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Posts Tagged ‘Insurance Company’

Hesperia Motorcycle Accident Attorney’s Top Ten Excuses Insurance Company Adjusters Use to Delay Paying Bills After a Motorcycle Accident

November 27th, 2011 No comments

1. Our photocopy service hasn’t been able to copy all of your medical records yet.

 

2. We’re still investigating your accident.

 

3. We’re having our special investigative unit look at the claim you’ve submitted.

 

4. We’re waiting for your doctors to complete the report forms that we’ve sent them.

 

5. We don’t feel that the doctor bills match up to the treatment performed.

 

6. We think your medical treatment should have ended by now.

 

7. We believe your treatment is excessive.

 

8. Our computer analysis has discounted your bills.

 

9. We believe many of your symptoms are unrelated to the accident.

 

10. We don’t believe you could have injured that part of your body in the accident.

 

With all of these excuses, wouldn’t you feel more comfortable if you had an attorney on your side?

 

Here are ten useful tips of advice from a motorcycle accident lawyer to follow if you have been in an accident. You can also learn more about how to handle a motorcycle accident in Hesperia, or any city, by calling the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson at any of the numbers which can be found on our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com  and learning how we can assist you.

 

Obviously, if you have had an accident, and you are reading all of this advice, it may have been a few hours since the accident. However, if you ever have another accident, or if it’s only been a few hours since you were hurt, here’s what you should do from the start.

 

First, take a look around and determine if you or anyone, are hurt. If so, taking steps like trying to prevent further injury or loss of blood are the most important thing you can do. Even if some other driver caused you to be injured, it’s just good manners to help the other driver if they are hurt. They may even be so thankful that they admit their fault to you. The worst thing you can do is get angry or start a fight.

 

Second, make sure everyone is safe from being injured further. If you are in the middle of traffic, and you are dizzy, sit down away from traffic. If your vehicle is a traffic hazard and you have accident warning devices like flares or triangles, put them out on the road to warn other drivers and get away from the car. Let the police an other emergency personnel investigate the scene with the vehicles in place and move them more safely at a later point.

 

Third, call the police. Accident reports are extremely helpful if the police will do such a report. Let the police know you are injured immediately. Answer the police questions honestly. But if you are dazed or confused, let them know you need medical treatment and answer only what you feel sure about. Remember, your statements can and will be used against you if you admit fault, and it will be too late and too fishy to later say you didn’t know what you were saying at the scene. Police know that your best recollection is immediately after an accident.

 

Fourth, get the other driver’s information including their names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, make and model of their vehicles, license plate numbers, and their insurance company name and policy number. If there are witnesses, get their names, addresses and telephone numbers as well. If the other driver makes any admissions of fault, write those down as well.

 

Fifth, if you have a camera on your cell phone or in the car and you aren’t too injured, take some photos of the vehicles and the scene. If you can’t do it right away, do it after you are released from the hospital.

Sixth, if you are hurt, obtain medical treatment. Don’t decline the ambulance or hospital examination to save your insurance company money or to be stoic. Take your valuables out of your car if you can and get checked out at the hospital. If you are not hurt, don’t get treatment you don’t need. However, remember, after an accident, you may feel a rush of adrenaline that causes you to only start feeling symptoms of pain a few hours later. If you have a health plan that requires you to obtain permission first, call them and find out where you are allowed to seek treatment.

 

Seventh, call a good motorcycle accident attorney as soon as you have had your initial treatment, so the lawyer can gather other important evidence and prevent the insurance company from taking advantage of you and obtaining such things as recorded statements that you feel fine, when many of your symptoms have yet to manifest themselves. A good motorcycle accident attorney can save you from making a great deal of mistakes and can shoulder much of the hassle of knowing what to do about car repairs, car rentals, medical treatment, witness statements and the like. If you think you will save money by not having an attorney, think again. A good motorcycle accident lawyer can almost always obtain much higher settlements, obtain reductions of medical bills and insurance liens and prevent you from making costly mistakes. Also, most motorcycle accident attorneys advance costs of obtaining police reports, medical records and the like and are paid and reimbursed for these costs only out of any settlement.

 

Eight, you will need to report the accident to your insurance company, but since they will want to take a recorded statement from you, just like any other driver’s insurance company, it’s good advice to retain an attorney first. And if the other driver did not have insurance, remember that it is your own insurance company that will be your adversary. You will also need to report the accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles and your lawyer can give you the form for this.

 

Ninth, do not agree to settle your claim privately with the person at fault for the accident. This almost never works out to your advantage. Don’t agree not to call the police. Police reports that determine the fault for an accident are golden. Your agreement to not involve the police only affords an opportunity for the other driver to change his story and blame you when the police will no longer investigate the accident.

 

Tenth, don’t pay a traffic ticket without a fight if you weren’t at fault or agree to accept a small payment for your vehicle repairs without knowing that the amount will in fact cover the cost of all the repairs.

 

If you’ve had a motorcycle accident in Hesperia, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Corona, Temecula, Murrieta, Riverside, San Bernardino, Apple Valley, Moreno Valley, Fontana, Palmdale, Victorville, or anywhere in Southern California, we have the knowledge and resources to be your Hesperia Motorcycle Accident Lawyer and your Palmdale Motorcycle Accident Attorney. Be sure to hire a California law firm with auto, motorcycle, truck, bicycle, pedestrian, car, bus, train, boat and airplane accident experience, wrongful death experience and insurance law expertise who can ensure you are properly represented and get the compensation you deserve.

 

If you have a personal injury legal matter, a dog bite or if you’ve lost a loved one in a wrongful death accident, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson, or visit our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com  and learn how we can assist you.

R. Sebastian Gibson

El Toro Truck Accident Lawyer’s Top Ten Last Excuses You’d Expect an Insurance Company to Use in a Truck Accident Claim

October 13th, 2011 No comments

1. We’d like to have one of our investigators examine the truck and make his own conclusions.

 

2. We’d like to have you seen by one of our doctors to determine if you need more treatment.

 

3. We disagree with the police report determination.

 

4. We’re going to need to obtain all of your previous medical records.

 

5. We don’t feel you needed all of the medical treatment you received.

 

6. We don’t believe all of the diagnostic tests you had were necessary.

 

7. We’ve analyzed your medical bills and reduced them to the amount we feel should have been charged.

 

8. We feel you were comparatively negligent.

 

9. We’d like to have a psychologist evaluate you for your emotional injuries.

 

10. We’d like to have a specialist review the records of your treatment and compare them to your previous medical records.

 

Here are ten useful tips of advice from a truck accident lawyer to follow if you have been in an accident. You can also learn more about how to handle a truck accident in El Toro, or any city, by calling the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson at any of the numbers which can be found on our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com  and learning how we can assist you.

 

Obviously, if you have had an accident, and you are reading all of this advice, it may have been a few hours since the accident. However, if you ever have another accident, or if it’s only been a few hours since you were hurt, here’s what you should do from the start.

 

First, take a look around and determine if you or anyone, are hurt. If so, taking steps like trying to prevent further injury or loss of blood are the most important thing you can do. Even if some other driver caused you to be injured, it’s just good manners to help the other driver if they are hurt. They may even be so thankful that they admit their fault to you. The worst thing you can do is get angry or start a fight.

 

Second, make sure everyone is safe from being injured further. If you are in the middle of traffic, and you are dizzy, sit down away from traffic. If your vehicle is a traffic hazard and you have accident warning devices like flares or triangles, put them out on the road to warn other drivers and get away from the car. Let the police an other emergency personnel investigate the scene with the vehicles in place and move them more safely at a later point.

 

Third, call the police. Accident reports are extremely helpful if the police will do such a report. Let the police know you are injured immediately. Answer the police questions honestly. But if you are dazed or confused, let them know you need medical treatment and answer only what you feel sure about. Remember, your statements can and will be used against you if you admit fault, and it will be too late and too fishy to later say you didn’t know what you were saying at the scene. Police know that your best recollection is immediately after an accident.

 

Fourth, get the other driver’s information including their names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, make and model of their vehicles, license plate numbers, and their insurance company name and policy number. If there are witnesses, get their names, addresses and telephone numbers as well. If the other driver makes any admissions of fault, write those down as well.

 

Fifth, if you have a camera on your cell phone or in the car and you aren’t too injured, take some photos of the vehicles and the scene. If you can’t do it right away, do it after you are released from the hospital.

Sixth, if you are hurt, obtain medical treatment. Don’t decline the ambulance or hospital examination to save your insurance company money or to be stoic. Take your valuables out of your car if you can and get checked out at the hospital. If you are not hurt, don’t get treatment you don’t need. However, remember, after an accident, you may feel a rush of adrenaline that causes you to only start feeling symptoms of pain a few hours later. If you have a health plan that requires you to obtain permission first, call them and find out where you are allowed to seek treatment.

 

Seventh, call a good truck accident lawyer as soon as you have had your initial treatment, so the attorney can gather other important evidence and prevent the insurance company from taking advantage of you and obtaining such things as recorded statements that you feel fine, when many of your symptoms have yet to manifest themselves. A good truck accident lawyer can save you from making a great deal of mistakes and can shoulder much of the hassle of knowing what to do about car repairs, car rentals, medical treatment, witness statements and the like. If you think you will save money by not having an attorney, think again. A good truck accident lawyer can almost always obtain much higher settlements, obtain reductions of medical bills and insurance liens and prevent you from making costly mistakes. Also, most truck accident attorneys advance costs of obtaining police reports, medical records and the like and are paid and reimbursed for these costs only out of any settlement.

 

Eight, you will need to report the accident to your insurance company, but since they will want to take a recorded statement from you, just like any other driver’s insurance company, it’s good advice to retain an attorney first. And if the other driver did not have insurance, remember that it is your own insurance company that will be your adversary. You will also need to report the accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles and your lawyer can give you the form for this.

 

Ninth, do not agree to settle your claim privately with the person at fault for the accident. This almost never works out to your advantage. Don’t agree not to call the police. Police reports that determine the fault for an accident are golden. Your agreement to not involve the police only affords an opportunity for the other driver to change his story and blame you when the police will no longer investigate the accident.

 

Tenth, don’t pay a traffic ticket without a fight if you weren’t at fault or agree to accept a small payment for your vehicle repairs without knowing that the amount will in fact cover the cost of all the repairs.

 

If you’ve had a truck accident in El Toro, Orange County, Newport Beach, Anaheim, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Corona del Mar, Laguna Beach, Santa Ana, Orange, Fullerton, costa Mesa, Westminster, Buena Park, Mission Viejo, Garden Grove, Laguna Niguel, San Clemente, Chino Hills, or anywhere in Southern California, we have the knowledge and resources to be your El Toro Truck Accident Lawyer and your Orange County Truck Accident Attorney. Be sure to hire a California law firm with auto, motorcycle, truck, bicycle, pedestrian, car, bus, train, boat and airplane accident experience, wrongful death experience and insurance law expertise who can ensure you are properly represented and get the compensation you deserve.

 

If you have a personal injury legal matter, a dog bite or if you’ve lost a loved one in a wrongful death accident, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson, or visit our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com  and learn how we can assist you.

R. Sebastian Gibson

Manhattan Beach Car Accident Lawyer’s Top Ten Ways Doctors Fool With You After an Auto Accident

September 4th, 2011 No comments

1. By riding into your room on a bicycle and crashing into the wall.

 

2. By bringing in a dog and introducing the dog as your surgeon.

 

3. Having a nurse give you placebos.

 

4. Asking you how you like your stay so far.

 

5. Entering your room eating pizza that makes your food look like prison food.

 

6. Asking what it’s worth to you to have some pizza.

 

7. Pretending as if you’ve been in a coma for eight years.

 

8. By telling you due to cost cuts, there is no more free toilet paper.

 

9. By telling you that your insurance company is having you moved to the bus stop.

 

10. By saying how much you’ll enjoy surgery.

 

Here are ten useful tips of advice from a car accident lawyer to follow if you have been in an accident. You can also learn more about how to handle a car accident in Manhattan Beach, or any city, by calling the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson at any of the numbers which can be found on our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com  and learning how we can assist you.

 

Obviously, if you have had an accident, and you are reading all of this advice, it’s probably been at least a few days since the accident. However, if it’s only been a few hours or if you ever have another accident, here’s what you should do the next time from the start.

 

First, take a look around and determine if you or anyone, are hurt. If so, taking steps like trying to prevent further injury or loss of blood are the most important thing you can do. Even if some other driver caused you to be injured, it’s just good manners to help the other driver if they are hurt. They may even be so thankful that they admit their fault to you. The worst thing you can do is get angry or start a fight.

 

Second, make sure everyone is safe from being injured further. If you are in the middle of traffic, and you are dizzy, sit down away from traffic. If your vehicle is a traffic hazard and you have accident warning devices like flares or triangles, put them out on the road to warn other drivers and get away from the car. Let the police an other emergency personnel investigate the scene with the vehicles in place and move them more safely at a later point.

 

Third, call the police. Accident reports are extremely helpful if the police will do such a report. Let the police know you are injured immediately. Answer the police questions honestly. But if you are dazed or confused, let them know you need medical treatment and answer only what you feel sure about. Remember, your statements can and will be used against you if you admit fault, and it will be too late and too fishy to later say you didn’t know what you were saying at the scene. Police know that your best recollection is immediately after an accident.

 

Fourth, get the other driver’s information including their names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, make and model of their vehicles, license plate numbers, and their insurance company name and policy number. If there are witnesses, get their names, addresses and telephone numbers as well. If the other driver makes any admissions of fault, write those down as well.

 

Fifth, if you have a camera on your cell phone or in the car and you aren’t too injured, take some photos of the vehicles and the scene. If you can’t do it right away, do it after you are released from the hospital.

Sixth, if you are hurt, obtain medical treatment. Don’t decline the ambulance or hospital examination to save your insurance company money or to be stoic. Take your valuables out of your car if you can and get checked out at the hospital. If you are not hurt, don’t get treatment you don’t need. However, remember, after an accident, you may feel a rush of adrenaline that causes you to only start feeling symptoms of pain a few hours later. If you have a health plan that requires you to obtain permission first, call them and find out where you are allowed to seek treatment.

 

Seventh, call a good car accident lawyer as soon as you have had your initial treatment, so the attorney can gather other important evidence and prevent the insurance company from taking advantage of you and obtaining such things as recorded statements that you feel fine, when many of your symptoms have yet to manifest themselves. A good car accident lawyer can save you from making a great deal of mistakes and can shoulder much of the hassle of knowing what to do about car repairs, car rentals, medical treatment, witness statements and the like. If you think you will save money by not having an attorney, think again. A good car accident lawyer can almost always obtain much higher settlements, obtain reductions of medical bills and insurance liens and prevent you from making costly mistakes. Also, most car accident attorneys advance costs of obtaining police reports, medical records and the like and are paid and reimbursed for these costs only out of any settlement.

 

Eight, you will need to report the accident to your insurance company, but since they will want to take a recorded statement from you, just like any other driver’s insurance company, it’s good advice to retain an attorney first. And if the other driver did not have insurance, remember that it is your own insurance company that will be your adversary. You will also need to report the accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles and your lawyer can give you the form for this.

 

Ninth, do not agree to settle your claim privately with the person at fault for the accident. This almost never works out to your advantage. Don’t agree not to call the police. Police reports that determine the fault for an accident are golden. Your agreement to not involve the police only affords an opportunity for the other driver to change his story and blame you when the police will no longer investigate the accident.

 

Tenth, don’t pay a traffic ticket without a fight if you weren’t at fault or agree to accept a small payment for your vehicle repairs without knowing that the amount will in fact cover the cost of all the repairs.

 

If you’ve had a car accident in Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Torrance, Carson, Redondo Beach, El Segundo, Marina del Rey, Venice Beach, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Oxnard, Cambria or San Luis Obispo, or anywhere in Southern California, we have the knowledge and resources to be your Manhattan Beach Car Accident Lawyer and your Hermosa Beach Car Accident Attorney. Be sure to hire a California law firm with auto, motorcycle, truck, bicycle, pedestrian, car, bus, train, boat and airplane accident experience, wrongful death experience and insurance law expertise who can ensure you are properly represented and get the compensation you deserve.

 

If you have a personal injury legal matter, a dog bite or if you’ve lost a loved one in a wrongful death accident, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson, or visit our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com  and learn how we can assist you.

R. Sebastian Gibson

Costa Mesa Motorcycle Accident Attorney’s Top Ten Ways Insurance Companies Play Games With You After a Motorcycle Accident

August 17th, 2011 No comments

1. I’m afraid our analysis of your medical bills has determined the reasonable value of those bills to be only half of what your were charged. Our settlement has to be based on our analysis.

 

2. Well, I’m afraid those commercials for our insurance company are really more of a, well, you know, advertising, uh, no, I wouldn’t call them a gimmick.

 

3. I know you saw those commercials and based on them thought that we would be covering all of your expenses from the accident, but those commercials really don’t say that?

 

4. You see, Sir, insurance companies base their decisions on what we think is reasonable, not on what your doctors think.

 

5. No, Sir, you’re right. I am not a doctor, but I can tell you that we still feel that some of those medical tests were unnecessary.

 

6. Well, you were on a motorcycle and taking a risk so we have to take that into consideration, don’t we?

 

7. Yes, I realize that injuries are usually more severe in a motorcycle accident, but the amount of treatment you received is still more than the average person has in a vehicular accident.

 

8. I know you were trying to save us some money, but when you declined an ambulance at the scene, that tells us you weren’t that seriously injured.

 

9. Yes, I know it can take days to get an appointment with your health insurance doctor, but if you were really that seriously injured, we would have expected you to hobble into an emergency room.

 

10. Yes, I realize that when you stopped your treatment for two weeks, you were attempting to see how you would be, but even though you found you were still in pain, we really have to discount any treatment after the date you stopped.

Here are ten additional tips of advice from a motorcycle accident lawyer to follow if you have been in an accident. You can also learn more about how to handle a personal injury in Costa Mesa, or any city, by calling the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson at any of the numbers which can be found on our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com  and learning how we can assist you.

 

Obviously, if you have had an accident, and you are reading all of this advice, it may have been a few hours since the accident. However, if you ever have another accident, or if it’s only been a few hours since you were hurt, here’s what you should do from the start.

 

First, take a look around and determine if you or anyone, are hurt. If so, taking steps like trying to prevent further injury or loss of blood are the most important thing you can do. Even if some other driver caused you to be injured, it’s just good manners to help the other driver if they are hurt. They may even be so thankful that they admit their fault to you. The worst thing you can do is get angry or start a fight.

 

Second, make sure everyone is safe from being injured further. If you are in the middle of traffic, and you are dizzy, sit down away from traffic. If your vehicle is a traffic hazard and you have accident warning devices like flares or triangles, put them out on the road to warn other drivers and get away from the car. Let the police an other emergency personnel investigate the scene with the vehicles in place and move them more safely at a later point.

 

Third, call the police. Accident reports are extremely helpful if the police will do such a report. Let the police know you are injured immediately. Answer the police questions honestly. But if you are dazed or confused, let them know you need medical treatment and answer only what you feel sure about. Remember, your statements can and will be used against you if you admit fault, and it will be too late and too fishy to later say you didn’t know what you were saying at the scene. Police know that your best recollection is immediately after an accident.

 

Fourth, get the other driver’s information including their names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, make and model of their vehicles, license plate numbers, and their insurance company name and policy number. If there are witnesses, get their names, addresses and telephone numbers as well. If the other driver makes any admissions of fault, write those down as well.

 

Fifth, if you have a camera on your cell phone or in the car and you aren’t too injured, take some photos of the vehicles and the scene. If you can’t do it right away, do it after you are released from the hospital.

Sixth, if you are hurt, obtain medical treatment. Don’t decline the ambulance or hospital examination to save your insurance company money or to be stoic. Take your valuables out of your car if you can and get checked out at the hospital. If you are not hurt, don’t get treatment you don’t need. However, remember, after an accident, you may feel a rush of adrenaline that causes you to only start feeling symptoms of pain a few hours later. If you have a health plan that requires you to obtain permission first, call them and find out where you are allowed to seek treatment.

 

Seventh, call a good motorcycle accident attorney as soon as you have had your initial treatment, so the attorney can gather other important evidence and prevent the insurance company from taking advantage of you and obtaining such things as recorded statements that you feel fine, when many of your symptoms have yet to manifest themselves. A good motorcycle accident lawyer can save you from making a great deal of mistakes and can shoulder much of the hassle of knowing what to do about car repairs, car rentals, medical treatment, witness statements and the like. If you think you will save money by not having an attorney, think again. A good motorcycle accident lawyer can almost always obtain much higher settlements, obtain reductions of medical bills and insurance liens and prevent you from making costly mistakes. Also, most motorcycle accident lawyers advance costs of obtaining police reports, medical records and the like and are paid and reimbursed for these costs only out of any settlement.

 

Eight, you will need to report the accident to your insurance company, but since they will want to take a recorded statement from you, just like any other driver’s insurance company, it’s good advice to retain an attorney first. And if the other driver did not have insurance, remember that it is your own insurance company that will be your adversary. You will also need to report the accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles and your lawyer can give you the form for this.

 

Ninth, do not agree to settle your claim privately with the person at fault for the accident. This almost never works out to your advantage. Don’t agree not to call the police. Police reports that determine the fault for an accident are golden. Your agreement to not involve the police only affords an opportunity for the other driver to change his story and blame you when the police will no longer investigate the accident.

 

Tenth, don’t pay a traffic ticket without a fight if you weren’t at fault or agree to accept a small payment for your vehicle repairs without knowing that the amount will in fact cover the cost of all the repairs.

 

If you’ve had a motorcycle accident in Orange County, Newport Beach, Anaheim, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Corona del Mar, Laguna Beach, Santa Ana, Orange, Fullerton, costa Mesa, Westminster, Buena Park, Mission Viejo, Garden Grove, Laguna Niguel, San Clemente, Chino Hills, or anywhere in Southern California, we have the knowledge and resources to be your Costa Mesa Motorcycle Accident Lawyer and your Orange County Motorcycle Accident Attorney. Be sure to hire a California law firm with auto, motorcycle, truck, bicycle, pedestrian, car, bus, train, boat and airplane accident experience, wrongful death experience and insurance law expertise who can ensure you are properly represented and get the compensation you deserve.

 

If you have a personal injury legal matter, a dog bite or if you’ve lost a loved one in a wrongful death accident, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson, or visit our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com  and learn how we can assist you.

R. Sebastian Gibson

will I need to sue new york life to get death benefits?

March 14th, 2011 5 comments

My mom died during the contestable period and I’ve provided all the information to the insurance company. last week I was told that all medical records have been received and that it should take about 14 days to review and for them to let me know if they’re paying out or not. today my brother called and they told him they waiting for more records from another hospital. I’m thinking they’re giving us the runaround and maybe it’s time to hire an attorney. is there anyone who have some advice?

that is pretty standard when someone dies during contestible period. The insurance companies want to check medical records to make sure all health issues were disclosed at time of application.

If you think there may be a problem with not all records being disclosed at application time, get an attorney…otherwise you may want to wait a little longer to see what the insurance company says first before incurring legal expense

how can I find in public records the blood type of my deceased ther? I only have birth and death certificate?

April 17th, 2010 4 comments

He died 20 years ago and there are no other documents left in our possession.

In the US, unless you catch a flukey, darn lucky break, you aren’t going to be able to acquire that information.

Given this person died 20 years ago, blood typing of newborns just wasn’t done. So there would be no recording on the Birth Certificate (as you probably have already found).

Unless there was some reason to do an extensive autopsy (very rare) it is unlikely any death "record" would have this information either.

So this information would only be in medical records. In the US though, with the passage of HIPAA laws, you won’t be able to get those records unless maybe you are a direct descendant. Maybe.

A little know fact is that HIPAA extends to deceased persons as well as living persons. You can’t release medical information on a deceased individual (one argument, an insurance company could find your deceased parent died of ovarian cancer and thus bump up your rates because you now have a higher chance of getting this condition).

A consequence of HIPAA is that doctors and hospitals are purging old records. Technically, they can’t retain medical records without a medical reason – and clearly there is little medical reason to retain the medical records of a patient that died 20 years earlier.

So unless you catch a fluky, very unusual break somewhere, you aren’t going to be able to get this information (in the US anyway).

My job failed to follow through with a change of beneficiary.?

March 8th, 2010 3 comments

My husband passed away on 1-31-06 from sickle Cell Disease.We would have been married 3 years a week before his death. We both work for the Chicago Transit Authority in Illinois. We have Life Insurance through our company. One year and prior to his death, we went down to the company headquarters (Merchdise Mart) to do a change of beneficiary making each other our beneficiary. We submited the forms and that was it. After his death I found CTA had never made his changes. They made him my beneficiary but did not make me his beneficiary. I was told the only record of beneficiary they had in his folder was his ex-wife, from 1998. My in-laws encourage me to continue to fight this and not give up. The young lady that received the document we submited no longer works for the company. The insurace money is still there. I’ve lost my home and I’m in a real financial bind. Please! Can someone help?
I was given a copy of the change form making him by beneficiary. I was told his folder was completely empty.

see a lawyer. you need professional help.