Great-West Life Disability Insurance Reviews

The case manager of my short term disability stopped my benefits claim by changing my original injury claim of a dislocated shoulder to a strain/sprained shoulder muscle. Then the case manager took what a consulting physician said in a report and twisted it, omitting other medical facts of my file, facts that would keep me in the system. The manager only used those utterances to justify her argument. Basically lied to cut me off. Right now I'm in the second appeal stage, appealing to the very people that are causing me the problems. This is borderline criminal behaviour. And I'm still off work.

I started getting dizzy and sick spells at work, so went to hospital! The first diagnosis was vertigo, so they put me off for 2 weeks until I could see my family physician! His first diagnosis was vertigo and he referred me to ear Dr and sent me for tests and put me off for a month until my next appt! All this being sent to my work and Great-West Life! Dr appts blood tests, ear specialist - ear tests, CT scan etc. Went on for next several months with everything being sent to Great-West Life and they kept making excuses why they couldn't approve my claim! It wasn't until my CT scan came back with a spot showing up that they decided to review my claim which was 12 weeks from the time I started feeling ill! They had 3 Drs' letters telling them I was sick but yet they said they had to send to their in-house Dr who denied the claim! I had to appeal 2 times and finally it went to upper management for review and they approved my short term after 13 weeks! I was so far behind on my bills and my house had gone to mortgage holders' lawyers to foreclose on my house! To total amount owing to save my house because I missed some payments due to Great-West Life giving me the runaround was 8500 dollars and needed to be paid in full! 3200 for mortgage and 5300 thrown out the window for lawyers' fees! Not to mention my credit ruined also! Totally ridiculous. People pay into this insurance company for security just in case something happens that they are unable to work but yet when the person needs help, they do everything they can not to pay! I'm still ill and had an MRI and something has shown up, so need to go back for more head scans yet Great-West Life is saying I have to wait for all the results for them to even consider my claim! It's been another 12 weeks with no money and now bills are slipping again and I had to ask the Dr to write a note saying I can work when I'm still very ill! I can only make it to work for a few hours on some days and have to go home to lay down and some days I can't even function to drive there! I'm not sure how other group insurance companies are but if your employer is using Great-West Life, they should change companies for their employees' sake! I'm wondering how many lawsuits they have had to deal with over the years because as soon as I find out there is something seriously wrong with me, if there is, I will def be going to a lawyer for the hardship they have caused me! I wish there was a zero or - rating for this terrible company because it's def the worst company I've ever dealt with!

I am on short term disability, they treat you like you are nothing they ask to complete a lot of paperworks and then ask for the doctor details... Always by post office!!! Wake up faxes and email exist!!! Weeks and months have passed and still awaiting to be paid. They rejected doctor notes saying to be incomplete. Then they said their specialist rejected the doctor diagnostic... How can you do that without seeying a patients. They just want you to discourage and to let go. Not a chance, when I am going to be better, I am going to bring them to justice and I am going to make sure it goes in the newspaper.

After paying decades of contribution to GWL, I was short term disabled. They requested documents from the doctor, then they needed signed documents from the doctor, then they needed the notes of the doctor. I waited for the payment to be told that I was not more than 60% disabled! On what ground?!
They just don't want to pay...
I have a good doctor and my condition is real. I am going to bring them to justice these thieves and make an example out of them...

Paid my dues for over 7 years for employee benefits. There rep came to our company and assured us and I quote "Don't worry, if anything happens we'll take care of you! No problems."

Over this 7 year period they recieved over 16, 800.00 dollars on my behalf.

In 2016 I was in a bad car accident and ended up with severe post concussion syndrome. They did everything they could to deny me and left me in the dust.

So I lost my 26 dollar an hour job because of my condition and couldn't drive a truck anymore. Now I survive on a meager provincial disability stipend as I can't work yet.

Don't do business with these people, they are your typical greedy self-centered corporation. They lie and don't deliver what they promise.

I hope you spent my 16K on something nice for yourselves...

I wanted to see the best and originally it looked that way. I truest believed Great West understood what was happening and wanted to get me back to my normal. First payments were always an issue. Late, non existence no response for a week past. It's like they don't understand you rely on that payment date. Had the worst experience with the pay. Secondly they sent me to see someone who didn't do anything to talk about what was bringing on my symptoms and just wanted me to decide what to do about my job which was in direct conflict with what my case worker said. They told me my claim was ending the week after I experienced a panic attack so bad I almost blacked out while driving. Told me I'd deal with PTSD forever and so my claim was over and back to work I go. I work in a safety related industry it makes no sense. My last payment never came big surprise. All and all it was a terrible experience. I'm not very happy having no choice by my former employer but to pay into benefits that really don't benefit you when you get sick. Save your money. They are more interested in getting your case closed over your actual health. It's pathetic.

Do not talk to these crooks on the phone! Do everything through email so you have records. Read all the fine print of your contract and keep perfect records that you are complying. I had complaints about the medical treatment I was getting, they put me in touch with their "specialist" and he said everything was ok, then a month later my case was closed for doing what he told me. Can also never get a response, had multiple breaks in pay because they were sick, or on holidays, or switched case managers. I don't honestly know how they sleep at night.

I've been on LTD for just over a year, with a gradual return to work program now. However, it is not going well, and it is very obvious to everyone except GWL that I cannot return to work. I'm working 4 hr x 4 days now, and completely exhausted by the end. I have made a bed in the back seat of my car so I can recover part way through the 4 hours and at the end of the 4 hours...at least recover enough to be able to drive home and then go to bed. A specialist and my GP have requested that I be off 2-3 more months but GWL's medical board in Toronto (who have never seen me!!!!) has denied the request and now I have to continue with the GRTW program with 6hrs x 5 days or they will cut me off. I can't do 4hrs x 4 days let alone bumping it up. I'm talking to a lawyer tomorrow because I simply cannot do this, but I don't know what else to do...and don't have the energy to fight. Very disappointed with GWL. We'll have to see what happens when I repeatedly collapse at work and have to call ambulances...especially since at times I work in the building alone...should be interesting to see the ramifications of the ambulance attendants breaking the building doors down to get to me.