Idaho 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 Idaho, including the Boise and Meridian 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 Idaho. If you would like to learn more about the disability claim process or insurance bad faith in other states, please visit our homepage.

Does Idaho Recognize Insurance Bad Faith?

Idaho recognizes bad faith claims against insurers. As outlined by the Idaho Supreme Court, “[i]n order for a first-party insured to recover on a bad faith claim, the insured must show: ‘1) the insurer intentionally and unreasonably denied or withheld payment; 2) the claim was not fairly debatable; 3) the denial or failure to pay was not the result of a good faith mistake; and 4) the resulting harm is not fully compensable by contract damages.’” Harmon v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 162 Idaho 94, 102, 394 P.3d 796, 804 (2017) (internal citations omitted).

Additionally, “[a]lthough the tort of bad faith is not a breach of contract claim, to find that the insurer committed bad faith there must also have been a duty under the contract that was breached.” 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 Idaho Disability Insurance Cases

Hodge v. Hartford Life & Accident Ins. Co., 298 F. Supp. 3d 1332 (D. Idaho 2017) (Idaho Licensed Practical Nurse filed a disability claim with Hartford after a right hip replacement surgery and subsequent revision surgery; Hartford initially approved her claim, but terminated benefits when the “occupation” definition under the policy changed from “own occupation” to “any occupation”; the court found that Hartford’s denial was an abuse of discretion because it failed to conduct an independent medical examination in the face of conflicting evidence from a treating provider and it failed to consider a favorable Social Security Disability determination).

Wirries v. Reliance Standard Ins. Co., No. CV 01-565-E-MHW (D. Idaho Sept. 1, 2005), aff’d sub nom. Wirries v. Reliance Standard Life Ins. Co., 247 F. App’x 870 (9th Cir. 2007) (Idaho vice president of an engineering consulting company filed a disability claim with Reliance Standard due to coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure and diabetes; she had support from all of her treating physicians but Reliance denied her claim; instead of focusing on the nature of her stressful job, Reliance relied upon a broad Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) definition of “vice president” and claimed she could still be a vice president generally; the court determined that Reliance did not properly assess her “regular occupation” and noted that there can be “a tremendous amount of difference between being a vice president for a small family-owned corporation engaged in the heating and cooling business, for example, compared to being a vice president for a national corporation such as Microsoft”).

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?

Idaho 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 Idaho, but there may be satellite courthouses that are closer to where you live.

Boise. James A. McClure Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, 550 W. Forth Street, Suite 400, Boise, ID 83724.

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.

set up a consultation Return to Top of Page

Scroll to Top