Often, holders of private long-term disability insurance will find that their policies require them to file for Social Security disability benefits when they make a claim on the private policy.  Many of my clients are surprised to learn that such policies also contain an offset provision, meaning that the private insurance company can reduce the amount of benefits that it has to pay out on a claim when the insured also receives Social Security benefits.  If you are thinking of filing a claim with your private long-term disability insurer, it is important to check your policy to see if you will also have to file for Social Security benefits.  You should also contact a disability attorney for an explanation of the impact that filing both claims will have on your benefits.

Today, the New York times published an interesting article about a lawsuit that accuses some insurance companies of contributing to the current Social Security backlog by forcing their insureds to file for federal benefits.  You can read the article here.

Thanks for reading,

Mike Hartup