What Is Manulife’s role in my claim?

Manulife is the Claims Administrator chosen by the Nova Scotia Public Service LTD Plan Trustees to administer the policy. It is Manulife that will receive your application for Long Term Disability Benefits, assess your claim, advise whether or not your claim has been approved.

Why did the Plan delegate its job to Manulife?

Many companies turn to large insurance companies to provide the administration of their policies. The Administrative Services Only work for Long Term Disability Plans is a competitive market in Canada. Many insurance companies offer services to companies with their own plans. The value to the company (or Trustees in this case) is that they don’t have to hire, train, and pay a large staff to assess and manage disability claims.

They are able to lean on the Insurance company and their existing staff and systems. Delegation saves time and money.

The downside of this arrangement is that your claim is also subject to the bad policies and practices that come along with large insurance companies. Slow response times, an impersonal experience, and inflexible policies are pain points often expressed by our clients. A lawyer can often help to work though the bureaucracy of the insurance company because we have been through the same system many times before.

Can I avoid dealing with Manulife?

No. The Trustees have chosen to work Manulife for the administration of claims. Unless the Trustees chose to move the process in house or work with another insurance company, you can expect an ongoing relationship with
Manulife as long as you are being paid benefits.

The only time when Manulife will not decide whether you are entitled to benefits is after you have exhausted two appeals. It is only at the Final Appeal stage that Manulife is forced to explain their decision rationale to an independent decision maker. The final appeal stage is also your last opportunity to demonstrate your entitlement to benefits.

Need help with your disability claim?

Be sure to contact us right away for a free case review. Ideally, we are providing you with our opinion before the second appeal to Manulife. If this appeal has already happened in your case, please be sure to let us know right away. Time limits apply to your claim and timely notice to complete the final appeal must be made. Jeff Mitchell is an experienced Long Term Disability Benefits Lawyer who has successfully advanced his client’s interests before the Nova Scotia Public Service Trust Fund. To book your free consultation, call toll-free: 1-855-670-1345 or 902-702-3452. Prefer to email?  Email Jeff at jeff@novainjurylaw.com.