Missouri Disability Insurance Claims

We are a healthcare/professional disability insurance law firm with a national reputation for obtaining successful results for our clients. Our firm has represented physicians, dentists, lawyers, executives and other professionals throughout the country, with the goal of securing and protecting their entitlement to benefits on own-occupation disability insurance policies.

We consult with physicians, dentists, attorneys and business executives filing disability claims throughout Missouri, including the Kansas City, St. Louis, and Springfield areas. If you’d like to discuss your particular claim with our attorneys, we are happy to set up a free consultation.

Below are some resources for policyholders filing disability insurance claims in Arizona. If you’d like to discuss your particular claim with our attorneys, we are happy to set up a free consultation.

Does Missouri Recognize Insurance Bad Faith?

Missouri recognizes bad faith and the Supreme Court of Missouri has described bad faith as “the intentional disregard of the financial interest of [the] insured in the hope of escaping the responsibility imposed upon [the insurer] by its policy.” Scottsdale Ins. Co. v. Addison Ins. Co., 448 S.W.3d 818, 828 (Mo. 2014).

However, the Supreme Court of Missouri has drawn distinctions between types of insurance bad faith claims, determining that “[w]hen an insurance company wrongfully refuses payment of a claim to its insured, the company has simply breached its contract” and “[d]amages for breach of contract are limited to the loss of the benefit itself.” Overcast v. Billings Mut. Ins. Co., 11 S.W.3d 62, 67 (Mo. 2000) (see also id. at 68, observing that “[t]he claim here is by the insured against the insurance company for the policy benefit; the insured’s remedy is limited to that provided by the law of contract plus, if section 375.420 applies, the enhancements provided by [that] statute”).

The case excerpts above are not meant to be a comprehensive discussion of each state’s first-party bad faith or disability insurance law. They are merely meant to act as a resource/starting point for those interested in learning more about how insurance bad faith works in their state.

You should always speak with an attorney before making any legal arguments relating to your disability claim.

Notable Missouri Disability Insurance Cases

Flanagan v. Lincoln Nat’l Life Ins. Co., No. 17-CV-05060-MDH (W.D. Mo. Dec. 6, 2018) (Missouri nurse practitioner filed a claim with Lincoln due to spondylolisthesis, failed fusion, failed spinal cord stimulator, and nerve root scarring; Lincoln initially paid the claim, then terminated benefits when the “occupation” definition changed from “own occupation” to “any occupation”; Lincoln claimed that she could still work in a “sedentary” capacity even though the insurance company’s own expert stated she could not; the court determined that Lincoln had improperly cherry-picked statements from the medical records and found her disabled under the terms of the policy).

Givens v. Prudential Ins. Co. of Am., 778 F. Supp. 2d 1011 (W.D. Mo. 2011) (Missouri pharmacy technician filed a disability claim with Prudential after being injured in a car accident; Prudential paid benefits until the policy shifted to “any occupation” and then terminated the claim; the court determined the denial was arbitrary and capricious because Prudential did not share all medical reports with opining providers and based its decision on opinions from non-treating doctors who had never personally examined the policyholder).

Common Disability Claim Questions

What should I expect when filing a disability claim?

What issues am I most likely to face handling my disability insurance claim alone?

Why are disability insurance claims made by physicians, dentists and other professionals especially targeted for denial or termination?

My disability claim was just denied. What should I do now?

What can my insurance company do when it is investigating my claim?

Do insurance companies conduct surveillance and, if so, when are they watching?

Why does my insurer want to conduct a field interview?

How can I tell if I have a true own-occupation policy?

What are the different types of disability policies?

Missouri Federal District Court Locations

Professional disability claims are often filed in, or removed to, Federal Court given the amounts in controversy. Below is a list of the primary Federal Courthouses in Missouri, but there may be satellite courthouses that are closer to where you live.

St. Louis. 111 S. 10th Street, St. Louis, MO 63102.

Kansas City. Charles Evans Whittaker U.S. Courthouse, 400 E. 9th Street, Kansas City, MO 64106.

Springfield. 222 N. John Q. Hammons Parkway, Springfield, MO 65806.

Who Do Your Disability Insurance Attorneys Represent?

The lists below provide a representative overview of the types of professionals we represent, the disability companies we file claims with and litigate against, and a non-exhaustive list of some of the disabling conditions our prior clients have had.

Professionals

Physician Claims & Resources | Dentist Claims & Resources

Disability Insurance Companies

Disabling Conditions

The information provided above is offered purely for informational purposes. It is not intended to create or promote an attorney-client relationship, and does not constitute and should not be relied upon as legal advice.

Every claim is unique and the discussion above is only a limited summary of information that may be relevant to your claim. An experienced disability insurance attorney can help you assess your particular disability claim, or potential disability claim, and determine what options are available to you.

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