Study of Comorbidities with Multiple Sclerosis: When You Have Other Medical Issues in Addition to MS

The MS Society has an article reporting on a study of what other medical conditions are commonly associated with MS, called a "comorbid condition" or "comorbidities."  The study identified many areas where more research is needed, but its preliminary findings were that the five most prevalent disorders occurring alongside MS were depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and chronic lung disease.

Comorbidities can cause issues with applying for long-term disability benefits or in an appeal of an LTD denial.  With all claimants suffering from multiple conditions, insurance companies tend to look at each condition in isolation: they will get a report from a psychiatrist that the depression and anxiety is not disabling, a report from a neurologist that the cognitive issues are not disabling, and a report from a neurosurgeon that spinal stenosis is not disabling.  The insurer will then conclude that the claimant is not disabled, without ever considering the combined effect of the different conditions.  Some of the multi-state settlements with insurers regarding unjustified denials of long-term disability have required that the insurers consider the effect of comorbidities together.  

Comorbid physicial and psychological conditions also create a problem if the plan has a limited period to pay disabilities resulting from psychological or nervous conditions.  If there is such a limitation, the insurer may argue that the disability is really the result of the depression and not the associated MS, and discontinue benefits after 24 months.  As shown by the Connecticut LTD case of Kruk v. Metro. Life Ins. Co., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 35637, 12 (D. Conn. Mar. 13, 2013), involving lupus and depression, the insurer may be able to deny benefits on this basis.  

If you are depending on a combination of conditions to establish disability, or you need to show that you are disabled disregarding a psychiatric condition, you situation is complicated enough that you probably want to have a long-term disability lawyer to represent in the initial appeal of benefits, and certainly in any appeal.