For years Allsup has been using public relations to promote their business of representing Social Security disability claimant. The efforts often take the form of getting a newspaper or television station to run a story about a Social Security disability claimant who has had a long struggle getting on Social Security disability benefits and finally won with Allsup's help. Two can play that game. GENEX has just gotten the "I-team" at WBAL in Baltimore to run a story promoting GENEX's services.
Both Allsup and GENEX are primarily involved in working for large insurance companies who administer long term disability (LTD) plans. The LTD plans have an offset for Social Security disability benefits so the insurers have a big interest in getting the LTD recipients on Social Security disability. They employ Allsup or GENEX to "represent" their LTD recipients before Social Security. I put "represent" in quotes since there are reports that Allsup and Genex are quite willing to sell out the claimants they "represent" by providing the insurance companies with any medical evidence that comes into their possession that could be used to cut off the LTD benefits of the people "represented." I do not know whether anyone else thinks that is a problem but attorneys think that is an unconscionable conflict of interest.
Allsup and GENEX are also interested in the retail trade which is why they get into PR, apparently figuring that it is cheaper than advertising. It must have been working for Allsup since they have been doing it for years.
By the way, Allsup's website boasts of a 98% success rate. Assuming that number is not a complete fabrication, that tells me that Allsup really hates to fly someone in to represent a Social Security disability claimant at a hearing. They mostly have to fly someone in since they are nowhere near big enough to have offices all over the country. They won't fly someone in for a merely gold-plated case. It have to be solid 24 carat gold. The good thing about that, as far as I am concerned, is that it dramatically limits their potential for expansion into the retail business.
Well, you know you're a crummy SSD rep when you make Binder look good. At least they don't have any secondary motivations to their shoddy repping other than the fees we all play for. Selling out your "clients" to feed the LTD machine? That's pretty low.
ReplyDeleteThey also act as collection agents for the LTD carriers. That is something that is "too low" for most ethical attorneys.
ReplyDeleteI’d like to correct the “reports” you cite re: Allsup’s representation of claimants who also have private disability coverage. Allsup represents the claimant. We do not provide the claimant’s medical records to the LTD unless the claimant separately gives Allsup permission to do so, and we communicate to the claimant that his medical records may be used by the LTD to make a determination about private coverage. We don’t accept the medical form the claimant has already signed with the LTD. Because LTDs already have a medical release, they can and do collect medical records on their own. We do not participate in the LTD’s decisions regarding the claimant’s private disability coverage.
ReplyDelete– Ron Buerges, Allsup