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Every long-term disability policy differs in some respect from the others. Each of them has a specific set of provisions. Those provisions dictate the amount of the benefits that can be made available to a disabled policy holder. Some policies demand total disability; others do not.

All policies make reference to an elimination period.

The elimination period is a qualifying time period. It specifies the amount of time during which the person seeking the benefits must have been unable to work. That span of time normally ranges between several months to one full year. Only at completion of the elimination period can a policy hold expect to receive any benefits.

Different policies offer different types of benefits

The partial benefit: That covers a policy holder with a total disability, but one that can work in a reduced capacity. A claimant that can work in a reduced capacity remains unable to handle the demands associated with a previous position within a given company.

A residual benefit: That covers someone with an illness or a disability that is not permanent. The person receiving a residual benefit cannot perform the duties associated with a former occupation. The recipients of such benefits have qualified for a calculated percentage of the loss sustained by their monthly income.

The role of a lawyer when a client applies for long term disability benefits

The Personal Injury Lawyer in Halifax studies the client’s policy and interprets those details that relate to the same client’s health and situation. The lawyers know how to gather relevant medical evidence. Such evidence helps to prove the existence of the policy holder’s disability. Such proof can work to strengthen markedly the claim made by the same policy holder.

An injury lawyer can speak for a client. Someone with a pre-existing and progressive condition ought to consult with a lawyer well before becoming disabled. As the condition progresses, some job responsibility might prove especially hard to handle. Then, with a lawyer’s assistance, the affected employee could try to qualify for partial benefits.

If that same worker then develops a more serious medical problem, the lawyer’s readiness to speak for the affected client can alert a physician to the nature of the patient’s medical background. Sometimes, too, a member of the legal profession must speak for a client that has received a medical test.

If a secretary were to misinterpret the test results or put one patient’s results in a different patient’s chart, that could cause a disabled person to be deprived of deserving benefits. Lawyers must work to keep such a situation from allowing an insurance company to cut-off delivery of a policy holder’s benefits.