Over $70,000 Awarded in Past-Due Disability Benefits from Voya and SSDI

Operana Law was recently successful in obtaining over $70,000 in combined long-term disability and Social Security Disability (SSDI) benefits for one of our clients. Katherine, who worked as an office scheduler, became disabled in the fall of 2024 due to severe back pain. She initially applied for short-term disability benefits and was approved. However, upon transitioning into long-term disability, her insurer, Voya, denied her application. Voya alleged that her conditions were not severe enough to prevent her from working in her sedentary desk job position. Around the same time, she also applied for SSDI benefits. Unfortunately, Voya and the Social Security Administration denied her disability claims in the spring of 2025.

Katherine reached out to Operana Law and we quickly began working on her case. To support her LTD appeal against Voya, we obtained opinions from her treating physicians and specialists. We specifically had her doctors clarify and contest the medical opinions from Voya's physicians. We also supplemented her appeal with updated medical records and made specific vocational arguments, contending that she would not be able to perform her sedentary work duties due to the severity of her restrictions and limitations.

Upon reviewing all of the medical documentation and our formal appeal memorandum, Voya overturned its decision and awarded Katherine all of her past-due disability benefits, totaling over $40,000. Voya has also continued to pay Katherine ongoing LTD benefits since that time without interruption.

We also assisted Katherine with her SSDI claim. Her case was denied at both the Initial Application and Reconsideration Appeal levels. Our office filed a Request for Hearing and represented Katherine before an Administrative Law Judge of the Social Security Administration. In support of her claim, we again obtained updated medical documentation and opinions from her treating doctors and specialists.

When presenting her case to the Judge, we argued that SSA's doctors ignored pertinent medical documentation contained within her file. We also argued that their doctors were not specialists in the appropriate medical fields and that their opinions regarding Katherine's impairments were out of their scope of practice. We also demonstrated how the objective medical exam findings within her records supported her doctors' opinions. The Judge quickly agreed with our position and issued a Fully Favorable finding of disability. Katherine was awarded over $30,000 in past-due benefits and will continue to receive SSDI benefits for as long as she remains disabled.

If you are like Katherine and have been denied either LTD, SDDI, or both, contact us right away for a free consultation and appeal strategy guide. Operana Law works on a contingency fee basis and there are never any fees unless we get your claim approved.

Brandon Operana - Advocate for the Disabled

Direct #: 612-568-8607

Email: Help@OperanaLaw.com