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363 South Harlan Street, Suite 205, Lakewood, Colorado 80226
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ERISA (Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, Medical and Employee Benefit) Cases

Employee benefit matters, including Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, Medical and other insurance benefit claims are a significant part of our practice, abd our experience in this area sets us apart from many other law firms..

ERISA, or the Employee Retirement & Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), is a complex piece of Federal legislation that covers most employee benefit plans and significantly impacts how employers and their contractors (usually an insurance company) deliver those benefits to employees. For most Coloradans, their insurance benefits (retirement and pension, life, medical, disability, vision, dental insurance) are earned through their employment. In most cases, these benefits fall under the ERISA statute, including most  claims for Long Term Disability and Short Term Disability.

Do you really need an ERISA lawyer?  In many cases you do.  In fact, in many cases, having representation early in the claim process can be the difference between winning and losing because ERISA dramatically alters your common law rights.  Most of these claims (including Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, and medical and other benefits) have very short deadlines.  There are also very special rules about what documents should be submitted and when, which can effect how a Court could resolve your case.  If you do not know and protect your rights early, you may lose your ability to effectively protect your claim.  Click here for more information about ERISA, and our ERISA disability and benefit claim practice, and how ERISA may affect your rights.

However, and in some cases (employees of the government, non-profits and in other unique circumstances) employee benefits fall outside of ERISA. It is important for you to determine early on what type of employee benefit claims you have (as they may be treated very differently, and may involve very different damages).

Do not wait to seek experienced counsel until it is too late!  ERISA drastically affects your rights. Under ERISA, you have no right to a trial, or trial by jury. Your case will most likely be decided based on how the claim was handled before suit is even filed.

We handle:

  • Long Term and Short Term Disability Applications;
  • Long Term Disability and Short Term Disability Appeals and Administrative Reviews;
  • Litigation of Employee Benefit Claims in State District Court (Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder-Broomfield, Jefferson and Denver Counties) and U.S. District Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit.

We have handled claims involving a wide variety of medical conditions including:

  • Anxiety and Depression, and related mental health  disorders
  • Asthma/COPD
  • Back injuries, and chronic back pain
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Brain injuries, Traumatic Brain Injury and concussions
  • Cancer
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Chronic pain, including Lyme Disease, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Pain Syndrome-RSD
  •  Diabetes
  • Epilepsy
  • Heart Disease
  • Herniated discs
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Inner-ear/Balance disorders, vertigo-tinnitus
  • Knee, shoulder and joint disorders
  • Leukemia
  • Lung disease
  • Lupus
  • Morbid obesity
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Neck injuries
  • Neuropathy
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Parkinson’s disease and Dementia
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Psychosis
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Seizure disorders and Epilepsy
  • Spine injuries
  • Stroke

Under ERISA, you also lose your right to claim compensatory and other damages. It is therefore very important to structure your claim correctly in order to maximize the (limited) recovery possible. The attorneys at Silvern & Bulger, P.C. have the knowledge and experience required to properly manage your claim from the beginning of the administrative process; through litigation. This is critical because, on most cases, if the administrative process is not handled correctly the litigation will not likely succeed. The sooner you consult with an attorney, the more likely your chances for success.

Claims for benefits under ERISA for Long Term Disability or Short Term Disability  are different then claims for Social Security.  The rules are very different, and these cases are not handled in the same way.  If you have a claims for Long Term Disability or Short Term Disability that are covered by ERISA, you should speak with an experienced ERISA lawyer as soon as possible.

At Silvern & Bulger we are experienced with all types of insurance benefit claims, including those that fall under the ERISA statute.  We handle both ERISA and non-ERISA insurance benefit claims, including Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, medical and dental, and life insurance claims.  However, ERISA claims are a highly specialized practice area.  Because of our experience in handling ERISA cases, we are listed in the U.S. Directory of Boutique Law Firms, in the ERISA category.