Ms. Chmielarz, a founding partner of Disability Insurance Law Group, has 20 years’ experience representing individuals across the country in their claims for private and group disability insurance, long-term care insurance and life insurance benefits. She has considerable expertise in many areas of insurance law, having been in practice for over 25 years, and has represented both individuals and insurance companies. However, as a partner at Disability Insurance Law Group, Ms. Chmielarz now focuses solely on the vigorous representation of insureds in their claim for the benefits to which they are rightfully entitled under the terms of their insurance policies. She has been instrumental in getting Congress to consider an amendment to the federal statute, ERISA, which will provide claimants with more protection and hold insurance companies accountable for the damages caused by their delay and denial tactics. Additionally, Ms. Chmielarz worked with the Department of Labor to facilitate the changes recently made to the DOL regulations which guide how ERISA disability claims are handled. The recent changes provide additional protections for claimants and took steps to make insurance companies and plan administrators more accountable for their actions and decisions. Ms. Chmielarz has also spoken at several disability insurance conferences and written numerous articles about the disability and long-term care insurance claims process.

Ms. Chmielarz practices in both state and federal court and has recovered millions of dollars in insurance benefits for her clients. She has successfully litigated claims against most of the large insurance carriers and she and her law partner, Alicia Paulino-Grisham recently won a lawsuit against the NFL on behalf of a player who was wrongfully denied disability benefits under the NFL’s disability plan. She has also been an effective advocate for clients seeking long term care and home health care benefits from insurance companies who either delay and wrongfully deny benefits to insureds who need these benefits for daily living.

Ms. Chmielarz is a member of the Florida and Washington, D.C., Bars and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Florida. Prior to joining Disability Insurance Law Group, Ms. Chmielarz developed and headed the disability insurance department for a national law firm, which now has one of the largest disability insurance departments in the Southeast. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and her Juris Doctor at the University of Miami School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude and was an assistant editor for the Law Review as well as a Dean’s Fellow.

Experience:

– Regularly counsels clients applying for Disability Insurance benefits;
– Represents individuals appealing a denial of Individual Disability Insurance benefits;
– Represents individuals appealing a denial of ERISA or Group Disability Insurance benefits;
– Represents individuals seeking a lump sum buyout of their Disability Insurance policy;
– Assists the insured or the family of the insured seeking to obtain Long Term Care benefits;
– Counsels and represents individuals denied Long Term Care benefits;
– Represents individuals seeking to obtain or denied Life Insurance benefits;

Areas Of Practice

Disability Insurance
Life Insurance
Long Term Care Insurance
Private and Group/ERISA Insurance Claims

Bar Admissions

Florida
Washington
U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida
U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida
U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida

Education

University of Miami School of Law, Coral Gables, Florida
- Juris Doctorate
- Honors: magna cum laude
- Honors: Dean’s Fellow
University of Florida – Master of Arts Degree Political Science
- Honors: Two Year Graduate Student Teaching Award
- Honors: Graduate Assistant to Lawton Chiles during his tenure as the Honorary Deans Chair
University of Michigan
- Bachelor of Arts
- Honors: Graduated with Honors

Local Counsel Directory

Mindy L. Chmielarz

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