Great-West Life Disability Insurance Reviews

This company has zero empathy and lack any form of communication skills when it comes to their clients. Being on short term disability for mental illness and they make it worse by refusing to cover any treatment for a psychologist after they referred me to their own doctor to see if I needed that treatment. After their own doctor stated I needed therapy from a psychologist they still refused to pay due to it “being too expensive” of treatment; been off work since February and they never once referred me to get any form of medical help so I bought it on my own and when I did that, they come back with zero financial aid and a comment of “we’re not responsible for your choices”. Apparently, someone who cannot work because of mental illness is to sit on the couch and do nothing and become worse because to them that is financially safe. Worst insurance company ever.

This company is a total fraud. Broke my elbow and they denied my claim. Over and over. Appeal after appeal. Documented disability as it’s on an X-ray and still denied. I don’t know how these people look themselves in the mirror and live with themselves knowing that every day they literally ruin people’s lives.

I applied for short term disability in June 2016 through my employer. The 1st case manager Logan M. lied to me over the phone that my claim was approved and just needed to finish the calculations, and I'd likely to see first payout by next Friday. About 2 weeks went by with me chasing her as to what's going on. After complaining to my employer about lack of response, Logan M. told me that my claim was declined because my employer said I shouldn't have stopped my medication years ago. My specialist doctor told me to wean off it and completely stop it, because there's bad long-term side effects. The wait to see the specialist doctor was months long to get my medication refilled. My employer said that they do not influence any claim decisions at all. I escalated at Great West Life and was assigned a 2nd case manager Sara S. After I got in to see the specialist doctor and was on my medication again, my claim was denied again - Sara S. said to me over the phone that I should have been taking Tylenol and working during the long wait for a specialist doctor. They denied my claim again, on basis that I wasn't severe. I told my family doctor that Great West Life was giving me the run around, she wrote a doctor's note and told me to apply for EI sick benefits. She was right, I had no problem getting my claim for EI sick benefits approved. Great West Life case managers will lie and manipulate your words over the phone. I consulted a disability lawyer because they take cases on contingency basis, he said there wasn't much money left for him to chase. EI sick benefits payments are deducted from short-term disability calculatons, so the crooked insurance company Great West Life won by declining you repeatedly until you give up. Unless you have something that's "definite", like surgery or being in the hospital... anything "subjective" or episodic disability will be repeatedly declined so they wear you down by forcing you to provide all kinds of evidence that you're "severe". Be warned, everything they ask you to get to back up your claim, they're actually using all of that to manipulate it so they build a case against you. Also, I'm in Calgary, they assigned Ontario reps that are off work at 1pm my time... adding to the difficulty of getting a hold of them. There's a reason why they only provide their first name and the first initial of their last names, they're unethical... after one phone call with each of the case managers, I refused to talk to them over the them, requiring everything via email... it helped stop some of their lying and manipulation over the phone with you. I wonder how these case managers sleep at night, they're incentized to decline as many cases as they can, it's how their performance bonus works.

This is the worst of the worst. Was put on short term disability for heart issue, doctor would not renew my licence and I drive truck for a living. Had to wait 7 1/2 weeks for first pay cheque, and was about 1/4 of what I made. The Evil witch that looked after my claim could not give a care of my condition, she told me that I was running out of short term disability and if I applied for long term disability I probably would not get it, because not being able to drive is not covered, and I live 50 miles from work.
I had several claims with this company, because the company I work for goes with GWL, and every time just very negative. One time had dentist work done and was in the dentist chair, and dentist was doing work on my teeth, they tried submitting claim to see if I would be covered, and GWL wanted to talk to me to ask me a bunch of personal questions to verify it was me, I felt like 2 inches tall. The only people I would recommend this company to is my enemy's.

I was injured in a surgical blunder. Been off work for 16 months. They are harassing me to go back to work when I am disabled and don’t have the use of my left hand. They don’t want to take responsibility. They want to put me to work and forget about me. NOT. This company also gave me someone else’s private information. Maybe time to sue them? And will try to override a doctor's note.

Had a disability product. Terrible service. The caseworkers keep demanding doctor letters that I had to pay for, wasting neurologists valuable time as doctors had already signed off in forms to state I was totally disabled. Wouldn’t even consider Great-West Life. Really terrible all the way.

I feel like they scam people I’ve paid into this company for years through my work. I never had to use them until just recently. I had to have surgery and was going to be off work for 1 month to 6 weeks. All the papers were filled out by both myself and the surgeon. It has been a month and I have not seen any money from them... In fact, they are asking for all the forms to be filled out again by me and my surgeon. My surgeon has faxed them three times now..now no one is responding to my calls and messages that I have left. I had to pay my bills and rent with my credit card. I’m running out of money and I feel helpless. I’m not sure what to do anymore. This company needs to be Investigated.

I don't know what is up with this company, I filed a short term disability claim but it seems like they do everything in their power to avoid paying you. I had to call maybe 50 times to get somebody to review my file, and even after several months, I haven't received a penny! Please avoid this company, lucky for me it was only a short term disability and I was able to withstand the damage.

I've been on LTD disabled Insurance through work for 20 years - 1st with London Life then GWL bought them...I think my policy may have changed then... I've told GWL with every request they send me, exactly what my monthly CPP income was.. then I got CPP survivor benefit added when the husband died ... and they were notified then, and my disability payments never were reduced. OK... I figured I am allowed to keep CPP survivor benefit.. as I've always told them in everything they requested that I've "this total Includes CPP Survivor benefit" I'm told now... there IS no allowance for inflation. Every extra penny CPP gives me including what my Husband wanted me to have is deducted and I am ONLY allowed to make $800 month for life...HOW CAN ANYONE LIVE ON $800 MONTHLY for life in this era ?? Now GWL wants to do a review of past CPP payments as they say they overpaid me.... even Ontario disability pays $1,130 mo to their clients... However.. it was GWL fault their workers never read or followed up on what I've been sending them for over 7 years... IF there was an issue... someone on their end should have caught it years ago... Now they want $30.000 + paid back as overpayments of 7 years... and I don't even make anything close to what government assistance pays their ODSP clients.. and housing wants 33 % of income... If one can get that... This is their fault by not reading what I've been sending them all these years, and now want to come after me for them not doing their job right... I've had 6 different GWL caseworkers in past 8 years...who always approved my file because of what honesty I've stated... How can they make ME responsible for them dropping the ball??? I don't have the money to repay this amount :-( I guess I need a lawyer...

Dealing with GWL on a disability claim for my wife has been completely abhorrent. As others have noted, if they can find ANY reason to deny the claim, they will. We have in writing from them that while her doctors may consider her unable to work, they don't agree (without justification given) so go back to work. Despite our request to be seen by a doctor of their choosing, they declined and stuck with their decision on appeal. If your employer defaults to their decision, as he does, then you are stuck with the employer demanding that she return to work despite doctors instructions she can't. The sad irony in this is she is paying for this 'coverage'. The sad footnote is every health care provider we have dealt with, has had nothing good to say about patient experiences with GWL.