Do you have a disability claim with Principal? There is a disturbing trend in their delayed handling of disability claims, and reacting appropriately can put you in a better position in your claim.
As soon as you file your claim for disability, time deadlines go into effect. In a typical group disability setting with insurance through your employer, the disability insurance company has up to 45 days to decide your claim, with two optional 30-day extensions. That adds up to a total of 105 days they have to decide in response to your initial application.
Principal has been using a tactic called “tolling” to take longer. In some situations, tolling is allowed when an insurance company is asking you for information. They essentially “turn off the clock” and suspend the deadlines while they wait for your response to their questions, but they don’t tell you they’re doing this. What often happens is the clock has been stopped when they send the letter, you don’t receive the letter until several days later, and it may take another week for you to respond. This might give them another two weeks to decide your claim, and some claims have involved up to 30 or 40 days of tolling.
Avoid this trap by responding immediately to information requests from Principal, telling them whether you have the information requested and giving it to them if you do. If you do not have the information, tell them you don’t have it. At the moment you’ve told them you have provided all the information, they have to stop tolling. They also cannot toll while asking for information from people other than you, such as your doctor or a doctor they hire.
If the disability insurance company takes too much time to decide your case, you can file a lawsuit that may gain you an advantage in court. Watch the video to learn more.
At Tucker Disability Law we handle these cases every day. If your claim with Principal is taking too long, if your claim has been denied, or if you have any additional questions, call Tucker Disability Law at (866) 282-5260 , or review our videos and media library for more information.
Video TranscriptA disturbing trend with Principal disability. Don't fall for this trap.
I'm John Tucker and I'm a disability insurance attorney. I represent people all over the United States in claims for group disability benefits against all of the major insurance companies. Recently, we watched a disturbing trend among our clients dealing with Principal insurance and their disability claims department.
You'll file your claim for disability. And you may not know it, but there are time deadlines that Principal has to decide your case. Typically, in a group disability setting, when you have insurance through your employer, the disability insurance company has 45 days to decide your claim. They can get extensions, two 30-day extensions, totaling an additional 60 days to decide that claim. That means they can take up to 105 days to decide your initial application. What we're seeing with Principal is they're using something called tolling to take even more time. Tolling is allowed in some situations where an insurance company asks you for information. They're actually allowed to turn off the clock, suspend the deadlines, until you respond to their request. They don't tell you this when they ask you for the information. So they'll send you a letter and they've turned off the clock when they mailed it. You get it a few days later, maybe even six or seven days later, and then say, it takes you another week to respond. They may have added two weeks to the time it's going to take them to decide your claim. I've seen claims where they took even 30 or 40 days of tolling.
You don't want to get yourself in that situation. The minute you get a notice from Principal that they want information, tell them if you have it and get it to them. If you don't have it, tell them you don't have it. They have to stop tolling at the moment you tell them you've given them all the information you have. And they're not allowed to toll while they're asking for information from people other than you. So if they ask your doctor or they ask a doctor they hire for information, they don't get to suspend the deadlines. It goes back to the original 45 days plus two 30-day extensions.
Don't fall for that trap. And if they take too much time, you can actually file a lawsuit and gain an advantage in court because they took too much time in some situations. If Principal is delaying your claim, call us at the number on your screen. We represent people like you all over the country from Florida to Alaska in group disability insurance cases, and we can help you.
I'm John Tucker. Thank you for watching.
