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Insurance Traps

At some point in your dealings with your disability insurance company, you will be asked to fill out a Life Style Questionnaire. This document is a trap, and you must be cautious when answering the questions about what you are able to do, and not do.

Illnesses like Fibromyalgia (FM) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) typically wax and wane. Many other disabling conditions are the same. You will have good and bad days or weeks, and it is always important to keep that in mind when answering the insurance company's questions. The answers you give on the Life Style Questionnaire will be compared to video surveillance conducted either just before or after you fill out the form.

When answering the questions , be vague, and DO NOT pin yourself down. For example, if the question is: "Are you able to get out of your house?," a cautious answer might be: " It depends on how I feel. Some days I can, and some days I cannot."

Keep in mind that the questions are about your life generally, and not about how you feel at the moment you fill out the form. The only way you can be hurt by the Life Style Questionnaire, is if you pin your self down to something that is contradicted by video surveillance.

Another example: "Are you able to do the shopping for your family,?" a cautious answer might be: " On days when I have lower levels of pain and fatigue, I can do some errands, but if I do not pace myself, I may end up in bed the next day."

Dealing with your disability insurance company is full of hazards, and if you need help, contact your doctor or a lawyer familiar with disability insurance companies and their tactics.

Lawrence Pierce is a Vancouver lawyer, with Pierce Law Group, specializing in disability insurance cases. He has recently won judgments against Sun Life, Great West Life, and Unum Life for aggravated damages.

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