What to Do When Your Insurance Company Calls You
When an insurance company calls you, they are not checking up on you like a friend. While they will be polite and well-mannered, they are looking into the consistency of your case. Be careful not to give them a reason to believe you are avoiding work or exaggerating your disability to get benefits. They can get this idea from background noise around you, the people you interact with, or even random small talk you throw out at the beginning of a phone conversation. Being vigilant but polite is the key to navigating these tricky situations. It is a good idea to work with a disability lawyer as they will handle the communication between the insurance company and you and understand the extent to which they will try to come after you. Their knowledge could be invaluable to the continuation of your claim.
Why is My Insurance Company Calling Me?
The insurance company that holds your disability plan will contact you over the life of your claim to ensure your continued eligibility. This will likely come at times that are inconvenient to you so it is important to keep in mind what you can and should say, so you don’t mention the information that they don’t need to know and could hurt your case unintentionally. The company wants to contact you periodically to ensure that you cannot work and that your disability is still at the level necessary to receive benefits.
Can They Call My Family and Friends?
Your insurance company can and likely will contact people around you. They seek a way to minimize the loss your claim represents to their company. They may interview your employer and coworkers to seek reasons why you would want to leave your employment. They could talk to your family and even neighbors to ask about what activities you perform or what your days look like. If they come across something that you say that you cannot do and they hear that you may have done that thing, they will use that to deny your claim. The people that the insurance company contacts will probably think they are helping your case by freely talking to the representatives, but that is false. Talk to the people around you about being careful when talking about your disability. If possible, try not to share too much about your issues. Be careful about what you say and to whom you say it.
What Do I Say to My Insurance Company?
The person you are talking to is investigating your case. Keep this in mind. They are making conversation with you to be able to evaluate the consistency of your claim. This doesn’t mean that you should be rude or cold towards them because that will certainly not help your case. Remember you are speaking to a real person and treat them with respect and kindness, but don’t offer more information than is being asked of you. Being mean will only worsen the situation and could even harm your case in the long run.
You might feel anxious or afraid when your insurance company calls you. If you do, take a deep breath to settle yourself before you answer. Try to stay calm during the conversation, as it will offer you better control of the situation and ensure that you are seen as a competent and polite client. Another great way to show you are being amenable to the representative is to learn their name right away. You can answer the phone, say hello and name yourself. Then, if they haven’t said it already, ask their name. Try to say it back to them right after to remember it for the rest of the conversation. Using someone’s name shows that you care to take time to talk to them and signals that you are being friendly. Even if you’re in pain or tired when they call you, do your best to smile a little to translate that positive energy into your voice. It can go a long way in showing your positive demeanor!
The person you are talking to is looking for inconsistencies in your case. They are trained to ask questions you have already answered to see if the response has changed. Doctors reviewing your case will try to see if your disability or its progress has been inconsistent. There are certain topics you should avoid discussing altogether when discussing your case. You should not bring up any job dissatisfaction that you had, like work disputes or complaints about promotions. It may feel important, but it could be construed as wanting out of your employment situation, which prompted you to apply for benefits. Don’t discuss other people or plans you may have. If you’re taking a vacation or going away somewhere, avoid talking about it because they may see that as showing your ability to walk or care for yourself instead of a necessary escape from your pain and worries. Also, be careful mentioning any sick family or any new stressors in your loved one’s lives. That could be construed as needing the time off to be a caretaker for someone else. The representative you are talking to will be asked to draw conclusions from everything you say, no matter how innocuous it may have come across.
There are ways that you can steer the conversation that won’t seem impolite or domineering. Try to only take the calls when you are at home. It will decrease the chances of any random background noise becoming something for the representative to report. They may try to make assumptions based on your activities, and this is one way for them to do so. Whenever possible, go to a quiet place to talk. If you want, you can ask to make a conference call with a loved one. This will allow someone to advocate for you and help with the consistency of your case. If you have an attorney handling this case, you will likely avoid these issues. You will limit personal contact with the insurance company and avoid revealing anything that could impact your benefits.
Contact a Disability Lawyer Today!
This can all be very intimidating. Insurance companies are not your friends. You should be kind but not too willing to share that you give them something to use against you or say you’re inconsistent. Be aware that anyone around you could be questioned regarding your case, so keep information confidential. A lawyer who works in disability law would be helpful at this time. They will know what the companies can do, who they can talk to, what evidence they can gather that can be used to deny you, and all the tricks the company can pull out to try to get your claim off the books. Our team would gladly help you talk to your insurance company, so call us today!