Roberts Disability Law, P.C.

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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.

Your Job Matters When a Disability Claim Is DeniedA scientist was denied long-term disability benefits after her insuran...
10/25/2026

Your Job Matters When a Disability Claim Is Denied

A scientist was denied long-term disability benefits after her insurance company’s doctors reviewed her file without ever meeting her, and without considering what her job actually required: hours of intense focus with no room for error. A federal court recently reversed that denial and awarded her benefits.

The lesson for anyone with an ERISA long-term disability claim: the question isn’t whether you can do just any job. It’s whether you can do your job. If your claim was denied, an experienced ERISA disability attorney can help you understand your options.

Read more: https://robertsdisability.com/the-job-matters-california-court-awards-erisa-long-term-disability-benefits-after-metlifes-paper-reviewers-ignored-a-scientists-cognitive-demands/?gf_page_15=1

Approved for Social Security? Your disability insurer may want money back.Many long-term disability policies let you rec...
10/25/2026

Approved for Social Security? Your disability insurer may want money back.

Many long-term disability policies let you receive your full monthly benefit while your Social Security claim is pending. The catch: if Social Security later approves you and pays you for past months, that can create an overpayment, and your insurer can take it back by withholding future checks.

A federal court just upheld exactly that under ERISA, the law that governs most workplace disability plans. The claimant had signed an agreement accepting that risk when he started receiving benefits.

The takeaway: read any reimbursement or Social Security agreement before you sign, set the money aside if you take the full benefit, and get advice from an experienced ERISA disability attorney if your checks are suddenly withheld.

Read more: https://robertsdisability.com/when-erisa-lets-your-insurer-withhold-disability-benefits-to-recoup-a-social-security-overpayment-a-new-york-federal-court-upholds-hartfords-offset/?gf_page_15=1

Denied disability claim sent back to the insurance company? Here’s some good news.When a court sends a denied long-term ...
10/25/2026

Denied disability claim sent back to the insurance company? Here’s some good news.

When a court sends a denied long-term disability claim back to the insurer for another review, a new ruling says the insurer may have to turn over the behind-the-scenes communications between its claims staff and its lawyers about how they decided the claim. That kind of transparency can matter a great deal when you’re fighting a denial.

If your disability benefits were denied under an ERISA plan, you don’t have to navigate it alone. An experienced ERISA disability attorney can review your situation and explain your rights.

Read more: https://robertsdisability.com/does-an-erisa-remand-revive-the-fiduciary-exception-federal-court-orders-disability-insurer-to-log-attorney-communications-about-a-remanded-claim/

Roberts Disability Law, P.C. was proud to serve as a Circuit Court Sponsor of the AIDS Legal Referral Panel (ALRP)’s 43r...
10/23/2026

Roberts Disability Law, P.C. was proud to serve as a Circuit Court Sponsor of the AIDS Legal Referral Panel (ALRP)’s 43rd Annual Reception!

It was a wonderful evening celebrating ALRP’s important work, reconnecting with friends and colleagues in the legal community, and supporting an organization that has spent more than four decades advocating for people living with HIV/AIDS.

As a firm dedicated to protecting the rights of people with disabilities, we are honored to support ALRP’s mission of expanding access to justice and essential legal services.

Thank you to ALRP for bringing our community together for such a meaningful evening!

In Disability Claims, Timing Is EverythingIf your long-term disability benefits were cut off, the deadlines in your case...
10/22/2026

In Disability Claims, Timing Is Everything

If your long-term disability benefits were cut off, the deadlines in your case can matter just as much as the medical facts. In a recent Massachusetts case, a claimant waited until the insurance company filed its main court papers before trying to challenge a key witness statement. By then it was too late. The court had given both sides a set window to gather evidence, and the claimant hadn’t used it, so the judge let the insurer’s witness statement stand.

The lesson: act early, and don’t assume you can catch up later. An experienced ERISA disability attorney can protect your rights from day one.

Learn more: https://robertsdisability.com/use-it-or-lose-it-court-wont-strike-guardians-declaration-in-an-erisa-preemption-dispute-after-the-claimant-sat-out-discovery/

Does the Amount Withheld From Your Paycheck Guarantee Your Life Insurance Coverage?Not always. A recent federal court de...
10/18/2026

Does the Amount Withheld From Your Paycheck Guarantee Your Life Insurance Coverage?

Not always. A recent federal court decision is a good reminder that with employer-provided life insurance, the written terms of the plan usually control, even when your paystub and your employer’s mistakes suggest otherwise.

In this case, an employee signed up for the maximum life insurance his employer offered, and premiums came out of his paychecks for that amount. But the plan capped coverage at five times his salary, and he hadn’t completed a required health form, so he was never actually eligible for the full amount. After he passed away, his family learned he’d only been enrolled for a fraction of what he expected. The court ruled that the employer’s errors couldn’t expand coverage beyond what the plan allowed.

If you have group life or disability coverage through work, it’s worth reviewing your plan summary and its coverage limits, and speaking with an experienced ERISA attorney if your claim is denied or paid short.

Read more: https://robertsdisability.com/when-an-employers-premium-withholding-cant-rewrite-the-plan-district-court-denies-erisa-life-insurance-benefits-and-civil-penalties-on-a-default-judgment-motion/

Your Insurer Can’t Ignore the Deadline EitherIf you’ve ever waited and waited for a disability insurer to answer your ap...
10/18/2026

Your Insurer Can’t Ignore the Deadline Either

If you’ve ever waited and waited for a disability insurer to answer your appeal, this one’s for you. A federal court recently ruled that when Hartford missed the 45-day deadline to decide a long-term disability appeal, it lost the benefit of the doubt insurers usually get in court. The judge reviewed the denial from scratch and found it didn’t hold up. The insurer pointed to jobs that would require the claimant to retrain, and ignored the limits its own doctor had written down. The court threw out the denial and sent it back.

If your ERISA disability claim has been denied or stalled, an experienced disability attorney can help you understand your rights.

https://robertsdisability.com/does-a-late-erisa-appeal-decision-cost-the-insurer-deference-court-reviews-hartfords-long-term-disability-denial-de-novo-and-vacates-it/

Signed a Severance? You May Not Have Given Up Your Disability ClaimIf you settled a dispute with your employer and signe...
10/18/2026

Signed a Severance? You May Not Have Given Up Your Disability Claim

If you settled a dispute with your employer and signed a release, you might worry you waived everything, including a pending disability insurance claim. A federal court recently said not so fast. Because the worker’s disability claim had not been finally denied when he signed the release, the release did not cover it. You cannot give up a claim you do not have yet.

If your disability benefits were denied and you have signed paperwork you are unsure about, talk to an experienced ERISA disability attorney before you assume the door is closed.

Read more: https://robertsdisability.com/when-a-severance-release-does-not-reach-your-erisa-claim-c-d-california-holds-a-general-release-cannot-waive-a-disability-claim-that-had-not-yet-accrued/

Denied Disability Benefits? The Insurer’s File May Not Be the Whole StoryA federal court in Minnesota recently ruled tha...
10/14/2026

Denied Disability Benefits? The Insurer’s File May Not Be the Whole Story

A federal court in Minnesota recently ruled that a worker whose long-term disability claim was denied by Unum can investigate how the insurance company actually handled his claim, not just the documents the insurer chose to put in its own file. Because he raised a claim that the insurer breached its legal duties, the court allowed him to seek information beyond that record.

If your ERISA disability claim has been denied, you have rights, and how your claim was handled can matter. The attorneys at Roberts Disability Law focus on ERISA disability claims and can help you understand your options.

https://robertsdisability.com/can-an-erisa-claimant-get-discovery-beyond-the-administrative-record-minnesota-court-permits-extra-record-discovery-on-a-separately-pleaded-breach-of-fiduciary-duty-claim-against-unum/

🎉 Congratulations to Roberts Disability Law founder Michelle L. Roberts on her induction as a Fellow of the American Col...
10/12/2026

🎉 Congratulations to Roberts Disability Law founder Michelle L. Roberts on her induction as a Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel (ACEBC)!

Michelle was honored alongside 10 distinguished attorneys at the College’s 2026 Annual Induction Ceremony and Dinner in San Diego on October 10, 2026.

Fellowship in the ACEBC recognizes attorneys who have demonstrated exceptional professional achievement, expertise, and significant contributions to the field of employee benefits law.

As a dedicated advocate for employees and individuals seeking the benefits they have earned, Michelle has spent her career fighting to protect the rights of ERISA claimants. We are incredibly proud to see her commitment to this important area of law recognized by her peers.

👏 Please join us in congratulating Michelle and her 10 fellow inductees on this well-deserved honor!

Address

66 Franklin Street, Suite 300
Oakland, CA
94607

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Monday 8:30am - 5pm
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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