Alaska 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 Alaska, including the Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau 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 Alaska. If you would like to learn more about the disability claim process or insurance bad faith in other states, please visit our homepage.

Does Alaska Recognize Insurance Bad Faith?

Alaska’s bad faith law is not as well-developed as other states. However, the Alaska Supreme Court has instructed that “[u]nder Alaska’s contract law, ‘the covenant of good faith and fair dealing . . . is implied in all contracts.’” Lockwood v. Geico Gen. Ins. Co., 323 P.3d 691, 697 (Alaska 2014).

In the insurance context specifically, “breach of this covenant by the insurer gives the insured a cause of action sounding in tort because of ‘[t]he special relationship between the insured and insurer in the insurance context’ and because tort liability ‘provide[s] needed incentive to insurers to honor their implied covenant to their insureds.’” Id.

In the Lockwood case, the Alaska Supreme Court went on to observe that “[w]ithout such a cause of action insurers can arbitrarily deny coverage and delay payment of a claim with no more penalty than interest on the amount owed.” Id. Then it “declined to define the elements of the tort of bad faith in an insurance contract,” but instructed that “our precedent makes clear that the element of breach at least requires the insured to show that the insurer’s actions were objectively unreasonable under the circumstances.” Id.

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 Alaska Disability Insurance Cases

Adams v. Providence Health Sys. in Washington, No. 3:08-CV-00218-TMB (D. Alaska Feb. 11, 2011) (Alaska patient care technician filed a disability claim due to cognitive deficits from PTSD, dysthymic disorder, GAD, conversion disorder and early signs of Alzheimer’s; the third-party administrator, Life Insurance Company of North America (LINA) cherry-picked from the medical records and asserted that her memory loss claims were “very exaggerated”; the court held against LINA and determined that LINA was “myopic,” only looking to find a reason to not pay, and ignoring supportive evidence, such as a Social Security finding of disability).

Giordano v. Providence Health Sys. in Washington, 747 F. Supp. 2d 1137 (D. Alaska 2010) (Alaska Resident Assistant fell and was injured while helping a patient; LINA initially approved benefits but terminated the claim after 24 months when the definition of occupation changed from “own occupation” to “any occupation”; LINA asserted that she was “malingering” based on the record and surveillance footage; the court determined that LINA properly denied the claim, noting that the policyholder’s bi-polar disorder with rapid cycling explained the malingering behavior, but did not excuse it under the terms of the policy contract and was not sufficient to establish total disability under the new heighted “any occupation” standard).

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?

Alaska Federal District Court Locations

Professional disability claims are often filed in, or removed to, Federal Court given the amounts in controversy. When we work with local counsel to be admitted pro hac vice, we identify the courthouse that is closest to you. Below is a list of the primary Federal Courthouses in Alaska.

Anchorage: 222 W. 7th Avenue, Room 229, Box/Suite #4, Anchorage, AK 99513.

Fairbanks: 101 12th Avenue, Rm 332, Fairbanks, AK 99701.

Juneau: 709 W. 9th Street, Rm 979, Juneau, AK 99801.

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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