$600,000 Settlement with LINA and CIGNA for Claims Handling Violations in California

The California Department of Insurance has announced a settlement agreement with Life Insurance Company of North America ("LINA") to resolve allegations of disability insurance claims handling violations.

In addition to paying a fine, LINA agreed to make changes in its claims handling policies and procedures, and to review previously closed claims to determine if additional benefits are due.

LINA will review all denied claims for the period January 2005 through December 2007 using the agreed upon quality standards outlined in the settlement. This applies to California residents only.

The qualifications for this new reassessment program are:

1. Insurance Company: LINA or CIGNA. Note that the denial letter may have either the LINA or CIGNA logo.

2. Date of Denial Letter: Initial denial or appeal denial letters dated January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2007. Claimants denied after December 31, 2007 may still have the option to litigate; please refer those folks to us as per usual.

3. State of Residence: California, either at the time of denial or currently.