Long-Term Disability Claims for Migraines: What You Should Know

Migraines are a painful, episodic condition that can be debilitating, but obtaining the long-term disability benefits you are entitled to as an employee can be challenging. Migraines are what is known as an invisible disability, and because the symptoms are self-reported and difficult to verify, benefit denials are not uncommon. Working with an experienced long-term disability claims attorney is one of the most important steps you can take on the journey toward obtaining the benefits you’ve been denied.

Understanding Migraines

Migraines refer to often-severe headaches that are recurring and can include symptoms like the following:

• Nausea
• Throbbing pain
• Hypersensitivity to both sound and light

When a sufferer experiences migraine symptoms for at least 15 days out of each month, the condition is considered chronic, and it’s a disability. 

The four stages of migraines that often apply include:

• The pre-headache stage when there are warning signs of the migraine to come
• The aura stage, which refers to visual disturbances and other signs – such as weakness, numbness, or tingling – that many people experience right before a migraine strikes
• The headache itself, which can last from a few hours to a few days and can include a sharp, throbbing headache, nausea, vomiting, congestion, and more
• The post-headache stage, which tends to leave sufferers feeling exhausted and sore and can interfere with their powers of concentration

Your Long-Term Disability Coverage

If you have long-term disability coverage through your employer, it is most likely guided by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). A major component of your benefit claim will be based on medical evidence, which can be difficult to come by when your disability is chronic migraines. Insurance adjusters often cast doubt on claims that are based on conditions that can’t be readily explained or proven. 

Many group insurance policies include exclusions or limitations on mental health, and medical claims involving “self-reported” symptoms. To obtain benefits on a migraine claim, it is critical to have guidance on how to address these potential issues that insurers may try to use to deny your disability claim. We can help you obtain the medical support and testing that will remove your claim from these limitations.

Your Legal Rights

The bottom line is that the benefits administrator is invested in awarding benefits only when absolutely necessary, and invisible disabilities like migraines afford them more leeway in terms of denials. Ultimately, however, if you suffer from painful, chronic migraines, you very well may qualify for long-term disability benefits, and having skilled legal guidance on your side can make a significant difference in the outcome of your claim. 

You accepted your current job with the attendant benefits in mind, and if they’re not available when you need them most, fighting for your legal rights is advised. While the path forward is likely to be more challenging for self-reported symptoms, like migraine sufferers tend to experience, you have rights that are well worth protecting. 

Turn to an Experienced Long-Term Disability Claims Attorney for the Help You Need Today

Invisible injuries like migraines can be devastating, and being denied the benefits to which you’re entitled only compounds the issue. The dedicated long-term disability claims attorneys at Monahan Tucker Law – serving California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Arizona – have reserves of experience successfully guiding challenging claims like yours toward favorable outcomes, and we’re here for you, too. To learn more about what we can do to help you, please don’t wait to contact us today.