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Hi everyone! I'm Jen...diagnosed with MS 11/2019. I just turned 50 last month.
Last November I experienced Shingles (for the first, and hopefully last time) along with Meningitis at the same time. I was hospitalized for almost 2 weeks, and taken off my MS medication (at the time was Vumerity) due to the immunosuppressive factor of the medication. I was off any and all MS medication for almost 5 months because my Infectious disease doctor was concerned that the Shingles and/or Meningitis could relapse. This process of course threw my body into full flare up mode for MONTHS. I started experiencing symptoms I never had before; instability (I started using a cane), chronic fatigue, intense pain, sleep disturbance, my cognitive abilities were noticeably diminished, short term memory loss, and surely others that escape me right now. Doctors kept telling me to reduce stress, but how do you reduce stress when you are fighting with your disability company trying to get your 60%??? It took months (5 to be exact) for my companies disability company (New York Life) to approve my claim. It is stressful when you have to decide between paying for groceries or your medications. I went 5 months without a dime.
When I was hired I opted for the additional disability insurance so that, God forbid I got worse at some point, I would get 100% of my salary instead of the 66% offered. I paid out of pocket for that additional coverage (with UNUM). UNUM denied my additional coverage a few months ago stating that I falsified a question on my original application. Between all of us, I didn't falsify- I misunderstood the question. The question eluded to whether or not I had missed work because of an illness in the past year. I hadnt missed work, because I wasn't working (this was during the height of COVID). I had actually been in and out of the hospital several times during COVID for other problems.Regardless, those visits were easily provable! Why would I falsify that answer? I'm now trying to find a reputable, experienced, disability attorney to look at my potential case against UNUM to get reimbursed the coverage that I believe I'm entitled to. I'm in Phoenix, AZ. If anyone has the name and number of an attorney that could help me, I would greatly appreciate the referral. I hate to just "open the yellow pages and cross my fingers".