Hello. I have been off work for extreme anxiety since Nov 2017. My 2 yrs LTD is up in Feb 2020. My insurance company is sending me to a psychiatrist for a report if I can return to work or not… Has anyone been throught this before? I was told I meet this psychiatrist one time for a 3 hour appointment, they will write a report grom this meeting if I can return to work and this will base my insurance company’s decision to continue until age 65 or not. I do not know what to expect? Do you have any knowledge of this and any suggestions for me? To top it off my doctor is away not knowing when she will return because of personal reasons. So if I consult a new doctor, they will not know my history… Help please!! Thank you
Hello Cantley Angel. Yes, I’ve been through the psychiatrist hoop of flames. I had to go to a Dr. recommended by the company I worked for, who paid for my LTD. It was a train wreck. We couldn’t stand each other but had to continue to seeing each other. However, he did provide my insurer and company that pays for my insurance frequent reports advising them to keep me on disability. I kept copies of every document that changed hands during this time. Please do that. I believe that legally your medical records are yours. You must pay a fee for a copy of each page that they provide you with. There is no set fee amount. Be your own advocate. Get a copy of those records and either go through them yourself or have a new doctor look at them. I don’t know if this will help. I hope so. I’ve been there.
I have not been through it.
It is a called an IME (Independent Medical Examination).
In the upper right of this forum is an icon of a magnifying glass.
That is seach button.
Click that and type IME and press enter.
Good luck.
Try not to worry, it might not be a bad thing.
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jammer is correct. LTD sent me to their own psychiatrist for an IME. He was okay. He listened to me then.
Hello EllieMae. Thank you for the advise. I will keep copies of the reports. What stresses me is that the psychiatrist’s office told me that they will meet me just once and draft a report from that. What kind of questions will they ask me? Everything is in my doctor’s file. Ohhh not knowing is very stressful to me. Thank you again.
Thank you jammer! I will look at that.
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Hello mrshastri. Thank you!
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Like others have said this is a normal and expected process that many insurers will use. It is often referred to as an independent medical examination. My advise to anyone in this situation is to cooperate with the appointment and go in good faith, even if you google the doctor and see lots of bad comments. It is the insurance company’s right to choose the doctor for this assessment. This doctor is just doing a one-time assessment and report and will not become a “treating” doctor.
Be aware that these appointment are prime time for an insurance company to do surveillance on you. So be every aware that may happen and they will compare how you describe your abilities and limitations to the doctor to video surveillance of you coming and going from the appointment. The doctor will not be in on the surveillance and would not know if it is happening. It would be done outside of his or her office.
David Brannen
Disability Lawyer with Resolute Legal
The response posted above is based on the limited factual information made available and is not intended as a full and complete response to the question. The only reliable manner to obtain complete and adequate legal advice is to consult with a lawyer, fully explain your situation, and allow the lawyer enough time to research the applicable law and facts required to give an adequate opinion. The basic information provided above is intended as a public service only, a full one-on-one discussion with a lawyer should be done before taking any any action. The information posted on this forum is available to the viewing public and is not intended to create a lawyer client relationship with any person. If you want one-on-one advice, please click here to request a free consultation or call toll free 1-877-282-5188 to speak with a member with our disability claim support team.
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Depends who you get.
The insurance company is paying them. So will you get an objective professional who adheres to the professional code of conduct?
Or will you get one who loves being paid by insurance companies for favourable reports, by investigating for the insurance company?
You may have heard the stories:
Insurance assessment firms altered, ghostwrote accident victim reports
Licensed to bill: How doctors profit from injury assessments that benefit insurers
Ontario to set up ‘independent’ assessment centres for auto injury victims
Ontario to set up 'independent' assessment centres for auto injury victims - The Globe and Mail Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa
Hired gun in a lab coat: How medical experts help car insurers fight accident claims
Insurer’s
The last assessor I asked straight to their face ‘Are you an objective professional or a contractor for the insurance company?’, gave a very reasonable objective report.
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