I received a call from the Verizon Employee who managed my Work Place Arrangement Claim telling me that unless I returned to work on August 5th, 2013 I would lose my medical benefits for myself and my family because I wasn't paying into my benefits as I was in an "Unpaid" status.

Even though I was not able to be awake for more than 6 hours at a time and I was in constant pain from Fibromyalgia I attempted to return to work on August 5th. To return to work, it meant that my day started at 4:30am as I work 60 miles from home and have to begin working at 7:00am. My day does not end until around 8:00pm which is when my granddaughter, whom I have physical legal custody of, goes to sleep. On my first day back to work, August 5th, when I came home that evening, I was unable to prepare dinner or be involved in my granddaughter's homework due to my severe pain and fatigue forcing me to go to bed at 5:30pm. I worked August 5-7, 2013 and on August 8th I called MetLife advising them I was not able to work and that my previous claim needed to be reopened.

Prior to returning to work, because I was so emotionally taxed by dealing with MetLife and following up with my numerous doctors, dealing with creditors who were not getting paid as I was not receiving a paycheck, filling out mortgage modification papers to address my non-payments, borrowing money from family and friends to keep my utilities on and filing a request for Food Stamps so I could at least feed my family, I finally had to seek psychological help. I called Verizon EAP (Employee Assistance Program) who referred me to a counselor who I began to see on July 16th, 2013. Since my illness caused such a catastrophic domino effect with my finances, dealing with family who did not believe I was sick, and constantly having to give up activities or not being able to participate with my family because I was in pain or tired, I was diagnosed with Chronic Depression and Anxiety.

So when I reopened my previous claim and MetLife saw that I was now seeking counseling, they closed my prior claim and reopened a new one due to the counseling. Within a couple of weeks my claim was approved all because I was seeking psychological counseling. So now from September 16 thru December 16th, 2013 I went to the same doctors and still maintained the same medical diagnosis with no notable improvements; however my claim was approved and I did get paid. Unfortunately, each month I had to make sure that after every doctor appointment I had to call MetLife advising them that I just saw a doctor and requested they send a request for updated information so that when my claim manager reviewed my claim for extension, he would have all the doctors, counselor, and psychiatry office notes.

The month of December proved to be a challenging month as MetLife was slow to approve my claim to extend my claim out until December 16th and with no approval Verizon Wireless would not put me in an active status therefore I was not paid. I did not have any money to pay for doctor's co-pays, medication or gasoline to go to my appointments and I was forced to move my appointments to dates that I believed my case would be approved and I would have money. Now because I moved the appointments I could not get my documentation to the case manager until December 18th, 2013. On that day, I called MetLife to request they send a request for records to my doctor and I wanted to verify that they had received documentation from the neurologist, counselor and psychiatrist. They said they had not received anything even though I called MetLife the day I had each appointment requesting they send an updated records request.

I called my doctors/therapist and they said they never received a records request! So I called MetLife back and they said that they had sent out the records request three times to each of the doctors but did not receive anything back from them. My doctors said they either did not receive the records requests or did receive the records request and sent out the necessary documentation but MetLife claimed they did not receive any records. This kind of activity was constant in my history this last year therefore I was never free to be stress free or to focus on my recovery because I was bouncing back and forth with the documentation issues.

The final conclusion was MetLife was not being forthcoming to me when I called them to send out the records request or to verify they received documentation. I spoke with my case manager on December 20th to go through the normal "Who did you not receive documentation from" review and was told that my primary doctor who treated my fibromyalgia had not sent any office notes from my December 11th office visit. I advised my case manager then that my doctor's office did send the requested documentation three times and that since there was a challenge with MetLife's fax system, I would send him the documentation to his email. He provided me his email address with no contest and I immediately sent him the doctor's notes from that visit via email.

So now all I could do at that point was sit back and wait for the approval. Of course, it meant that I did not have money to have Christmas for my granddaughter or other family members and I had to find money to pay my utilities. By January 6th, 2014 I had not received any information on an approval or denial of my case so I called MetLife to get updated on my case. Since I was never able to call my case manager directly, I had to wait until he received my message and then he would call me back. He called me back on January 7th and advised that my case had been sent on for further review by the clinician and that he did not have an answer for me at that time.

My question was how come my claim did not have any activity on it from December 20th until January 7th? Then when I finally did get the call that my claim was being denied how come they waited until 3:30pm on January 10, 2014 to advise me? AT this point, I was not going to be paid up to December 16th, 2013 nor was I going to be extended until January 16th, 2014. When I received the denial letter I saw one interesting fact... The case manager did not mention he received the documentation from my Fibromyalgia physician even though I had emailed it to him on December 20th. The denial letter stated that "There was no medical documentation provided to indicate with sufficient severity, any abnormal exam findings..." So now I was very upset because my prior claim also was denied based off the documentation yet ALL the documentation MetLife received was the same and showed that I was still being treated but was not able to work due to my anxiety, depression, severe pain and chronic fatigue.

When the second claim was approved I knew the approval came because of the psychological information they received but now that I provided the psychological information they did not have any medical documentation (which they did not feel was sufficient enough to approve the first claim!). They denied the claim. How can anyone stay mentally well dealing with this kind of blatant abuse? I use the word abuse because the whole time I have been dealing with them they never once showed sincerity or apologized for any confusion I was experiencing. They didn't care nor did they wish to work with me in helping my claim become approved. So how could my employer continue to contract with such an abusive disability company?

While I have much anxiety in dealing with an illness that has put a one time "hit the ground running" person to one who can barely get out of bed, I have also been dealing with MetLife who has basically insinuated to my employer that there is nothing wrong with me. I was an exemplary employee who had perfect attendance which meant no tardies, did not use my sick time and was always "leading" in my job performance. I feel I did not get to 18 years of employment with Verizon Wireless if I was an employee who lacked integrity or had to be monitored because of suspicious job performance. Yet my company allows their outside contractor to virtually place me into a category of being unscrupulous.

Additionally, while I have been trying to protect my reputation with Verizon Wireless, anytime I was faced with MetLife's scare tactics and abuse, I had no advocate within Verizon Wireless to be a liaison between them and MetLife which left me constantly not knowing what my next step was going to be. Sadly, because I can no longer afford to not be paid, as my home mortgage company is threatening foreclosure, ALL of my credit accounts are in write-off or collections status, I have not been able to continue with my medication because my mail order pharmacy who I have to get my prescriptions through because of my health benefits will not provide me anymore medication unless I pay my outstanding balance (which is money I don't have because I haven't been paid!).

I will be returning to work tomorrow February 3, 2014. I am saddened because my employer of 18 years does not care about me as their employee to help me in dealing with MetLife, but rather they (my employer) hide behind contracts and generally allows MetLife to abuse their (Verizon Wireless) employee. All I have ever wanted was time to get better physically but this last year has done nothing but cause my physical state to worsen due to the stress (which is a trigger of Fibromyalgia). Also, my mental state has developed into an area in which I never believed someone of my integrity and work ethic would ever have to see. Honestly, several times I have wanted to end my life and since I have gone that far in my mental thinking it has brought me to a level of thinking I would have never gone to on my own.

My motive to write this complaint is to see if there is anyone out there who can help me understand why two large corporations (MetLife and Verizon Wireless) are allowed to continue with such practices/treatments. To force a person into financial hardship and continually abuse them by their scare tactics is unacceptable and unethical. I want to understand how this cannot be stopped as I know that I am not the first person to be driven down this path of destruction.

Yes, I have a sedentary job, but the Dr has sent in medical records and has said I can't sit for a long period of time and my job requires 8 hrs of sitting. We get 2 (15) minutes break and a 1 hour lunch, and at the point I can't sit for 1 hr without the knee tightening, pain the muscle pain. After the last dr's visit and I needed to get my doctor's note sent over to Metlife and the rep to notate my account if my case manager has any questions about the information she received she can call and I will get her what she needs. The review period can up to 5 days. On the fifth day, I called MetLife and spoke with my case manager and then she tells me the information she received don't support the claim, so I asked her to fax to my doctor the specific questions she needs answers to and she did and my doctor filled them, faxed them back.

Now the claim has been referred to the Medical Director, but this is totally ridiculous. I still go to therapy twice a week. I take pain meds which I'm quite sure I can't take and perform my job duties as well. When I go back to the Dr on 02-12-14, he will be sending me back to have another nerve study done. I have bills just like anybody else, and this is very frustrating because I physically can't return to work right now and you all don't know me and you don't know my struggle, all my bills are getting behind, and why? A license medical doctor who sees me every month and knows what I'm going through has said what I can't do and it's like MetLife is looking for reasons to deny the rest of the claim.

Then when the co. had everything they needed from my drs, which is what they asked for, they called my supervisor at work and then rejected me. I did tell her prior to this decision that I had not been in good standing with my job and they tried to fire me. Why would she take their word? They #1 do not want me working there, #2 they have never examined me by a dr. I find it absolutely ridiculous the person who made the decision has no medical background

I have two rods and plate and screws in my lower back. I have two plates and six screws in my neck. I have fibromyalgia and every joint in my body hurts. Dr. reports to back up. A claim rep. has ruined my life. I don't understand how this happens? If anything comes from this, great I haven't wasted my time. Otherwise I do not know why any company would buy this coverage for their employees. Waste of money!

Every time my Dr. provided information, they said they had 5 days to review the information and make a decision, so the "trained" medical reviewer (who is NOT a Doctor and has no clue about my situation) waited all 5 days to call me or my Dr. and ask a very stupid question, such as "how often do you see your doctor?" After the answer, she would have 5 more days to "review" the information; after that, she requested my Dr. notes for my last appointment (private notes) not the medical assessment, which we decided to share. Of course when she received the notes, she took 5 more BUSINESS DAYS to "review" the information, then she calls my Dr. and leaves her a message. When my Dr. calls back, they don't pick up the phone; she leaves a message, which they took days to respond... Every time I have an appointment (weekly), she requires the notes again and has 5 more days to review, she asks me one stupid question, she gets 5 days, calls my doctor 3 days later, and the clock resets... you get the idea.

At this point, 6 weeks had passed and they had not given me an answer. Of course these are 6 weeks that I didn't know if I would get paid or if I had to pay the days back to my employer since I do not have any available personal time. So they finally approved my claim, but ONLY until the day they called me with the decision. Immediately my Dr. filed for an extension until 5 days earlier than the original request, and the process started again. Since my Dr. had already given them everything they needed and requested, they decided to ask if I was seeing a therapist and now tried to make me sign a release, allowing them to get the notes with every detail of my personal life since the beginning of time which is in no way relevant to this claim and they should not be allowed to request that.

Of course, now I'm also out of work with no pay and both my Doctors are so frustrated with what they have to do for Metlife. I can see that they wish I would go to a different doctor. Metlife harasses me and my Doctors, they have told them many times that they have other patients they have to take care of and Metlife doesn't care, they keep calling, faxing and requesting additional information that they don't need and had never requested before. The medical reviewer treats me like if I was lying, always asking things she already knows, trying to catch me on a lie and says things to me in a very cold tone that have made me break down in tears and desperation, but because I have not expressed suicidal or homicidal intentions, nor am I delusional and talking to people in my head, she doesn't considers my situation abnormal.

Metlife has made my condition significantly worse and has literally disabled me, after their calls directly to me, or the frustrated calls of my two doctors telling me they just received a call from MetLife and they are requesting something else. I can't stop crying and just go back to bed not able to move a finger when all I asked them was for two and a half months of peace, so I could get treatment and get better so I can go back to work stronger and be able to perform my responsibilities successfully.

So now, if I go back to work, they will fire me because I cannot handle the simplest of things or deal with people appropriately without breaking into tears, and if I don't, Metlife has kept me in so much added stress that I am not able to work on my recovery. It's like they are purposely making my illness a long term thing and want me to truly become crazy and homicidal, so I end up in jail and they don't have to pay my benefits. On top of that they make sure, to ALWAYS make me spend the holidays (including my Birthday) and now Christmas. They have heard me cry desperately, begged them for a little compassion, asked them what else do they need me to do and they simply do not care (their answer is always the same: "I understand, but we need to follow our policies").

Their goal is not to pay the benefits (that btw we as employees have already financed for them), and they will do anything to make you give up the claim. They don't care if you get even sicker thanks to them. They don't even care if you kill yourself or somebody else. They twist the information you give them, lie and make you look so bad that you'd never be able to get a job again, and all this for asking for two months of STD, after 22 years at work never filing a claim before. And forget about confidentiality, not only do they talk among themselves about your case (every customer service person I talk to knows about me), but they will also share with your employer despite your express request not to share anything about your condition.

Metlife needs to be sued and after what they have made me go through. I am more than willing to assist even if it takes years! Maybe a class action will make them change their truly unethical practices and influence other insurance companies that may be following the same strategy. Short Term disability is meant to allow an employee to recover and return to work on better health, but Metlife makes it much worse and does not allow us to get better.

PLEASE HELP!

This came after I had spoken with Dena, another MetLife employee who stated to me that nothing had been done on my chart since early November but that she did see where my doctor had submitted more information and that she would make contact with Sabrina and let her know to contact me. Needless to say, I was denied and lied to by my case worker and her supervisor and I feel they put what they want in your personal file illegally and determine who they want to approve or not based on their own personal agenda. I would not recommend MetLife to any person or business. You would just be wasting your money.

Now my FMLA is up this week, Met Life will stop paying me next week and I don't know what to do. If I go back to work, against my doctor's orders, I will fail at work. But if I don't go back, I won't have a job and Met Life will stop paying me. I've filed for SSDI, but that won't come through for a while. I've been crazy for 3 days thinking I need to go back to work and just get fired so I can collect unemployment because Met Life won't pay for a legitimate disability. I'm out of steam or else I would sue the SOBs.

Although I had to appeal a lost claim, I won both of those claims and now that I am sick myself legit I have been fighting with MetLife and I have been forced back to work because I lost my car due to no pay from where I work. I'm losing my home. My landlord said I got to go. I'm also losing my marriage because of the stress and mental anguish it has caused us. I don't understand how I can be awarded a win on several appeals that were indirectly my own health issues but when it comes to my health it seems to be a problem. I mean why approve me for mental anguish for family members if you're not going to approve me for my own illness now?

I'm STILL waiting for an answer from MetLife and I honestly feel like contacting my lawyer and starting something because I shouldn't even be back to work yet. I can't handle the stress of my marriage ending and I need to be home taking care of moving and finding who I am again. I work in a very fast-paced call center with a lot of stressful situations that usually are not a problem for me. But since I have become ill and my separation has begun, I cannot seem to handle a bit of stress without feeling like I need to run to the hospital and ask to be admitted which I haven't done but it's honestly coming to that. I have been with my company for 4 1/2 years now which the agreement with MetLife and my company that entitles me to 100% pay at 8 weeks and 60% after that.

I lost my car like I said. My marriage. My friends are having food drives for me to keep my family fed and due to the unfortunate circumstances of my marriage ending, I had to let my daughter move into my mother's and I am moving into my brother's which is just causing more mental anguish. Like I don't understand how they can do this to me. I have been put on medication that honestly I feel can knock a horse out and I walk around like a zombie all day so being at work now is also risking my job as if it wasn't at risk at all due to all of this. Just approve it for Pete's sake. What is the problem? You did before when it was due to family issues. Now I'm having my own issues and they are making me suffer. Before this is all said and done, I think I'm going to end up in the mental ward because each day that passes with no answer that's where I fight going. I hope and pray I get approved on my appeal so I can try to get some of my life back and move on with my career before that gets taken away from me too.

He was recently awarded disability benefits for his own disability. His onset of disability was determined to be over a year before me. MetLife now wants to offset his amount against my LTD policy. I am the representative payee for him however this is not money for me to use for my household but is for him. I paid 27 years for this policy. It says a child’s benefits can be offset if they are a result of the parent’s disability. Clearly they are not.

Case worker agrees with me. Money is due to Social Security and caseworker is on vacation. They use a different office to deal with overpayments and cannot be reached. Just brings someone back to case worker. Can they refuse to repay Social Security benefits which were wrongly paid to them? Can they offset benefits that are used to support another household? When these don't have anything to do with my disability. Social security told me that this is illegal to do. However still waiting on MetLife. May lose my house in the meantime.

I filed an appeal after my doctor put an incorrect date on the paperwork (he was not looking at the calendar). After I won my appeal, they actually told me I had to pay money back because it somehow added three days instead of one, because they counted Saturday and Sunday as paid workdays and they somehow averaged the month, and because that Monday, I went back full-time, adding these three days, although these are not normal workdays for me, and my doctor and my intent was based on a normal 5-day workweek from Monday to Friday, and I end up owing them money??? When I asked for an explanation, I was referred to some formula and calculations, so I guess the moral of the story is to be careful how your doctor words return to work notes??? Think this unethical and cold-hearted from the company "that is there when you need them." LOL!!

It has to be illegal the way they conduct business. They lie and harass people. My advice to other folks is to just keep fighting and don't give in. MetLife will try and confuse an already difficult circumstance of medical health issues, and at times it feels like you just don't have the energy to fight anymore, but don't give up. Long term disability insurance is something that most of us worked and paid for, myself for many years before I became disabled. The MetLife Company does not care about the people and are ruthless in their attempts to keep people from collecting on their insurance.

Little did I know then how this insurance company was going to treat me. After all, I had paid into it for so many years and my only mistake was to trust them. All went well and they said I needed to apply for government disability by Oct. or Nov. Well, I decided to get an early start and applied in May. Little did I know it would go through right away after the 6-month waiting period. In the meantime, MetLife was sending the checks and Social Security goes or starts in the month behind, i.e., you get October check in November. So I had to pay back the money from MetLife even though I didn't get an actual check from them. Confusing. So for the next year, they kept my little check from MetLife because of this. The trouble started when I was sent a new claim form that I was to give to my new doctor, as I had to change insurance. That was the only thing I got. Christine ** said I was supposed to give the long-term disability claim form to the attending physician statement to prove I was still disabled. He had not gotten my first and last visit from my doctor that I had been seeing for 9 years. Nothing from her about my medical problems. He said he couldn't fill out this report only knowing me a few months.

With this info, Christine told me if he didn't fill this out and fax it in, I would lose my benefits. At that time, she didn't mention nor was there a letter telling me that all they needed was my doctor’s note about my visits. When I called MetLife, there was another person that asked me why I didn't just have my doctor send over my records. I said I had no idea that it could be done this way or it could have all been resolved at that time. What did I know about claims or insurance for that matter? Christine called me back this morning saying that I had left a voicemail saying that my doctor would not fax over my medical records. She said it had been recorded and I asked to hear what I had actually said on voicemail. Well, they don't keep the recordings that long. Working in customer service, I know a rep can write down anything they please so at this point, I really didn't believe her. Yesterday was the first it was ever mentioned about doctor notes. It was always about filling out their report.

I, too, lost my home due to not being able to afford my three different inhalers; one is over $300 when I am in my dough hole. They cut me off of $113 when I had paid off the month or so they said they overpaid me. I should have been able to get LTD until I was 62, I think. It was closed because I was given the wrong information. I lost my home in 2009, did a change of address and again in 2010. Since they don't send things out certified, they assume you get whatever they send you. The last mail I believe I got was that claim form that Christine wanted my doctor to fill out. I told her that my company switches insurance on me and had two different doctors that wouldn't fill out the claim. It may only be a small amount to some but over the course of eight or more years, I should have gotten $10,848. It almost reminds me if you had car insurance and you get in a wreck, they will not cover it. When do we, the customers, get a break? Why do they say something is being recorded when they can’t or won’t produce the tape?

I told them I could not refund them the lump sum check as I had purchased a car. It depreciated driving it off the lot. I explained it wasn't my fault the overpayment occurred. That was their employee who made the clerical error. They said, "Well, we won't send anymore benefit checks until the money is repaid." I told them I was still going to send medical records and after waiting 2002 until about 2005, it should offset.

They continued to accept and evaluate the records. I was in hurricane Ivan in August 2004. Now, they want records from August 2004 until present. I lost my home in Pensacola, Florida. I was left homeless and had to move to Mississippi with my boyfriend of ten years to live in his family's garage. I got even sicker and was hospitalized with surgery. I saw a doctor on a regular basis. He left the health center after a year or so. I have been in ER rooms and hospitalized several times since then. MetLife picked August 2004. They knew I was in a hurricane in Florida and moved to a hurricane devastated area (Katrina). It took a short time to get into any doctor or health care center on a regular basis. The clinic still sent the medical records. They just said their doctor couldn't talk to mine because he had left the practice. Also, they claimed another therapist denied knowing me. I sent MetLife a copy of one of her bills. I also sent a copy of my paycheck stub. They also said just because Social Security disability has been my income for ten years or so, their policy is different.

I was transferred over to the appeals department. They now claim they won't pay anything for medical records even though that is their excuse for not paying me benefits. I don't understand. Paying someone initially should not have caused them all of a sudden to unaward the benefits to me just because their employee made an error when sending me the award checks. My condition requires constant monitoring and I have had several relapses over the past several years. All I keep doing is sending records to the appeals lady, Deb **, who never helps. I don't even know I had to report them to the Kentucky board of insurance. I guess they figured if they leave it in limbo, they will not have to pay me benefits.

I have never been able to return to my job. I worked and had premiums deducted. I have tried to get an attorney; however, they suggest it would be best if I pursue it because all I need to do is send medical records. It is very discriminating to see their commercials and know people get taken care of yet. They used a hurricane to provide me for a reason why they cannot pay my claim. It is upsetting they sat down and went through all the medical records looking for a way to deny the claim after it was already approved in 2002. Oh, all we need is records covering August 2004, (that is the month hurricane Ivan hit Florida). I just don't understand.

I called the recording. They say they last paid me in 2004. That is wrong. They paid me 2002 when I was awarded and then wanted some of it back. Now, it seems in order to cover some kind of tracks, they say that they last paid me March or May of 2004. I am supposed to be receiving $300 a month or more after the offset of my Social Security. If you multiply that ($300x12) and then multiply it by 9 (the number of years they were supposed to be paying me), that is a no small amount of money. How can you award the benefits and then unaward them because your employee made a mistake? I need to know who, other than the middleman or appeal section, I need to talk to in order to take care of this situation. Please feel free to contact me if you have any advice or an attorney I can use. I have a folder with their corresponding back and forth.

I have two bulging disc that are pressing on my sciatic nerve. My left front thigh is completely numb. The outside left outside of the same thigh is very sensitive to touch or anything else. I can barely walk 5 feet without assistance of a person, walker or cane. I wear a back brace. I have had three surgeries on my right knee. I can't begin to tell you about all the pain medication I am on. I have to see a psychologist because this illness has taken a toll on me. I had an MRI in October that states my condition has progressed since my last MRI in 2012. There needs to be some type of class action against MetLife.

I have gone through my life savings to pay my usual bills as well all of these medical bills that keep arriving in the mail. I have sold 90% of my gold and silver jewelry, and now I have some of my furniture posted on Craigslist. Christmas? Forget it. I have never been so sad in my life, not to mention the bipolar depression that I already deal with on a daily basis is worse than ever and now severely impacting my knee rehabilitation. I never thought in a million years that I would find myself in this kind of a jam! I just can't wait to see what the excuse later this week will be.

I finally decided to report them to the Ohio Department of Insurance. This is the best way to get results because this costs them in the ratings division. The DOI doesn't mess around. So contact your state and report them there. Go to your state, then the department, then see if you can file online. I was able to upload my 3 pages explaining it all in detail. Also, let them know about this website and the number of complaints. The way they treat paying clients is a sin! I have benefits from my company as well and I am an agent. I sold for MetLife a few years back but did not like some of the changes they made so I no longer include them in my sales. I left a message on my case manager's voice mail that I filed the complaint so let's see what happens now. A class action might be necessary.

When you speak to someone who works there, they always have some excuse as to why it's not their fault but they understand your concern. This doesn't even take into account their 60 percent mathematics. They require every bit of money you get to be included in the figure so they won't have to pay anything: Social Security benefits, your wife and kids' benefits, pensions from other jobs, etc. They will end up paying nothing or next to nothing if you're approved for disability through the government. If not approved, they will also use that not to pay you from what I read from others. Snoopy never knew what he was getting into. This is my actual experience.

The weirdest thing was after explaining I could not drive because of leg spasms almost slamming me into a tree, I was told by my caseworker that liability was not acceptable, because they only covered work time. How I got there was not their problem and not a criteria for short term benefits. That's when I became aware that these people had control of my life insurance policy and my long-term disability. If I had died hitting that tree, I bet they would have said it wasn't covered on my life insurance. Incompetent. And I hope my company gets a better provider.

I have sent MetLife every piece of medical documentation that exists on me. I have paid countless fees so that doctors' offices will send paperwork to MetLife. I have been out of work for 8 weeks and I am no longer getting paid. This is very difficult for a single person living alone and someone with limited energy. Each day is spent fighting with MetLife. I have had to spend more time focusing on MetLife and disability benefits than I have in trying to get a diagnosis and get well. This has resulted in severe depression.

MetLife misled me about the disability process. They are certainly not your advocate and not interested in helping the claimant whatsoever. It is a money game for them. I want to say that the MetLife personnel are incompetent, but I believe they are simply trained to perform that way in order to benefit the company and save money. They will send letters via postal mail indicating you have a timeframe for action as of the date on the letter. But because it is via postal mail, much of the time is already expired leaving you limited time for action. This is their game.

My advice to new claimants or those considering purchasing benefits from MetLife : (1) Do not use MetLife if you can avoid it. (2) If you cannot avoid working with Metlife, stay on top of them. Ask questions, dates and details. Do not assume that anyone at MetLife will do anything for you. Do not wait around. MetLife will not call you with information. They will also not call you back even when you request it and they promise a call back within 2 hours. My recommendation is to call every day and ask the same questions over and over. I got different answers all the time and my case manager was absent. I finally had to call my employer to see if they could assist, after all, Metlife works for my employer so try to get your employer on your side, if possible.

Bottom line: MetLife is shady. Do not trust a word they say. Avoid using them if possible but if you must, remember that you are your only advocate and you must stay on top of them.

Three days later, I received a letter stating they were denied after a month of not working. We were devastated. They told me I had the right to appeal this decision after 45 days. In the meantime, we drained our checking account and now have tapped into our Christmas club savings. If I had known how this company did their business, I would never had signed up with them.

I'm letting all of the other employees know how they are treating claimants so they can get out as fast as they can, so MetLife does not get any richer. This is America, don't these companies have any remorse or compassion?

My claim was only approved through October 23, 2011. But I wasn't notified until November 8 that my claim was denied. This caused me to not get paid during that time.

The case went to a "review" status. They said that it would take 45 days and today is day 45. I just got off the phone with **, the appeals "specialist", who told me it could take up to another 45 days for an answer.

Dealing with these so-called advocates is worse than the situation that I am facing. They really make it harder than it really is. After 9 years with my company, I have absolutely no faith in the system! And the only reason why they got 1 star is because it was the only way I could submit this complaint!

I went to work, which made the situation worse, both my legs became numb and it took over 24 hours for me to flex any muscles in my legs. I was finally able to see the orthopedic doctor again on November 15, who immediately set me up for a nerve study, followed by an appointment with a surgeon. I immediately called Met Life, sent in all paperwork as requested, and I have called them daily since then, my doctor's office sent the paperwork in on November 16. At this time, I am still waiting for word of approval on my claim. Each time I called, I spoke to a different person, and got transferred to someone's voicemail with a promise of a call back within 2 hours. Those call backs never happened.

Yesterday, the 23rd was the last day for a decision. I started calling at noon. Each time, I was told they have until the end of the business day. I called every two hours, as I was promised call backs that I never got. At 3pm, I spoke with a Linda, who said she was instant messaging my case manager, she said my case manager tried to call me (never happened, no missed call, no message) and she will call me right after she got off the phone. Linda gave me her direct number to call if I needed. Well, 2 hours later, the case manager did not call back, I called Linda, and she was not in office. From 5pm until 8pm, I continued to call, with no resolution.

I was promised several times a call back that evening, that never happened. I stopped calling once I reached an extremely rude supervisor who said, no one was there, no managers to assist me and I would have to wait until Monday. Meanwhile, although Met Life ignored their ridiculous 5-day policy. I have not been paid. I had to take out a personal loan to pay my mortgage, car payment, doctor's co-pay, medication and to keep my electricity on. I am an exemplary employee, I have 110 hours of vacation available, and great attendance. Does this seem fair? I still do not know the outcome of my claim. I am hoping it will be approved. Meanwhile, I am extremely depressed due to my physical and now financial situation.

I appealed with Metlife and they claimed to not have received any information from my doctor, so they denied the appeal based on no new information received. Then, two weeks later, they send me a letter that they found the information in someone else's file, but it didn't make a difference. So, I am disabled enough by SSDI, but not my insurance company. I got SSDI approved the first time around, so you know that I am a major mess because approvals on first application are rare.

I could have pursued this through an attorney, but seeming Metlife offsets SSDI, my benefit would have only been $100 and it just wasn't worth it to me. I just don't have the patience and mental capacity to deal with them over $100 a month.

I can tell that this company is shady since I worked for them. My manager would tell me not to reopen cases even when I had good hard medical evidence that said I should be paying the person. I had a manager who was transferred over from the Life Department, and knew nothing about disability and the other manager I ended up with, well, she got her job just by being there so many years but got demoted after I left. I had more overall experience in disability plus a bunch of credentials that they didn't. I got fired the same day I advised my manager that I was filing for FMLA; it was two hours later to be exact. She cited performance issues though (typo errors she found on letters). Funny thing is that I was on the quality committee and a review of 600 random letters, all had typos!

The year prior, I had gotten written up two days prior to a scheduled hysterectomy for performance issues. It seems like if you have health issues and are employed here, you might as well kiss your job good-bye.

I took leave on Aug of 2011 due to the ongoing issue with the right eye going out causing me to become blind for a short amount of time with no vision in the left as well as the right. This was something that came on not knowing and never had a warning. Therefore when I was driving, I had the worst time trying to pull over. I went and filed a claim with MetLife, went to about 9 doctors and they provided them with the information needed on top of me having anxiety issues. They came back and stated that the information provided was not enough to uphold the "issue" I had with my eye. So, I went and got more information from my doctors and had them write to MetLife and advise them of the issue once again and with more information than needed.

The denial came back from the appeal and stated that my going blind does not interfere with my work, only my driving and I should have someone take me to work. Now I did not get paid for the 2 months I was out, was given a final written warning with Verizon Wireless. I feel as though I did the right thing and did not take advantage of the system for a bogus issue. But now I am handicapped and all they can say is " there is nothing they can do".

The rules change as they go along and the MDs just said that down the road, both parties will be sanctioned as the practices are becoming sloppy and reckless. Many believe that what is happening are retaliatory tactics due to the EEOC Verizon (Communications - VZ) twenty million dollar judgment of their disability "No Fault" attendance policy, which didn't make sense to me as the VZ and VZW umbrellas are still somewhat separate, so I thought. The judgment was for VZ employees only, but the rise in incidents seem to have been increased since the judgment has been levied. Get ready for an even bigger sanction VZ, VZW, MetLife if retaliation is proved. Some bad publicity for MetLife in general. Maybe the life and auto portion will then discontinue the disability portion due to company image concerns.

I kept being told different things depending on who I spoke to. The case managers were changed often and with that, so did the rules along with the information I was given. At one point, I was told in a threatening way that I should have surgery for some of the physical conditions (there are multiple) and go into an institution for the severe depression, PST, bipolar, panic and anxiety I suffer with daily. They felt psychiatry wasn't enough. When I spoke to my doctors about this, I was told that MetLife had no business threatening me and telling me what course of treatment I should have or else! When I called back and spoke to a manager, I was told that dictating claimant's medical treatment is not part of their policy. Since they record all conversations, I told the manager to playback my recorded conversations as proof. Of course, that was never done.

The list of deceitful actions taken by MetLife is long to post here. However, to give one example: My benefits were suddenly stopped and when I called to find out why, I was told their records indicated that I had returned to work. I explained that I never returned to work. After several calls and letters, I was told it was an error on the part of a new employee who had input the wrong information into the system. There were many mistakes like these. It seems that although numerous doctors, specialists, independent exams and social security have found me permanently disabled, MetLife tells me their definition of disability differs from SSD. I now know it also differs from all my doctors who have been sending in reports for almost 3 years, as well as their own so-called independent doctor who agreed with my doctors.

The letter is titled release of retirement benefit information, which has nothing to do with his right to obtain disability payments. They put a due date on it, of two weeks, to threaten us with cancellation if we do not reply.

I was told by the case manager named Stacy that as far as she could tell, the 16 pages of documentation that they received looked good but to be sure, I need to include a detailed doctor visit notes for my next visit scheduled the following week. My therapist wasn't sure that I was ready to go back to work, but I was afraid to stay out for too long. So, after my next visit, my medical doctor and I agreed on a date and I reported that to Metlife. I continued to call daily to check the status of my claim and was always told that it was being reviewed.

Then, the Friday before I was scheduled to go back, I was told by a representative that my claim may be denied due to lack of documentation. I requested a call back from my case manager named Crystal. Two hours later, I called Metlife back and was told that Crystal notated the account that if I called back, they needed the following information. When I again asked to speak to her, I was told that she had left for the weekend. I asked for her supervisor and was told that she, too, had left for the weekend. I asked why I was never called by her. The rep said that there were no notes about that.

We ended the call and I called right back demanding to speak with someone; oddly enough, in that time, Crystal had personally notated the account that she called me and left me a message. The rep even found this odd considering the times at which I called, what I was advised, and the fact that Crystal was "not in the office." So, the rep took it upon herself to email me the exact notes Crystal left with the information she needed. I took this straight into my doctor's office and my doctor said that he is going to draft a letter with all of the specified requested information. I am just wondering how--with a documented panic and anxiety disorder for which I have been being medicated and in counseling for years, a documented disability such as epilepsy, and over 20 pages of supporting documentation from my medical doctor--they can deny this.

After several days of not receiving my check when the letter only took two days to reach me, I called Met Life and was informed the check had been mailed to my employer, when I had already received a letter from my employer stating I was no longer employed as of 6/28. After several more days of not receiving my check, I called the employer as I was advised by Met Life. I questioned if the check had been sent to the main office in Greenbay or the local branch, which I worked for since neither had received the check as I was told. On 9/2, I was told that if the company did not receive the check that day in the mail and they would stop payment and reissue another check and overnight it. I was called later that evening and told they wanted to wait until 9/6 to do a stop payment. If the check was not received by my employer and at that time they would do a stop payment and issue a new check, which at that time would be sent to me and not the employer and they would over night the check.

I called on 9/6 and informed Met Life after the employer called and said it did not show up on the 6th. Met Life informed me that they would take care of it and overnight a new check if they could not overnight, I would be called back. I never received a call, but on the 8th, when I called Met Life and to inquiry this time about the new check. I was informed that it would be at least the 12th of Sept before I would receive the new check. This, after making me wait 10 weeks for my befits to pay my bills and after I am about to lose everything with a 10-year old dependent child. I do not believe anymore that I will receive my funds from this insurance company. I have been promised for so long that I would be taken care of for benefits that I paid for though deductions every week through my employer. I would not recommend this company disability insurance to any employee ,who thinks that this will help them pay their bills if they can not work due to no fault of their own or to any employer also thinking that they are helping to cover their employees.

That prompted immediate action. MetLife hired an outside independent contractor and they found it in my favor. Now, MetLife finds any excuse not to pay and does an annual review.

At one point, I went a month without an income while I waited on a five-day processing that has taken up to three weeks. Now the processing time was changed to ten days. I have been off from work due to severe stress issues and I have three different and unrelated doctors who told me that I cannot work at this time. My employer has started to call me and also harass me about returning to work even though I am still unreleased and under doctors care.

I feel that I have no right to get well while I am off for a legitimate medical condition. If they are going to go through all this hassle every time they give me my disability pay, then why bother offering me this benefit? Please help me. The stress is unbearable.

I am now a month behind on my mortgage and I have paid numerous late fees and penalties on my utilities. I am also experiencing severe stress which in turn causes depression and has become almost debilitating.

Every customer service agent told me that there was nothing to worry about and that my case was being reviewed. I called every day about my claim and was given the same song and dance, so I requested to have a case manager call me. I was called by a case manager on July 27 and was told that because my claim ran over 30 days, I needed to see a psychiatrist to corroborate my doctor's diagnosis of depression and anxiety.

I called the psychiatrist's offices all that day. Most offices had a wait time of 2-4 months to see new patients. I finally found an office about an hour and a half away that could see me on August 01. I was then diagnosed as bipolar 2 and given a new set of medications. The psychiatrist told me to stay out an additional two weeks through August 16.

I continued to call MetLife every day checking on my claim status. I was told by a representative later that week that in order to review my claim, they would need all of the session notes from my therapist and psychiatrist. All of this was pulled together and faxed in on August 16 so I did not receive a paycheck on August 05. I returned to work part time on August 17, but it was too late in the work week to receive a paycheck on August 19.

I contacted MetLife when I returned on August 17 to discuss an email that had been delivered to my email inbox at work that said I was ineligible for benefits because my time had been exhausted. I received a call from a case manager the next day telling me that there had been an error and that the information had not been sent to be reviewed because the computer showed me as ineligible. She updated my information to eligible and told me that they would make a decision by August 23. No decision was made, so I again called customer service. They again scheduled a case manager to call me.

I received a call this morning saying that she would expedite my case and I could expect a decision by the end of business day tomorrow. I have not been paid in 4 pay periods. I have pawned everything of value to pay my bills and owe over $1,500 to the pawn shop. I have borrowed $800 from my parents who don’t really have the money to lend and am overdrawn on my account by $400. Even when I get a paycheck for the time from July 09 – August 19, it will not be enough to cover the interest at the pawn shop or the series of insufficient fund fees I have been assessed.

My wife has been diagnosed with Dysautonomia Syncope/ Neuro Cardiogenic Syncopal episodes and is on a waiting list for the closest cardiologist to help her. Her representative told her Metlife's fax machine and computers were down for three business days from 8/5/11-8/09/11. They didn’t receive anything from her two doctors, and won’t talk to me. Now she had to call her two referring doctors, and have them call the nurse line to list her limitations? Do they not understand why my 29 year old wife has the ticker of an eighty year old right now?

In May, they started to call me and left message to have me call them back, I called back and listened to the auto-message: it said the claimant's case has been closed and amount of $$$ has been paid to the claimant. So I didn't bother to call them back, until beginning of July. I got a phone call from my office line. I talked with the lady--who can hardly speak proper English--named Sheila. She told me that because I was paid by the company, I should not have been paid by Metlife for the disability. I was stunned and told her I had no clue what was going on here. I needed to clarify with HR department.

I went ahead to send email to HR and HR responded me one day after and said I need to pay them back. I called them back and asked if I can pay them with scheduled payment since it was an unexpected expense for me. Sheila said she didn't have authority to arrange that. She then transferred me to payment settlement center. I was talking to another non-English speaker CS representative and she told me that I can arrange the payment, but I need to pay off before 15th of December or else I will have to bear all of the taxes applied (my gross payment was $850, there is 50 for tax). So I said I didn't cause this mistake and I can only afford $100/month payment so it will take eight months to pay off, which will be a little over Dec 11. The lady kept saying the same thing, that I will have to pay the tax. I asked her if it is because they need to file tax return on time, she said no. She said it is company's policy to obtain the overpaid payment within six months after they notified the claimant.

I said I was not notified officially that I was overpaid. I was left a message without any detail. This was clarified on July 11. She said on their record, there is a note stating the claimant was notified on June 6. I said I never was notified on that date, that since it is their system, of course they can put whatever they want and tell us lie. So I ended up telling her I am going to pay it off because of their malfunction and mistake, which has caused me to do extra load of things and deal with unexpected expense in a short time. I don't mind paying them back since it doesn't belong to me. However, when they apply all of the rules to their customers, have they ever done self-checking about their operations? If they didn't make mistake at the beginning, there will be no issues for me to deal with. There will be no complaints here!

I continued to work until 1-3-2011, when the headaches and neck pain were severe enough that it was affecting my work and I was making several mistakes. My doctor took me off work once again. I then saw a neurologist, a neurosurgeon, and then referred to the Mary Free Bed Headache and Pain Clinic. My employer told me I had to file a claim with Metlife to be approved for disability because I no longer had FMLA coverage. I did and they approved me from 1-3 to 2-15 then said they needed more info. After my physician filled out a form giving them my specific restrictions along with 20 more pages of medical documentation, they denied my claim. They informed my employer and I was terminated from employment. I am going through the Pain Rehab program at Mary Free Bed which is a ten-week program.

They have diagnosed me with occipital neuralgia, cervicalgia, post traumatic headaches, and spondylosis. I have neck pain and head pain every day along with headaches. These have caused me to seek treatment in the ER on two occasions. And I spend much time trying to keep the pain under control by not being active and resting. I do not take pain medicines because I am afraid of becoming addicted. So, I use ES Tylenol 2 or 3 times a day. My family doctor does not want me to work. And the panel of physicians and therapists at Mary Free Bed feel that I am not able to return to my work at this time, but feel they will get me there through their program. I want to appeal the decision by Metlife. I don't care if I ever have anything to do with the American Red Cross ever again. I was an exemplary employee for six years with no disciplines and above average marks on my evaluations.

Well, now I’m going to go see the company doctor and I’m going to lie to him and tell him I'm okay because I have bills to pay and I can't drain my saving because of them. I'm still hurting but I can't make them pay.

Metlife reduced the amount of LTD I was receiving to 14% of what they had originally been paying me and demanded I fork over the lump sum of back pay from SSDI that I had received (I had been eligible for it before I got the approval), and said they'd terminate my LTD if I didn't. Scared, frightened and not sure what to do, I did. They didn't even have to point a gun at me to rob me of my money. What followed was nightmarish and still is. I was fired from my employment while on LTD, lost my health benefits. Because Metlife demanded so much that I see this and that doctor or they'd terminate my LTD, I signed up for an outrageously expensive health insurance (the only one that would take me and turned out to not even cover half of what I need).

Not only did I lose my job, my monthly income was reduced to less than half of what I was making. And I've multiplied my health care and doctors costs nearly ten fold. Thanks to Metlife's threatening techniques (which worked on me because I have PTSD amongst other things). I lost my car, lost my house, lost my credit (I filed bankruptcy). And if I haven't lost all my sanity yet, it won't be long now. I do not sleep well anymore. I'm afraid to exit my apartment. I don't want to check my mailbox. I don't want to answer the phone. I'm worried, full of anxiety, depressed, and upset so much that my psychiatrist has tried every last medication to now avail whatsoever.

I finally had to just stop seeing him because I can no longer afford even the co-pays. I'm having to cancel having any health insurance at all and give up seeing any more doctors because I'm desperately trying to pay rent and put just a slice of bread on the table to eat. I'm not eating right, not sleeping right. I'm crying every night, every hour of the day. I'm crying daily now. I've had ulcers since I was a teenager (this is no lie), and all this stress that Metlife has placed upon me cannot possibly be good.

My last blood test showed that I'm now hypoglycemic (low blood sugar, on my way to being diabetic) because I haven't been able to sleep or eat properly. I cannot possibly afford treatment for diabetes at this point. This only further increases my level of depression. I'm just waiting for them to terminate my LTD and, from what I've already read and researched, waiting for them to send me a letter telling me that I owe them every last penny they ever paid me. What the hell? They are the ones who robbed me first of money that isn't even theirs to begin with! They used every last dirty trick in the book to scare and frighten me into raping all the money out of my wallet, which has worked to their advantage because of my PTSD and I'm prone to panic and anxiety attacks.

I feel this is very unfair to do this to a person who scares and frightens easily. I don't have money for an attorney, for as badly as I'd like to sue their butts and get back the money that is rightfully mine! I have no savings account left, and if they keep it up, they might as well have the few hundred bucks in my 401k as well. I might as well be better off dead.

MetLife demanded I go through their lawyers Allsup and apply for social security disability, which had me sign all sorts of confusing paperwork & not date anything. I'm regretting having signed any of that garbage at this point, as I really have no idea what it was. Fast forward to just recently, MetLife calls my psych to tell them that they have no records of me being depressed or mentally disabled or having severe social anxiety which is a total lie! They have harassed my psych doctor weekly for notes & information and my psych has sent them page after page after page of notes.

I am not better, am nowhere near better. I need to have a therapy that uses animals to help socialize people with anxiety (which my current insurance will not cover, and is super expensive). I get a call this morning from MetLife suddenly telling me that they are terminating my benefits. There was absolutely no warning whatsoever. And the lady on the phone, Cynthia, is plain rude & will not tell me why or explain anything other than to tell me they're mailing me some letter to explain it all. She just hangs up on me the moment I sound angry. And why shouldn't I be angry?! I've already lost my house through all of this, and I'll be facing eviction from my apartment if I don't find a way to scrape together a bit of cash very soon. If they didn't think I was stressed & depressed yet, I am now, more so than before!

Based on this, they did not try again or even contact me to let me know that my claim was going to be denied. No phone calls were received according to my physician. So this is horrible business practices. I am not the only one that has had this happen. Their business practices are shady and can't be ethical?

What? How can they? I asked myself. My board certified physician wrote me off of work unable to perform the duties of my position and they are able to challenge the advice of my doctor? Doesn't seem right does it? I wrote an appeal letter, got even more documentation from my doctor and stated the appeals process. My claim has been in the appeals process for over 2 weeks already and I have been told that it can take up to 45 days. They are sending all of my paperwork and documentation to a doctor of their choice, well actually a doctor that is on the payroll for MetLife. That doctor will decide if they deem me unfit to work for those 4 weeks (solely based off paperwork).

My doctor would never have written me off for 4 weeks without seeing me in person, examining me, prescribing medications to treat my symptoms and continuing to see me at least once a week! So, how can a doctor who has never met me, did not have an appointment with me during the time of my illness, never saw any of my symptoms, and has never talked to me decide if I was unable to work for the time that I was off. Absolutely insane! I pay for this insurance to cover me in a time of a medical leave out of every paycheck. After doing some research on my own, I have found that MetLife Disability denies over 80% of the claims it receives.

The appeals divisions job is to make you jump through as many hoops as possible so that you will give up on the process and accept the denial. Their bonuses and annual raises are based off how many successful denials of claims they are able to make each year. I will not be renewing my short term disability on my insurance selections this year and in the future will not work for a company that solely offers MetLife as a choice for STD. Do not sign on board with MetLife Disability as they are a corporate scam.I will continue to post this complaint on every website that I can find, every day, to reach as many people and organizations wanting information on this company as possible until my claim is approved and I receive a paycheck which I am entitled to.

This morning, I checked my bank account and saw that a deposit was not made into my account as it should have been! I am now waiting until 8:30am so that I can find out why there is another delay! I have paid into my disability for 11 years and never dreamt that I would ever need it and certainly didn't expect it would be such a frustrating experience. I am scheduled to return to work August 1 and can't wait! I have had to borrow money from my 401K to help pay bills. For the first time in 20 years, I have been late paying some of my bills and have put off paying some of my debt until I return to work. I have also charged a tremendous amount of money to my credit cards. My credit score has dropped significantly as a result.

Until then, it would be malpractice for me to do procedures on patients, and a criminal offense for any clinic to employ me in that capacity. Metlife accepted that I had a disability and couldn't work as a dentist. They paid my short term disability for about five weeks and then suspended payments while they began to search for any reason to deny my claim but have not found a legitimate reason so far. I have not received checks for over a month now.

They try to take the children’s benefits unjustly (I experienced this), refuse to respond to requests (I experienced a one year delay in getting my claim approved), refuse to provide documents, resort to trickery (I experienced this), have frequent payment stoppages and payment delays (I experienced this), often use the excuse that they lack physician paperwork (I experienced this), they use overseas workers that are difficult to understand, and they deny receipt of information that has been sent to them (I faxed and sent certified copies of everything).

As an employer, they have an employee that alleges to have been terminally injured in the workplace and treated poorly since. Just wondering why anyone would buy anything from MetLife after seeing this. It is not just a few people complaining. It is many and the stories are all exactly the same. So is the outrage.

3. They continue to send me bills to pay them.

Now, they refuse to make any payments claiming the following:

2. They claim that Metlife does not have to follow bankruptcy rules and that I still owe them all the money.

I have been paying for MetLife for several years with my current employer and over my 30-year career, this was the first time I have ever used my short term disability (STD) other than State (SDI). I began purchasing STD since my husband retired in the early 90's and I wanted to be proactive to prevent a financial ruin should something happen. The MetLife policy was to balance out the difference between State SDI so that I would be close to whole in my monthly income. Boy, was I wrong! I filed for SDI and STD after learning I would be off work indefinitely. The cost to have each medical specialist (several providers) averaged $25 per medical record along with an additional $25 for forms completion for each, SDI and MetLife. Since I work in healthcare financial management, I thought I knew what I was in for, paperwork, paperwork, checkbook and patience. Wrong again!

MetLife Disability initially approved my disability for the month of July and two weeks in August, sending me a check in the first week of September. I appealed the month of June and the remainder of August and a continuance as I was still on medication trials in attempts to put the disease in remission. MetLife denied coverage for my Short Term Disability stating their findings in a letter dated September 18, 2009 that stated the decision for denial was made by MetLife after they performed an "extensive review and evaluation of the entire medical and employment information submitted." It further implies that my medical condition no longer supports functional impairments that prevent my ability to perform the daily job functions as a "global marketing director."

I work for a healthcare consulting firm. I am not a global marketing director and we have no global marketing directors in the 200 plus employees on staff. My job requires extensive travel, computer work, sitting, standing and driving for long periods. I do not work in an office. I work at client sites, anywhere, anytime. The six months prior to my disability I had traveled over 4,700 miles of travel with over 150 hours behind the wheel; over 10 flights to throughout California, 62 days away from home in hotels, all the while taking 74 sick days and working two weeks from home in each month of February, May and June.

MetLife stated, "my medical condition no longer supports functional impairments that prevent my ability to perform the daily job functions", I asked them did they want to be on the road with me as I head down the highway with ** and a little ** in my system? Did the MRI of my brain for cognitive impairment not tip them off? Would they like me to analyze their multimillion dollar account receivables?

Now what? MetLife has not only denied my claim but they want their check back for $1,500. This started the flurry of telephone calls, faxes and a formal appeal letter. According to my policy and the letter of denial, I had 180 days to appeal their decision. However, in the meantime, they not only demanded the $1,500 sent back to them immediately, they promptly sent it out to their collection goons. Unfortunately, I live in California and the State budget cuts and employees at SDI have been a little behind and I had not received my SDI checks in some time. It was now November with the holidays coming up so against doctor's orders I went back to work limited hours as I had to have some sort of income. I continued to receive collection letters and in February, I received a telephone call form a seriously deranged, rude woman at MetLife's collection agency. I could only hang up as she would not let me speak.

In March, I received a telephone call from my caseworker at MetLife regarding my LTD (long-term disability). What? LTD? What happened to my Short Term Disability? My caseworker proceeded to tell me that they had reversed their decision and had approved my STD. I received no letters, no other telephone call. Nothing at all regarding my appeal or this STD matter. Now MetLife is working on my LTD benefits and have contacted me for again, more information, pre-existing condition. Maybe I had this disease for a long time and had hidden it? What? Are you kidding? I could not hide the swelling in my hands and feet if I tried.

If they have finally approving my STD, please MetLife, tell me in writing and please call off the goons (who have again called me and now made threats to "see me face-to-face"). I have had the denied claim appealed and approved. I have not received any additional payments and yet they are still trying to collect the initial $1,500. I give up. I cannot deal with this anymore. I am in pain, I am mentally exhausted and I have decided to stop the majority of the medications they have prescribed over the past year. I will continue with the bare minimum to keep my autoimmune disease in remission. God help anyone who has MetLife and thinks this fraudulent, uncaring, unprofessional company will help them.

Keeping track of all telephone calls, faxes and correspondence is critical to keeping your sanity (that and Valium helps). A colleague, who is a cancer survivor, said that her cancer treatment (chemotherapy and radiation therapy) was easier to deal with than dealing with MetLife. I have no doubt she was telling the truth!