Pond Lehocky Giordano highlights three considerations attorneys need to keep in mind when filing disability claims in connection with a leave of absence they've taken to focus on their mental health.
PHILADELPHIA, April 28, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Pond Lehocky Giordano LLP, the largest workers' compensation and disability law firm in Pennsylvania, recently published guidance for attorneys who take a leave of absence from their employer to address a mental health issue and are considering filing a disability claim in connection with that leave.
The firm's guidance came in the form of an article recently published by partner Michael J. Parker, in The Legal Intelligencer, a daily newspaper serving the Pennsylvania legal market, titled "Seeking Disability Coverage for Mental Health Issues? Three Things to Know." The article, available here, walks through three things attorneys need to be aware of when contemplating filing a disability claim in connection with taking a leave of absence to work on their mental health.
"Mental health has long been a problem in the legal industry, but there's a concern that more attorneys are struggling with mental health issues today as demand for legal services remains high and more attorneys feel increasingly isolated while working nonstop from their homes and away from their colleagues," said Mr. Parker. "Attorneys weighing whether to take a leave of absence to work on their mental health issues should also weigh whether to file a disability claim with their disability insurer, but what attorneys don't know about that process could come back to haunt them."
According to Mr. Parker, attorneys contemplating filing a disability claim in connection with taking time off from their employer to work on their mental health need to keep in mind that:
- The disability application process requires humility, vulnerability, and attorneys getting out of their own way;
- The post-denial litigation process will be shaped by an attorney's disability insurance; and
- Their insurance might only provide two years' worth of disability coverage.
"There's a lot about the disability application process that could be difficult for attorneys to come to grips with, such as needing to admit their mental health issues are getting in the way of their ability to serve their clients, and that they might have long ago signed away their right to prove to a jury that their disability insurer wrongly denied their claim," said Mr. Parker. "But if they can anticipate some of the obstacles they might encounter during the process, they will hopefully be able to successfully navigate around them."
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About Pond Lehocky Giordano LLP
Pond Lehocky Giordano LLP is the largest workers' compensation, Social Security disability, and short- and long-term disability law firm in Pennsylvania. The firm's nationwide referral network, which includes more than 2,000 attorneys and through which more than 160,000 cases have been referred, helps injured and disabled Americans across the country obtain the legal assistance they need to get their lives back in order. The firm has been recognized by The Philadelphia Inquirer as a "Top Workplace," the Philadelphia Business Journal as a "Best Place to Work," and The Legal Intelligencer as one of the top law firms in Philadelphia for gender diversity.
Media Contact
Pond Lehocky Giordano LLP, Pond Lehocky Giordano LLP, 215-568-7500, [email protected]
SOURCE Pond Lehocky Giordano LLP
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