Reichard v. United of Omaha Life Ins. Co.

*441The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA"), 29 U.S.C. §§ 1001 - 1461, provides protections for employees participating in their employer's benefits plans. Based upon her diagnoses of Crohn's disease and related gastrointestinal and arthritic conditions, the plaintiff employee received both short-term disability and long-term disability benefits under her employer's respective plans. The claims administrator later terminated her long-term disability benefits after the disability definition under the plan changed from merely requiring an inability to perform her own regular…