ERISA Disability and Life Insurance Litigation
Paul Revere: Congrats On The Side Hustle, Your Benefits Are Canceled
A dentist can’t practice dentistry anymore, everyone agrees he’s disabled, and he still loses his long-term disability benefits. That’s not a shocking medical story, it’s a contract story, and it’s exactly why we recorded this breakdown of Caraba v Paul Revere from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. If you’re a doctor, dentist, lawyer, or other high-earning professional counting on an “own occupation” disability policy, the fine print around “other gainful occupation” can decide whether you get paid or get cut off. We walk through what happened when Dr Caraba’s hip and back problems ended his chairside work, but his other income streams continued. Paul Revere paid benefits while investigating, then terminated the claim based on a policy definition that required not only inability to perform the important duties of his occupation, but also that he not be engaged in any other gainful occupation. We explain why that second clause can turn a seemingly straightforward dentist disability claim into a denial, even when disability is undisputed. You’ll also hear a segment of real appellate oral argument where the court presses both sides on what “gainful occupation” should mean when the term is undefined, whether prior earnings should matter, and when a policy is truly ambiguous. We connect the legal debate to practical planning: how to review your long-term disability insurance, how side gigs and consulting can affect eligibility, and why a pre-claim strategy consult can save years of litigation. If you want more episodes like this, subscribe, share this with a colleague who has disability coverage, and leave a review so more professionals can find the show. This podcast is brought to you by Ben Glass Law , a national long term disability and life insurance firm headquartered in Fairfax, VA. To the extent that these episodes include oral argument recordings from real courts, these recordings are in the public domain and free to everyone to use as they see fit. By making these recordings into a "podcast," we've made the listening easier for claimants, attorneys and claims adjusters alike. If long term disability or life insurance benefits have been denied, we'd love to review your denial letter and give you a strategy for moving forward. This is a free service and you can go here to begin submitting your denial letter.
