Roberts Disability Law, P.C.

Roberts Disability Law, P.C. At Roberts Disability Law, P.C., we’re passionate about fighting for the underdog.

ERISA disability insurance cases can be frustrating for all involved, so we’re dedicated to providing top-tier legal services for our clients.

Why "Proof" Matters in a Disability ClaimIf you're on long-term disability, your insurer can ask you to keep proving you...
09/07/2026

Why "Proof" Matters in a Disability Claim

If you're on long-term disability, your insurer can ask you to keep proving you qualify — and that often includes financial documents, not just medical records.

A federal appeals court recently upheld an insurer's decision to cut off benefits after a claimant didn't respond to repeated requests for tax and income paperwork. His disability wasn't in question. The problem was the missing documents.

The takeaway: when your insurer asks for information, respond — even if you disagree with the request. Staying silent can cost you your benefits.

At Roberts Disability Law, we help people navigate exactly these situations before a small paperwork problem becomes a denial.

Read more: https://robertsdisability.com/eleventh-circuit-holds-aetna-did-not-act-arbitrarily-and-capriciously-in-terminating-disability-benefits-after-claimant-failed-to-provide-proof-of-income-over-seven-requests/

Why an Undisputed Diagnosis May Still Not Win Your Disability ClaimHere's something surprising about disability claims: ...
09/07/2026

Why an Undisputed Diagnosis May Still Not Win Your Disability Claim

Here's something surprising about disability claims: even when no one disputes your medical condition, you can still be denied.

In a recent California case, a claimant with tinnitus, hearing loss, and depression was denied long-term disability benefits, even though the insurer never questioned his diagnoses. The problem? The medical records didn't show how those conditions actually limited his ability to do his job.

The lesson: make sure your doctors document specific work-related limitations, not just your diagnosis. That detail can make or break a claim.

At Roberts Disability Law, we help claimants build records that show what really matters. If your ERISA disability claim was denied, we're here to help.

https://robertsdisability.com/california-court-denies-erisa-disability-benefits-despite-undisputed-tinnitus-and-depression-diagnoses/

Denied Long-Term Disability? A Court Just Reminded Insurers They Have to Read the Whole File.When an insurance company s...
09/07/2026

Denied Long-Term Disability? A Court Just Reminded Insurers They Have to Read the Whole File.

When an insurance company stops your long-term disability benefits, it's supposed to look at all of your medical evidence, not just the parts that help its case. In a recent Utah case, a federal court found that the insurer overlooked records about the claimant's mental health condition when it terminated his benefits, and sent the decision back for a proper review.

If your disability benefits were denied or cut off, the details of your file matter. At Roberts Disability Law, P.C., we help people across the country fight ERISA disability denials.

Read more: https://robertsdisability.com/erisa-long-term-disability-denial-reversed-utah-court-remands-equitables-termination-for-ignoring-evidence-of-claimants-mental-condition/

Why Your Life Insurance Beneficiary Form Matters More Than You ThinkA recent Alabama federal court decision is a powerfu...
09/04/2026

Why Your Life Insurance Beneficiary Form Matters More Than You Think

A recent Alabama federal court decision is a powerful reminder: when it comes to life insurance through your job, the paperwork controls.

A man tried to change the beneficiary on his work life insurance policy with a phone call. When he passed away, the court ruled the phone call wasn't enough. His plan required the change in writing, on a signed form. Because he never filed one, the woman he named by phone couldn't collect, and the benefits went to his children from an earlier marriage instead.

These employer-provided plans are governed by a federal law called ERISA, and courts tend to follow the plan's written rules very strictly. If you have life insurance or a retirement plan through work, it's worth checking that your beneficiary designations are current and properly on file.

At Roberts Disability Law, P.C., we help people understand how ERISA plans work and what their rights are.

Read more: https://robertsdisability.com/when-an-erisa-beneficiary-change-by-phone-call-fails-n-d-alabama-enforces-the-plans-written-designation-requirement-and-voids-a-bigamous-marriage/

Where You File an ERISA Case MattersTwo federal courts recently moved ERISA cases out of the state where they were filed...
09/04/2026

Where You File an ERISA Case Matters

Two federal courts recently moved ERISA cases out of the state where they were filed, before ever reaching the merits.

One involved a 401(k) plan; the other, a denied short-term disability claim. In both, the plaintiff had filed in a state where the company did business, but the court sent each case elsewhere, closer to where the plan was actually run.

The lesson: ERISA has special rules about where you can sue, and getting them right at the start matters.

If your group disability benefits were denied and you're not sure where things stand, Roberts Disability Law, P.C. helps claimants navigate ERISA from the very first step.

Read more: https://robertsdisability.com/when-erisas-venue-rules-send-your-case-somewhere-else-two-district-courts-transfer-erisa-claims-away-from-the-plaintiffs-chosen-forum/

When Doing Everything Right Still Gets You DeniedA worker with cancer was in the hospital when she made her benefit choi...
09/03/2026

When Doing Everything Right Still Gets You Denied

A worker with cancer was in the hospital when she made her benefit choices and named her sister to receive them. She died three days later. The plan said she hadn't finished the process and denied the claim, even though the missing step was never spelled out for her.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled she may have done enough. When someone does everything they reasonably can to secure their benefits, an ERISA plan can't take those benefits away on a technicality. The case now goes back to the lower court.

If you've been denied disability, life insurance, or other benefits under an employer plan, the attorneys at Roberts Disability Law, P.C. can help you understand your rights.

Read more: https://robertsdisability.com/ninth-circuit-holds-substantial-compliance-doctrine-applies-to-erisa-benefit-elections-not-just-beneficiary-designations-and-reverses-dismissal-of-dying-participants-pension-claim/

09/02/2026

You won your disability appeal. Now what?

At Roberts Disability Law, we’re proud to have achieved a 70% success rate on disability appeals. But winning an appeal is only part of the story.

A successful appeal puts your claim back on pay status—it doesn’t guarantee it will stay there.

Insurance companies continue to monitor claims even after benefits are reinstated. They may request updated medical records, require additional proof of disability, conduct new medical or vocational reviews, and reassess whether a claimant continues to meet the policy’s definition of disability. And in many policies, that definition eventually changes from “own occupation” to the more difficult “any occupation” standard.

That’s why continued legal representation after an appeal victory can be so valuable.

In this clip from the Income Protection Journal Podcast, Roberts Disability Law founder Michelle Roberts discusses why the firm’s relationship with a client often doesn’t end when an appeal is won—and how continued representation can help clients navigate ongoing claim reviews and protect their benefits.

Winning the appeal matters. Staying on claim matters too.

Thank you to Income Protection Journal Podcast for the opportunity to highlight this important—and often overlooked—part of long-term disability representation.

LTD DisabilityBenefits ERISAAttorney RobertsDisabilityLaw

09/02/2026

A denied disability claim is not the end of the process, it is the start of an appeal. From Michelle Roberts’ conversation with Jamie Fleischner on the Income Protection Journal Podcast, listen via link in bio. Income Protection Journal

09/02/2026

Long COVID and other invisible disabilities like brain fog and fluctuating symptoms can be some of the hardest conditions to document for a disability claim. From Michelle Roberts’ conversation with Jamie Fleischner on the Income Protection Journal Podcast, listen via link in bio. Income Protection Journal

Disabled and can't work? Your employer-provided life insurance may not be gone. Many group plans waive premiums once you...
09/02/2026

Disabled and can't work? Your employer-provided life insurance may not be gone. Many group plans waive premiums once you meet the plan's disability definition, so coverage continues while you're unable to work.

What does this mean:

Your life insurance doesn’t have to end when your job does.

If you get too sick to work, you can usually keep it. And stop paying for it.

Most people never find out. They figure it disappeared with the paycheck.

Founder of Roberts Disability Law, Michelle Roberts, talked it through with Jamie Fleischner on the Income Protection Journal Podcast.

🔗 to the podcast: https://setforlifeinsurance.com/group-disability-coverage-vs-individual-disability-coverage/

Address

66 Franklin Street, Suite 300
Oakland, CA
94607

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Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

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+15102302090

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