Partner Lonnie Roach
Disability Attorney

One client, in San Marcos, had a progressive neurogenic disease. This disease caused wasting syndrome of her left arm and deltoid triceps and biceps groups.

Our client also had EMG-confirmed neurogenic atrophy of her bilateral lower extremities and wasting in those extremities. She had a surgically inserted pain pump which dispensed a pain medication 100 times as powerful as morphine, and further required narcotic patches to attempt to control her pain. She required a wheelchair to move any significant distances and was eventually confined to an assisted living center. She was found to be totally disabled from any gainful activity by the Social Security Administration.

Aetna LTD Lumbar Radiculopathy Claim

Physicians had previously certified that our client from Streetman, Texas had a class 5 physical impairment and was totally disabled.

Aetna’s own file reviewer indicated that the client was unable to be employed as a Registered Nurse. The denial letter suggested that she could engage in other types of nursing. This analysis did not, however, take into account her current restrictions and limitations. She had a history of a lumbar fusion surgery as well as chronic and persistent lumbar radiculopathy with chronic pain syndrome. This resulted in a very poor sitting tolerance of approximately ten minutes. She was also noted to have a short walking tolerance and was unable to lift more than five or ten pounds. For these reasons, our client was incapable of working full time. She was awarded disability benefits from the Social Security Administration.

Unum LTD Ruptured Rotator Cuff Claim

A Round Rock Sales Support Analyst for a large computer company suffered a complete rupture of her rotator cuff and other injuries after a fall.She was awarded SSDI and was receiving LTD benefits.

The Hartford Degenerative Disc Disease Claim

Another Round Rock client suffered from degenerative disc disease for over 28 years.

She had undergone 18 surgeries to attempt to address her condition and was only able to function due to daily narcotic medication and a surgically implanted morphine pump. Both her orthopedic surgeon and pain management doctors had stated she was totally disabled. Based on her medical records, it does not appear that The Hartford consulted with an orthopedic surgeon or pain management specialist in making its benefit decision to deny her claim. The Social Security Administration had awarded her SSDI based on full disability. The Hartford attempted to settle the remainder of the client’s claim for a single lump-sum payment.

Regardless of the cause of your disability or where in Texas you live, if an insurance company has wrongly denied your claim, call Lonnie at Bemis, Roach & Reed. He may very well be able to help you.

Need an assist with an ERISA long term disability case?

Austin Attorney Lonnie Roach, of Bemis, Roach & Reed, can provide experienced legal assistance for ERISA long term disability cases across the state of Texas. Are you hesitant about proceeding with a client’s ERISA long term disability case? Are you unsure of how best to navigate the hurdles of trying an ERISA long term disability case in federal court? At any given time, Mr. Roach is likely to have cases pending in all four federal districts in Texas. He is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and is admitted to the United States District Courts for the Northern District of Texas, the Southern District of Texas, the Eastern District of Texas, and the Western District of Texas, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Mr. Roach has represented hundreds of clients in ERISA long term disability cases at the administrative, trial, and appellate levels. Your client and your reputation are secure in his hands. Contact him at (866) 433-4979 or Lonnie@brrlaw.com to see how he can help.

Author: Attorney Lonnie Roach has been practicing law for over 29 years. He is Superlawyers rated by Thomson Reuters and is Top AV Preeminent® and Client Champion rated by Martindale Hubbell. Through his extensive litigation Mr. Roach obtained board certifications from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Lonnie is admitted to practice in the United States District Court - all Texas Districts and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. Highly experienced in Long Term Disability denials and appeals governed by the “ERISA” Mr. Roach is a member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Austin Bar Association, and is a past the director of the Capital Area Trial Lawyers Association (Director 1999-2005) Mr. Roach and all the members of Bemis, Roach & Reed have been active participants in the Travis County Lawyer referral service.