The Third Circuit Court of Appeals recently rendered a very difficult decision in favor of Hartford Insurance Company dealing with the interpretation of pre-existing condition clauses in long-term disability income policies. The three judge panel ruled 2-1 in favor of upholding Hartford’s denial of disability benefits. The law in each state is different for pre-existing conditions, therefore a disability claimant should consult with a disability insurance attorney prior to filing a claim for benefits.
In the case we are going to consider here, Jay Doroshow v. Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company, two judges found Hartford had been neither capricious nor arbitrary when the insurance company denied Doroshow’s claim for long-term unemployment. The third judge disagreed, arguing in his dissent that Doroshow had not received treatment for the condition that precipitated his claim with Hartford. We will have to look at the backdrop against which this case developed.