At Riemer & Associates, we help clients throughout the application process.

Completing Application Forms
Most long term applications include three forms: a claimant statement; a physician statement; and an employer's statement.  These forms are complicated and full of potential landmines.  An ill considered answer by you, your doctor or your employer could sabotage your efforts to obtain benefits.  Do not let this happen!

We sit down with you and help you complete the strongest application possible.  The forms often give you a small box to fit your answer.  This is a trap. Your application must be comprehensive.  You should attach riders to your application so that the application questions could be answered in full. We assist you in drafting these riders.

We contact your doctor. What your doctor says is the most important part of your application. Doctors are experts in treating you.  They are not experts in completing forms.  Believing that they are helping you, they often give answers that the insurance companies will use against you.  We do not put words into your doctor's mouth, but we assist your doctor in presenting all necessary information.

We help you negotiate with your employer's human resources department if the employer does not complete their form in the best manner possible.  Sometimes the employer improperly describes the duties of your job, or states the wrong reason for your termination.  An early effort should be made to correct these errors.

Our clients often come to us while they are still working.  In addition to providing help with their application forms, we assist these clients with designing an exit strategy from work.  Insurers are going to want to know why you could work yesterday, but not today.  This must be explained. We will help.  A strategy must also be formulated to coordinate when you leave work, what you tell your employer and what you tell the insurance company.  We will assist you in providing this information.

After the initial application is submitted, insurers often seek additional information from you. We assist you every step of the way.

Additional Medical Records
Often insurers will request additional medical records.  We gather these records for you, organize them and submit them to the insurance company.

Insurer Interviews
Often insurers ask that you be interviewed over the telephone or in person.  We work closely with you to prepare you for these interviews.  Hundreds of our clients have had these interviews.  We therefore know what they are probably going to ask you.  We help you prepare for their anticipated questions.

Physical Examinations and FCEs
Often the insurers will ask that you submit either to an Independent Medical Examination (IME) or to a Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE).  An FCE is usually a 2-4 hour evaluation conducted by a physical therapist. You will be asked to do certain physical tasks (lift, walk, bend, etc.).  The therapist will then attempt to extrapolate from how you did to determine whether you have the physical capacity to do your job.  We sit down with you to help you prepare.  We help you negotiate with the insurer to help assure that these examinations and evaluations are reasonable and convenient to you.  We can also arrange for a nurse to be present at the examination or evaluation to record what happens and to keep the insurer honest.

To arrange for assistance with your application forms, contact us online.

To learn about some of our application phase successes, click here.