Can My Insurance Company Look at My Social Media
My name is Brandon Osterbind. I am an injury and disability attorney here in Central Virginia and I help people whose long-term disability claims have been denied. Today’s question is, “Can my insurance company look at my social media?” And the answer to that is, “Absolutely, they can.”
They can’t get beyond your privacy restrictions or at least they’re not supposed to. I always tell people, “It’s very important to make sure that your privacy restrictions are set so that people that you don’t know are not able to see your deepest and darkest secrets that a lot of people decide to post on social media today.”
Be careful what you post on social media
Yet I also tell people, “It’s even more important not to post on social media.” I know for some people, that’s impossible to do because everyone out there needs to know what you’re doing on a daily basis.
But if you have a long-term disability claim or if you’re now disabled and you’re claiming that you’re unable to work, your insurance company will turn over every stone to verify what you’re claiming.
And if you are posting on social media pictures of you doing things that you say that you can’t do, the insurance company will absolutely use that against you any day of the week. It’s important to make sure that what you’re posting on social media accurately reflects what you are able to do.
The insurance company will look at your social media posts
Don’t try to embellish who you are or what you can do in front of your friends. Because if you can do that in front of your friends, then you can do that for your job. The insurance company is going to look at that.
And the insurance company is going to search for you on TikTok to see if you’re doing any crazy dances. And if you are, more power to you. Dance away. But don’t expect to get your long-term disability claim approved because the insurance company is going to use that against you.
I hope that will never happen to you. Sure, the point of social media is to be social. It’s to engage with other people. But if you’re participating in social media, then it is very important that you’re only portraying yourself in the light that you’re portraying yourself in your long-term disability case.
It’s an integrity issue
It’s really an integrity issue because if you say that you are unable to do certain things, why would you post a video or a picture of you doing one of the things that you say you’re unable to do? And if you are able to do it, then don’t say that you can’t.
Be truthful in your long-term disability claim. Make sure you tell the truth to your doctor when your doctor asks you what you’re struggling with or what your symptoms are or how the injury or medical condition affects you.
And if you’re truthful with all of those things, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about when it comes to filing your claim for long-term disability or appealing your claim for long-term disability.
If you have questions
If you have any questions about what the insurance company is looking at on your social media or what you should and shouldn’t post on your social media, give us a call. And if you don’t know how to apply for long-term disability, let us know as well.
We would be happy to sit down and chat with you about what your condition is, how it affects your ability to work, and what your insurance policy says. Let’s talk about how we can help you get on claim and stay on claim for as long as you’re disabled.
