Standard Insurance Company

Your
communication concerning *** *** claim for Long Term Disability (LTD)
Benefits with Standard Insurance Company (The Standard) has been forwarded to
me for responseIn his correspondence to you, *** *** expressed his concerns
about the total duration of benefits paid to him during the
own occupation
periodHis
policy states the following:Own Occupation Period: The first months for which LTD
Benefits are paid.TEMPORARY RECOVERYYou may temporarily
recover from your Disability and then become Disabled again from the same cause
or causes without having to serve a new Benefit Waiting PeriodTemporary Recovery
means you cease to be Disabled for no longer than the applicable Allowable Period
See Definition
Of Disability.AAllowable PeriodsDuring the Benefit Waiting Period: a total of days of
recovery.During the Maximum Benefit Period: days for each period
of recovery.BEffect Of Temporary
RecoveryIf your Temporary
Recovery does not exceed the Allowable Periods, the following will apply.The Predisability Earnings used to determine your LTD
Benefit will not change.The period of Temporary Recovery will not count toward your
Benefit Waiting Period, your Maximum Benefit Period or your Own Occupation
PeriodNo LTD Benefits will be payable for the period of Temporary
Recovery.No LTD Benefits will be payable after benefits become
payable to you under any other disability insurance plan under which you
become insured during your period of Temporary Recovery.Except as stated above, the provisions of the Group Policy
will be applied as if there had been no interruption of your Disability.*** *** was accurate is that their temporary recovery as defined by the contract
should not have counted towards his Own Occupation PeriodAs reflected in his
correspondence, he returned to work full time from March 1, through May
25, (this information was also confirmed with his employer)No benefits
were paid during this period of time which equates to a total of days*** *** last day of his Own Occupation Period was September 14, Since his
period of temporary recovery (days) should not have counted towards this,
this date has now been extended through December 9, which reflects an
additional days from the original September 14, dateI
believe I have provided the information necessary to address *** *** concerns and am closing this complaintYou may contact me directly with any
additional questions or concerns you have.Sincerely,Giovani A***Giovanni A***Manager, Disability
Benefits*** *** *** ***Giovanni.A***@standard.comPlease see attached

When The Standard first received notice of this individual’s complaint on January 23, 2017, it immediately conducted a thorough investigationThis investigation revealed that, at all times, The Standard acted appropriately in administering the terms of the relevant retirement planThis included
sending timely and accurate correspondence to the complainant dated July 30, 2016, describing the actions taken and confirming the intact status of his accountUnfortunately, but without fault on the part of The Standard, it appears that there was a misunderstanding about the status of the relevant accountTo resolve this misunderstanding, The Standard has now contacted the complainant, provided him a copy of the prior correspondence, and furnished him information sufficient to enable him to verify his account status and balanceIt is The Standard’s sincere desire to provide excellent customer serviceWe genuinely regret this misunderstanding, and especially that it persisted for several months without The Standard’s awareness or knowledgeOnce we learned of the complaint, we took immediate and thorough action, which we trust has completely resolved the underlying complaint

To Whom It May Concern,When Ms*** filed her claim with The Standard, we approved her claim for a limited periodof time based upon guidelines generally accepted for her diagnosisAt the time of approval, weinformed her we would need additional medical information in order to extend her claim,
as theinformation on file only supported disability for a limited period of time
The nature of the condition reported by Ms***'s doctor is such that having a historicalrecord of the progression of her condition is essential to making an accurate claims decision.This is why we ordered several months-worth of records
We declined extension of her claim, not because she had no diagnosis, but because, after havingthe information reviewed by a medical professional, we did not find her medical recordsdemonstrated she was unable to workWe have requested additional medical records, and weprovided instructions for appealing our decision in a letter to Ms*** sent December 20,Additionally, according to our records, another manager explained the appeal process in aconversation with her on December
Finally, on December 14, 2016, Ms*** called The Standard and discussed her claim withher examinerTowards the end of the conversation, Ms*** began raising her voice and usingprofanity, and her examiner concluded the conversation was no longer productiveAs a result, heterminated the phone callWhile we would like to be able to discuss claim decisions by phonewith all of our customers, Standard employees are allowed to end phone conversations if they areno longer productive
I appreciate the opportunity to respond to Ms***'s complaintIf you feel I have failed toaddress any of her concerns, please feel free to contact me directly
Sincerely,Rob C***Disability Benefits Manager

We are writing in response to the inquiry regarding the
Short Term Disability (STD) for Mr*** ***. During the management of this Short Term Disability (STD)
claim it was discovered that Federal Income Taxes had not been withheld from
(STD) benefits for a period of timeOnce the
error was identified, FIT
was withheld from the STD benefits that remained payable for the duration of
the claim All STD checks are mailed with an attached explanation of
benefits that notes any deductions, such as Social Security, Medicare, and
Federal Income Tax, withheld from issued benefitsWe will deduct a percentage
of issued benefits, or an amount as directed by a W-4, for FIT, however it is
the responsibility of the insured to address any taxes owed on STD benefits
paid.There have been a number of phone calls with the customer
during the course of this claim, and we have responded to return calls
requested on October 19, 2016, with return call same day, October 24, 2016,
with a return call on October 25, 2016, November 21, 2016, with a return call
same day, and another call on March 6, 2017, and March 7, with a return
call on March 8, We do acknowledge and apologize for any inconvenience to our
customer and we are working with him to resolve this situation

Revdex.com:I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me
I was contacted by Standard Insurance Company and they waived the fee in dispute. I consider this satisfactorily
resolved.Sincerely, *** ***

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: I exoect more than I am looking at the situationSorry that response is not acceptableI would like to see action taken to resolve situation of treating ne and others as bad people, bullied and intimidated before we even apply for assistance
Not acceptable now or in the future
Sincerely,
*** ***

Revdex.com:Please be advised at this time that the company has met our needs for information and sent us the documentsPlease consider this case complaint closed as of this reply to the Revdex.com. As always the Revdex.com has again supported our requests in a very timely manner and we sincerely appreciate your concern for the public and customers who have sincere complaints. Sincerely,*** ***

Dear Ms*** : We are writing in response to the complaint filed by *** * *** *** *** regarding her Short Term Disability (STD) claim with Standard Insurance Company (The Standard)*** *** ** claim was assigned for review on July 17, immediately after receipt of her employer's information on July 16, After our initial review which included following up with her care provider on *** *** cease work date, her claim was approved on July 23, Based on the information in the file, *** *** ** claim was paid through June 23, We spoke with her on July 23, and explained the status of her claim and information that was needed to extend her claim beyond the curent paid through dateMs*** noted that she would get the informationThat same day, we sent her two letters explaining the current approval date of June 23, and provided medical forms for her use in obtaining additional informationOn July 30,we received a fax from *** *** *It was a duplicate of the June 28,attendingphysician 's statement with notes dated July 29,On July 31,we sent a medical records request with a signed authorization to obtain information form to her care provider requesting medical recordsOn August 3, we contacted *** *** ** care provider to con firm that they received the requestWe were provided another fax number and told this was the best number for requesting recordsWe re-faxed the request for medical records that same dayOn August 3, we received an appointment verification notice from the Employee Assistance Center as well as pictures of blisters on *** *** ** fingersOn August 4, we sent Ms*** a letter updating h:er on the status of her claimOn August 4, we received a completed physician 's statement dated August 3, A Medical Consultant reviewed the medical information in the fileThe Medical Consultant indicated that the information in the file was not sufficient to support impairmentThe Medical Consultant attempted to contact *** *** care provider to obtain updated medical information; however, she was transferred to the medical records departmentWe have had numerous conversations with Ms*** explaining the status of her claimI have also left three messages for herShe returned my call after business hours yesterday and I called her back this morning and left another message for herDuring a telephone conversation on August 5, 2015, Carla explained the current status of her claim and the information that was needed and requestedMs*** noted that she would contact her doctor's office and have them send the information to us as soon as possibleWe have also followed up with Ms*** care provider on several occasionsYesterday, I spoke with the medical records department and asked to expedite the requestThey explained it was a first come, first serve basisIn her complaint, Ms*** stated that Carla said her medical statement is fraudCarla did not state that the medical statement was fraudDue to the fact that the same doctor's statement came directly from MsHill, we were unable to verify if her care provider completed the statementWe explained that we would send a request to her doctor for updated medical informationAt this time, we are waiting on a response from *** *** care provider to send us her medical recordsAgain, we have followed up with her care provider on multiple occasionsAs soon as her medical records are received, we will immediately review the informationBarring further communication from your office, we will assume we have adequately addressed this complaint and will consider the complaint as closedIf you have any additional questions regarding the administration of this claim, please contact me at the number indicated below

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:As much as The Standard has said it is my fault, they have yet to acknowledge that it is specifically states on THEIR application that they will withhold 28% of the benefits earned (by law) unless a W-is sent inSo why if they lost, misplaced, or just didn't see the W-I sent in was 28% not withheld? I can't get an answer from themFurthermore, The Standard stated that they provide an EOB...they simply provide a check, and the stub states what the benefit amount isHaving never been on short term disability, how am I to know what is and is not supposed to be on itIt wasn't until after my HR department notified them, when they received a statement from them (over a month late) did they make the adjustment, never notified me, and then did I see that the stub they provide said that they were taking out taxesHad the stub said something like Federal income tax withholding $then I would have been informed no taxes were being taken out. If you would like I can scan and send the "EOB" provided to me by The Standard as proof of the differencesTheir great solution to the issue and resources they provided me...gave me a link to the IRS website to make a payment planJust awesome customer service (insert sarcasm)What I'm understanding from them is that they screwed up, and then that's itSorry you owe $5,our badThey have offered no solutions to this and really don't seem to careOur Union is currently working to get rid of this horrible company and are ensuring all of the issues we have had with them will be disseminated
Sincerely,
*** ***

Complaint: ***I am rejecting this response because:
As of this date the issue remains unresolvedThe Standard still has not provided any response to the review request mentioned in their prior response and continues to just tell me that the person handling my review is out of the office on vacationI have provided them with all of the documentation they have requested to review my claim and they also refuse to provide me with details regarding any additional documentation needed (specific additional support needed) if any to support the claim / resolve their medically inappropriate denial of my claimWithin the attached letter sent to them further evidence to support this is includedThere has been no resolution to this issue at the current time.
Sincerely,*** ***

Complaint: ***Sincerely,*** ***
Thank you for your help in this matter as we haven't received a resolution to this complaint only that they are looking into it I feel it is premature to close. thank you

Mr*** received a letter in early August regarding action to be taken on his retirement plan accountWhen he went online to our customer account access site, he was unable to access his account to take the action he intendedAlthough we are not aware of any system failures that would have
prevented his access during the timeframe in question, we have resolved Mr***’s concern and agreed to waive related feesWe believe this matter to be concluded to our customer’s satisfaction

We are in receipt of your correspondence regarding the above captionedcomplaintThe inquiry has been sent to our Employee Benefits Division disabilitymanager, who is now reviewing it and will respond.I appreciate your calling this matter to our attentionPlease feel free to contact me ifyou need
anything further.Sincerely,Justin D*** -Vice President, External Affairs & Associate CounselStandard Insurance Company*** ***JD/jsStandard Insurance

Standard Retirement Services (The Standard) is a third-party recordkeeper for a retirement plan that is sponsored by *** ***’s employer. As a third-party recordkeeper, we provide certain services for the plan sponsor, one such service is reviewing and determining hardship
requests. Under the contract we have with the plan sponsor, we are only allowed to approve hardships for a specific set of circumstances, of which *** ***s request did not fall under and was subsequently denied. Although The Standard is only able to approve a hardship for a limited number of situations, the plan sponsor has the final determination for any hardship request and they can approve a hardship for reasons outside of the specified reasons The Standard can approve for. In situations such as this, where The Standard is unable to approve a request, we notify the plan sponsor of such and allow the sponsor to make any additional determination as they deem fit. This request has been forwarded to the plan sponsor to determine if they would like to review and approve

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me
Sincerely,
*** ***

We are in receipt of your correspondence regarding the above captioned complaint.  The inquiry has been sent to our Employee Benefits Division disability manager, who is now reviewing it and will respond. I appreciate your calling this matter to our attention.  Please feel free to...

contact me if you need anything further.Sincerely,Justin D[redacted]Vice President, External Affairs & Associate Counsel Standard Insurance Company [redacted]JD/js

[redacted]SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS REDACTED BY Revdex.com[redacted]

Your
communication concerning [redacted] claim for Long Term Disability (LTD)
Benefits with Standard Insurance Company (The Standard) has been forwarded to
me for response. In his correspondence to you, [redacted] expressed his concerns
about the total duration of benefits paid to him during the own occupation
period. His
policy states the following:Own Occupation Period: The first 24 months for which LTD
Benefits are paid.TEMPORARY RECOVERYYou may temporarily
recover from your Disability and then become Disabled again from the same cause
or causes without having to serve a new Benefit Waiting Period. Temporary Recovery
means you cease to be Disabled for no longer than the applicable Allowable Period.
See Definition
Of Disability.A. Allowable PeriodsDuring the Benefit Waiting Period: a total of 90 days of
recovery.During the Maximum Benefit Period: 180 days for each period
of recovery.B. Effect Of Temporary
RecoveryIf your Temporary
Recovery does not exceed the Allowable Periods, the following will apply.The Predisability Earnings used to determine your LTD
Benefit will not change.The period of Temporary Recovery will not count toward your
Benefit Waiting Period, your Maximum Benefit Period or your Own Occupation
Period. No LTD Benefits will be payable for the period of Temporary
Recovery.No LTD Benefits will be payable after benefits become
payable to you under any other disability insurance plan under which you
become insured during your period of Temporary Recovery.Except as stated above, the provisions of the Group Policy
will be applied as if there had been no interruption of your Disability.[redacted] was accurate is that their temporary recovery as defined by the contract
should not have counted towards his Own Occupation Period. As reflected in his
correspondence, he returned to work full time from March 1, 2016 through May
25, 2016 (this information was also confirmed with his employer). No benefits
were paid during this period of time which equates to a total of 86 days. [redacted] last day of his Own Occupation Period was September 14, 2017. Since his
period of temporary recovery (86 days) should not have counted towards this,
this date has now been extended through December 9, 2017 which reflects an
additional 86 days from the original September 14, 2017 date. I
believe I have provided the information necessary to address [redacted] concerns and am closing this complaint. You may contact me directly with any
additional questions or concerns you have.Sincerely,Giovani A[redacted]Giovanni A[redacted]Manager, Disability
Benefits[redacted]Giovanni.A[redacted]@standard.comPlease see attached.

Thank you for forwarding Ms. [redacted]’s continued concerns.   We understand Ms. [redacted]’s concerns. It is never our intent to intimidate anybody. However, we are required to remind claimants of their obligation to provide information truthfully.   At this time, Ms. [redacted]’s claim has been paid and approved, and I do not see evidence that anything was done to intimidate her. As such, I will consider this matter resolved

Dear Ms. [redacted],
 
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to [redacted] complaint about her experience with Standard Insurance Company (The Standard).
 
Ms. [redacted] expressed her belief that The Standard will not pay Short Term Disability (STD) insurance benefits that she has paid...

for. She alleges she enrolled for benefits that would begin 7 days after the date she became Disabled, but that we have instead chosen to apply a 30-day waiting period for these benefits. She also believes she was not adequately informed that this could happen.
 
Ms. [redacted] participates in STD insurance through her employer. Her employer, as the Policyholder, has elected a plan that states employees may apply for the 7-day waiting period plan. However, if they enroll for that plan more than 1 month after their first day of work, any claim filed would be subject to a 30-day waiting period until the employee was insured for more than 1 year.
 
Ms. [redacted] enrolled in the 7-day waiting period plan in October, 2015. At the time she enrolled, she had been an employee of her employer for several years. Ms. [redacted] filed her claim with us in March, 2016. Because she enrolled later than 1 month following her date of hire, and because she had been insured for less than 1 year, her claim was subject to the 30-day waiting period and not the 7-day waiting period.
 
Ms. [redacted] enrolled for coverage through a vendor contracted by her employer. This vendor is not affiliated with The Standard, so we are unable to comment upon whether they provided her with information about the 30-day waiting period. However, information about the STD Group Policy, and all provisions of the Policy, are kept available to Ms. [redacted], and all her co-workers, through her employer. The Standard notified Ms. [redacted] of the 30-day waiting period within 2 days of receiving all of her claim information.
 
While I appreciate Ms. [redacted] concerns, I believe The Standard processed Ms. [redacted] claim according to her employer’s Group Policy. Furthermore, The Standard promptly notified Ms. [redacted] of the longer waiting period once we had all of her claim information.
 
Once again, thank you for giving me the chance to respond to Ms. [redacted] complaint. If you believe I have failed to address any of her concerns, please feel free to contact me.
 
Sincerely,
 
Rob C[redacted] | Manager, Disability BenefitsStandard Insurance Company19335 NW Tanasbourne Drive | Hillsboro, OR 97124Phone 800.628.8600 ext. 7202 | 971.321.7202 | Fax 800.378.6053[redacted]@standard.com | www.standard.com