Unexpectedly Disabled After Weight Loss Surgery? What’s the Next Step?
In an effort to combat weight issues, many people have opted for bariatric surgery. This surgery, intended to decrease the size of the stomach and the body’s ability to absorb most of the calories it intakes, has been successful for many people. However, it has also been a nightmare for many others.
There are drawbacks for opting for this type of surgery, including dangerous vitamin deficiencies that can lead to total disability. Your body needs to absorb enough vitamins with each meal to help keep all the systems functioning. A loss of vitamins can lead to debilitating diseases, such as Wernicke Encephalopathy. This is a brain disorder that can cause confusion, loss of limb function, and even hearing loss due to a Vitamin B-1 deficiency.
Other issues, such as excessive vomiting, continual nausea to the point of being unable to stand or function, Vitamin A deficiencies, and the closing of the esophagus, which requires continual re-opening surgery, have all been associated with this type of procedure.
Disability Claims
If you have found yourself disabled from a weight loss surgery, your only option is to seek disability insurance so that you can have an income while you try to recover from this event. If you are employed, you will need to file a claim with your employer or private disability insurance, or if uninsured you will need to apply for Social Security Disability benefits. Attention to these details may be overwhelming while you are ill; it is possible and advisable to seek professional counsel and assistance on how to file from a long term disability claim lawyer.
To apply for disability benefits you will need to prepare all the proper paperwork from the insurance company or that is provided by the government when you are seeking Social Security benefits. You will need to include proof of your disability and a prognosis for recovery. It is imperative that you include as much medical proof as necessary to the insurance provider for them to review so they can approve your claim.
Prepare For A Denial
In most cases your application for disability benefits will be denied, regardless of which provider you apply to for benefits. It is standard operating procedures for insurance providers and the government to deny claims. They believe that by denying these claims the people will find other avenues of income or will not appeal the decision. Sadly, nearly 50 percent of all people who apply for these benefits give up and do not file an appeal.
At this point, if you have not hired an attorney, it is recommended that you do so. The legal experts can help you prepare your appeals case and will work diligently to win your case. These experienced attorneys know exactly what the insurers and the government require to have the case approved.
If your disability is preventing you from earning a living, and it is expected that this disability will last for a long time, you are entitled to claim disability benefits. However, it will not be easy, and you will need to work with an experienced attorney to make sure that the insurer honors their responsibilities. In the end, you will be able to claim your benefits and start devoting more of your time and energy into recovering from this event.
One of Teresa Stewart’s many interests includes well-being; she writes to clarify rights for those disabled by surgical weight loss procedures. Help is at hand when contact is made with Marc Whitehead & Associates whose motto is, “You can fight back when your insurer say no.” The firm will provide an experienced long term disability claim lawyer who will fight to recover all entitled benefits, as well as those payments that have been delayed and those that are under-compensated.
