had my first call with a case manager after applying for long-term disability, and it was really triggering for me. I have PTSD and memory issues, and I struggle when I can’t remember specific dates or details, which is something the case manager kept asking about. The tone he used was also really triggering, and I ended up having a panic attack during the call.
The case manager then told me that I wasn’t respecting him or his de-escalation process, which was hard to hear because I was genuinely trying to manage my emotions. But in that moment, I couldn’t.
I’d really like to request a new case manager who is female given my PTSD is triggered by men , ideally one who is trauma-informed, if that’s even an option. Has anyone here had a similar experience, and do you know if it’s possible to request someone more understanding of these issues?
Sorry to hear you went through this. They sound like an arrogant a-hole. Who says that to a client!?! Remember you are the customer, and they are just a vendor you bought insurance from. Don’t give them any power of authority over you they don’t have. Being a LTD claims handler (aka manager) doesn’t require much training or any education and quite frankly it is a crappy job and anyone with a decent set of skills would find a more rewarding career that pays much better. As a result you get some pretty “unique” people in these roles.
I would collect your thoughts and write an email:
Part 1. Summarize the factual content of the phone call.
Part 2. State pretty much everything you have in your message to forum.
Pat 3. State because of the items in #2 your current case manager is not capable of effectively communicating with you.
Part 4. Request a new case manager be assigned to your case.
Send the email. I always CC a secondary email so I know it went through and creates a record that it was sent other than my outbox.
The insurer likely won’t do anything with this request, but at least you are now on record, and maybe they will smarten up.
Do you have someone who can attend your calls with you?
Remember you can always stop any conversation that’s going poorly. If you’re getting overwhelmed just state you need to end the conversation and ask that they call you back in a few hours or the next day. Again always follow up EACH AND EVERY verbal with an email with fact based note.
There are also strategies to move thing to email instead of phone calls.
I refused phone calls & requested email only. Every time I got a new claims manager, they’d try to get me to do a phone call but I repeated the same thing over and over. I refused. I want it all documented on paper and I don’t want any surprises. Plus, phone calls in general give me insane anxiety. They all eventually accommodated and agreed to communicate via email. The good thing with this also is that when I request a copy of my file, I literally have every single thing documented already.
I would make that request. PTSD more than justifies email only communications.
The only time I did agree to a phone call was very early on, after my claim had been denied. I did exactly the same thing that was suggested above and wrote a very detailed summary.
I’d initially agreed to the call because the manager had said she’d provide a summery but her version was very light on details so I just wrote a real one myself. But I was done with phone calls after that.
They were trying to avoid saying certain things on paper and figured it would slide in phone call but I knew exactly what information I was looking for so I put it on paper for them after the call.
It was actually the little nugget I worked with to eventually win my case. And I was told she was given coaching as a result of my complaint. Sunlife agreed she had been in the wrong.
If you find you get stuck, don’t forget about the ombudsman. That’s how I got everything resolved in my case. An approval and an apology.
I also refused all phone calls and they tried and insisted it was mandatory, but I got a doctor’s note saying that I was unable to speak on the phone due to my anxiety. So if you want, you can just do that.
