Disability Insurance Claims Expert Witness

Summary

Expert is a disability insurance claims consultant and expert witness.  His primary responsibility is helping disabled professionals, business owners and executives understand the true complexity of their claims process and helping them secure disability income insurance benefits.

He entered the insurance profession in 1965 and specialized in the marketing of individual disability income insurance during his entire previous sales career. He has been an independent consultant to insurance companies and has helped develop disability insurance portfolios and training programs for the past 37 years.

While working for a major disability insurance carrier Expert helped design a series of disability policies and was the first Senior Sales Representative to produce more than $1 million of premium during a calendar year.  During his 16 years, Expert helped produce more than $10 million of individual disability income and long term care insurance premium and helped underwrite more than 4,000 disability policies.

A graduate of the University of Florida School of Journalism and Communications, Expert has served as a contributing writer to Physician’s Management, Dental Economics, Dental Management, Case & Comment, The Practical Lawyer, The D.O., The Southern Journal of Optometry, The Florida Architect, Veterinary Economics, International Association of Financial Planning Journal, Life Association News, Life Insurance Selling, the National Health Insurance Underwriter, FAHU Voice and Broker World.

During his former personal sales career before entering the brokerage arena, Expert qualified nine consecutive years MDRT and was a consistent qualifier for the NQA, NSAA and HIQA.  He has been a member of the NAHU Leading Producers Round Table for the past 33 years.  In addition, he has spoken at NAHU, DITC and Health & Life Underwriter meetings, conventions and continuing education seminars in California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.

Expert has served the National Association of Health Underwriters as a Regional Vice President, NAHU 2nd Vice President, is a Past-President of NAHU’s Leading Producers Round Table (LPRT), Past-President of the Disability Insurance Training Council (DITC) and served on the Board of Directors of the Florida Association and Dade Association of Health Underwriters.  He is a Past-President and Co-Founder of the Gold Coast Association of Health Underwriters and served on the RHU/REBC Commission, as the Region III Commissioner.  For several years, Expert was a moderator for the LUTC Disability Income Insurance Course.  Since 1986, he has conducted 60 Continuing Education courses in the State of Florida.

He is a Registered Health Underwriter (RHU), a member of the International Association of Financial Planners, and in 1995 received his Associate Life Health Claims designation (ALHC) with distinction.  Expert was awarded status as a Diplomate of  the American College of Forensic Examiners (DABFE) in 1997.  He is an Associate Member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

In June 1997, Expert received the Harold R. Gordon Memorial Award which recognized him as the most meaningful and significant individual honor accorded by the health insurance industry, presented by the National Association of Health Underwriters.  In June 2002, the National Association of Health Underwriters presented Expert with the William G. Wetzel Excellence in Speaking Award in recognition of his continuing education and public presentation work throughout the country.

Work History  (Approx. Dates)

Massachusetts Indemnity & Life Insurance Company, Boston, MA  9/1965 – 10/1966
Specialty insurer in US writing only Individual Non-Cancelable Disability Income insurance for professionals, business owners and executives.  First three months working with company, I daily studied with expert to learn how to read a disability policy, interpret policy language and learn how to compare the provisions of company policies against those of our competition.  Only then was I allowed to market and sell.  By 10/1965 I was the leading agent in the US for Mass. Indemnity.   I left the Miami agency with six other agents to open a private disability unit for a local life insurance company.

Union Mutual Life Insurance Company, Portland, ME  10/1966 – 2/1969
Within my first two years working with the company, our agency won the President’ Club for being among the top three (3) agencies is US, of 38 agencies.  I expanded my knowledge into the business disability arena and sales of personal & business life insurance.  Began writing articles for insurance and professional journals on subject of disability insurance planning.

Independent Life & Health Insurance Agent working with several companies  3/1969 – 11/1980
Continued specializing in disability income insurance and designing Pensions & Profit Sharing Plans, completed the LUTC Personal & Business Insurance courses, qualified as a Member, American Society of Pension Actuaries (MSPA), began speaking at local, state and national conventions on disability insurance subjects.  Completed five (5) parts of CLU professional designation and received my Registered Health Underwriter (RHU) certification.  Worked on behalf of Crown Life Insurance Company, Canada, and helped them design their new disability policy that was marketed in the US.  Also provided Provident Life & Accident, with modifications to the residual disability provisions of there Individual Disability policies and worked on modifications to Union Mutual’s Individual Disability insurance policies.  Held several positions within National Association of Health Underwriters, including a high rank in the Disability Insurance Training Council (educational arm of NAHU) and a high rank in the Leading Producers Round Table (sales achievement arm of NAHU).

Brokerage Supervisor, Southeast Florida for Unionmutual Life (now Unum/Provident)  12/1980 – 12/ 1983
Distributing Individual Disability, Office Overhead, Buy-Sell and Key Person disability insurance throughout South Florida.  Worked with more than 300 brokers helping them understand how to sell our disability products, created most of our local advertising and promotion and held major brokerage seminars to introduce concepts and marketing ideas.  Continued writing professional articles and speaking throughout Florida and US.

Manager, Southeast Florida for Unionmutual Life (now Unum/Provident)  1/1984 – 7/1985 & Senior Account Executive  8/1985 – 7/1999 (accepted early retirement)
I was first sales representative to write more than $1 million in premium in Individual Disability premium in a calendar year.  President’s Club qualifier each year.  In 1985/86, helped the company design an entire new portfolio of Individual Disability, Overhead Income, Buy-Sell and Key Person disability policies.  This work was coordinated with actuarial, legal, compliance, underwriting, claims and marketing departments of the company.  Helped introduce these products to other employees and helped with all phases of training sales & sales support employees.  Qualified five (5) Disability Insurance Continuing Education Courses for FL State CE credit that continues to be provided throughout Florida.  Completed International Claim Association (ICA) Associate Life Health Claims (ALHC) courses (with distinction).  1997 Recipient – Harold R. Gordon Memorial Award for “Person of the Year” in the Health Insurance Industry.

Independent Disability Claim Consultant & Expert Witness  8/1999 to present
In addition to my expert witness work, I help disabled professionals, business owners and executives understand the disability claim process, what will be expected of them and, make it significantly easier for both the disabled insured and insurance carrier to complete this process.