This blog and informational section of our website is meant to provide you with answers to commonly asked questions as well as our special announcements and other updates.
It seems like just about everyone these days is talking about conflicts of interest. The dems say the repubs are conflicted. The repubs say the dems are conflicted. Chaucer says everyone’s conflicted (“doctors & druggists wash each other’s hands”). A Canterbury Tales reference? Super hip, …
Here’s a non-exhaustive list of things that aren’t fair: When a coworker/friend/random stranger spoils the latest episode of your favorite TV show (Game of Thrones, anyone?). When your spouse eats your leftovers. When your Amazon Prime package doesn’t arrive within the previously promised two-day timeframe. …
What Is ERISA? The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, commonly known by its acronym ERISA, is a federal law that applies to most private employers. ERISA protects plan participants and their beneficiaries by setting minimum standards for retirement, health, disability, and other welfare …
You’ve worked hard all your life. Never in a million years did you think that you would be unable to continue working or support yourself. But you plan for the unexpected, so you obtained long-term disability (LTD) insurance, perhaps through your employer or maybe you …
We see it all the time: We think we have good health insurance, but then, right when we need it the most, the insurance company denies coverage for a needed medical procedure. Often, insurance coverage is denied for emerging treatment protocols that are recommended by …
In the final installment of our three-part series on ERISA’s new disability claim-processing procedures, we will wrap up our discussion by providing a run-down of the remaining changes to the regulations. Independence and impartiality. The Final Rule provides that disability plans “must ensure that all …
In the second installment of our three-part series on ERISA’s new disability claim-processing procedures, we will focus on what we believe are the five most significant changes to the regulations. Plans must explain disagreement with claimants’ treating physicians and vocational consultants. As part of expanding …
In the first installment of our three-part series on ERISA’s new disability claim-processing procedures, we will focus on the background leading up to the implementation of the new regulations. Not all days are created equal. Some just seem to soak up more glory than others. …
Essex Richards is excited to announce the launch of our ERISA blog. The blog, written by attorneys Norris Adams, Woody Connette, and Caitlin Walton will cover issues that arise in the different kinds of cases that fall under ERISA: long-term disability, medical claims and health …
Welcome to the first blog post from the ERISA attorneys at Essex Richards. We’re new to this blogging thing. That will probably be obvious. But hopefully it will also be obvious that we’re not new to ERISA. It’s kind of our thing. Our goal is …
By Heather Culp I have helped hundreds of people obtain bankruptcy discharges in my 20 years as an attorney. Here are the answers to the ten most commonly asked questions during my initial bankruptcy consultations: Does my spouse have to file for bankruptcy, too? NO. …
Originally Published by The Charlotte Business Journal on January 27, 2017. By Heather Culp The survival statistics for small businesses are discouraging. The Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy reports that for American small businesses (defined as fewer than 500 employees) that started anytime from 1994 …