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UnumProvident Must Reopen All Long Term Disability Claim Denials from 1997 to the Present!
On November 30, 2004, UNUMProvident reached a tentative settlement with State Insurance Regulators, which required UNUM, and its subsidiaries, Paul Revere Life and Provident Life & Accident to reconsider more than 200,000 long term disability claims which had been terminated or denied from January 1, 1997 to the present. This settlement is intended to resolve issues raised by insurance regulators concerning UNUM's claims handling practices. These investigations focused on assertions that UNUM and its subsidiaries had improperly denied claims for benefits under individual and group long-term disability insurance policies. They concluded that UNUM had committed numerous violations of its obligation to fairly administer claims.
The settlement requires UNUMProvident Companies to:
- Reassess approximately 200,000 claims that previously had been terminated or denied.
- Restructure their claim handling procedures to ensure objectivity and fairness.
- Pay a $15 million fine.
The settlement agreement gives thousands of current and former UNUMProvident Companies' policyholders an opportunity to have their terminated or denied claims reassessed.
Under the settlement agreement, the majority of persons whose claims for group or individual long-term disability benefits were either terminated or denied after January 1, 2000, will receive notice via mail of their right to have their claim reassessed.
Persons whose individual or group disability claims were denied prior to January 1, 2000, although not receiving notice directly from UNUM, will also be able to request to have their claims reviewed by applying to their specific UNUMProvident Company.
