Were You Denied Benefits for Ataxia Disability?

People dealing with ataxia disability often face overwhelming life challenges. Ataxia is a neurological condition that impairs balance and physical movements. Victims can experience an increasing failure of muscle coordination and erratic muscular action, and much more. Being denied of ataxia disability benefits can be challenging and Mehr Fairbanks Trial Lawyers are here to help you.

Simple movements vital to the activities of daily living and the ability to hold down a job – such as grasping objects, fine motor skills, walking, reaching, gesturing, bending, and speaking – become difficult or impossible. Yet ataxia, and the serious disabilities it causes, is little understood by those who do not suffer from it. Moreover, it is common practice for insurance companies to deny claims, no matter how valid the disability is.

In the case of ataxia disability claims, LTD insurers routinely consider the condition to be subjective, and this supports their denial based on the grounds that sufficient objective medical evidence does not exist. Therefore, you cannot prove that ataxia obstructs your ability to work.

No matter what tactics your insurance company has used to deny your claim, we have seen it before, and we can fight back on your behalf.

Do Your Symptoms Qualify for Ataxia Disability Benefits?

Symptoms vary depending on the type of ataxia. These symptoms can be severely disabling, and include loss of coordination and movement of the hands, fingers, arms and body, as well as:

• Abnormal gait
• Floppiness (hypotonia)
• Eye control and blurred vision
• Impaired balance and vertigo
• Hearing impairments
• Difficulty swallowing
• Speech difficulties
• Weakened immune system
• Respiratory impairments

Along with the more notable coordination issues, victims of ataxia can suffer from agonizing migraines, burning, and tingling sensations and muscle stiffness and weakness.

What Causes Ataxia?

Cases of ataxia can manifest in different ways. Ataxia can be a symptom of another medical disorder. It can also be inherited or non-inherited. It can manifest slowly over time or develop suddenly from an injury or illness.

• Acute Ataxia (Non-Hereditary): Acute, or sudden onset, ataxia can result when the cerebellum is damaged. The cerebellum is the region of the brain that regulates muscle coordination. Such damage might be from a head or brain injury, a tumor, or an infection. Ataxia disability is also caused by certain diseases that cause degeneration to the nervous system, spinal cord, and cerebellum. In fact, the term “ataxia” may be used broadly to describe conditions that cause the failure of muscle coordination or irregular muscular action. For example, ataxia is often referred to as a symptom of common disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis, stroke, Cerebral Palsy, and Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA).
• Hereditary Ataxia: There is a large group of hereditary ataxia. These types are generally caused by a defective gene from either the father or mother, or both parents. Inherited forms of ataxia generally involve degenerative diseases of the central nervous system – meaning the condition progressively worsens over time, impacting vision, balance, speech and other coordination. Examples of inherited ataxia are Friedreich’s ataxia, spinocerebellar ataxia, ataxia telangiectasia (also called Louis-Bar syndrome)

Reaching a firm diagnosis can be a difficult, ongoing process, and many sufferers go a long time before learning that they actually have a progressive disease.

Lawyers Helping Ataxia Disability Sufferers Obtain LTD Benefits

Insurance companies often don’t play fair. Don’t let the insurance company deny your valid claim! You should know that the specific cause of this condition is not the basis of your ataxia disability insurance claim. The fact that the condition has disabled you from working is the key. We can help you prove that.

The entire process can be more reassuring and successful when you navigate it with an experienced and dedicated disability lawyer.

Do you have individual or group disability claim questions?

If you have filed or are preparing to file an individual or long-term disability insurance claim – or if your benefits have been wrongfully delayed or denied – Mehr Fairbanks Trial Lawyers can help you retain your rights and benefits today by calling toll-Free: 800-249-3731.