- Details
- Last Updated: 20 November 2015 20 November 2015
Disclaimer: The Massachusetts CFIDS/ME & FM Association makes no recommendation regarding the use of professionals whose articles are linked to our site.
Avoiding the Disability Claim ‘Brush-Off’—What You Need to Know on the Pro-Health website. Two attorneys who represent CFS/ME and FM patients filing for long-term disability offer detailed advice on how best to navigate the claims process—how you and your doctor should document your disability as well as your interactions with the insurance company (Frankel and Newfield, 2011).
We wish to highlight one point made in the article about not taking a Functional Capacity Evaluation ordered by the insurance company, even if the test is not required in the policy. Before refusing a company request, it is usually best to consult an experienced attorney concerning the possible consequences of such a refusal.
Disability Discussion—Private long-term disability process is a presentation by Attorney Barbara Comerford to the NJ CFIDS Association (2010). Barbara Comerford, ESQ, has a practice specializing in disability law in the jurisdiction of New York and New Jersey. Through her work, Ms. Comerford has become a specialist in ME/CFS disability and spoke to the issues ME/CFS patients need to know. She has held a post as a board member of the NJ CFIDS Association, The CFIDS Association of America (CAA), and The American Association of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (AACFS) before it became the International Association of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. http://dev.masscfids.org/disability-links/277-disability-discussion-barbara-comerford-esq?showall=&start=2
Disability Insurance Claims—General Information by George H. Thompson, Attorney-at-law, specialist in Long-term Disability Insurance. A comprehensive outline of issues and procedures related to long-term disability insurance.
Update for patients with ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, or Lyme Disease on important issues affecting Long-term Disability Insurance and Social Security Disability is a report of a meeting of the Massachusetts CFIDS/ME & FM Association Disability Committee with two Boston disability attorneys in Fall 2014. This article contains important information concerning LTD insurance claims.
Notice about names
The Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association would like to clarify the use of the various acronyms for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Chronic Fatigue & Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) on this site. When we generate our own articles on the illness, we will refer to it as ME/CFS, the term now generally used in the United States. When we are reporting on someone else’s report, we will use the term they use. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal agencies, including the CDC, are currently using ME/CFS.
Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association changed its name in July, 2018, to reflect this consensus.