MetLife denied my short-term disability claim 4 weeks after a two-level lumbar fusion, claiming i had "sedentary work capacity" while i could not sit for 20 minutes. Forced payment of the full 26-week benefit ($31,200) using the ERISA administrative appeal framework: the complete claim file request, a treating surgeon rebuttal letter, a functional capacity evaluation, and a vocational analysis. the complete 8-month playbook.
writing this up because when MetLife cut off my short-term disability benefits a month after spinal fusion surgery, i genuinely believed a phone call would fix it. it was so obviously wrong that i...