Disability Leave Update

So apparently my disability claim may be denied. All because I've chosen a midwife over an OB. When I initially called in the claim a week or two ago, the representative for the disability plan management company told me that sometimes claims can get "hairy" when a midwife practice is used, since they require an MD signature for disability paperwork. When I went in to my 32 week appointment, I asked my midwife what they generally do in a situation like that. She said that per Virginia state law, a midwife does not need to be supervised by a physician in order to sign off on papers and write prescriptions. She said that they should accept the midwife's signature and if they give me any trouble, have the representative call them directly.

I went back to the representative on Thursday afternoon and told her all this and she said, basically, it has nothing to do with state law or anything else, that getting an MD signature is required by my employer's plan and there is nothing she can do about it. I asked what would happen if I was unable to get an MD signature and she said my claim would be denied. I can't believe it - a certified nurse midwife's signature is legally equivalent to an MD signature, but the company plan won't allow it? That can't be legal.

Anyway, I researched on the company website a bit and found that for policy questions and issues, I need to contact the plan administrator, not the manager, so I sent off an email to corporate benefits. They are notoriously slow at responding, especially when the question is complicated, but thankfully I still have about a month left before I would go out on leave, at the earliest (barring any problems, of course).

Cross your fingers that this can all get figured out - I've been seen solely by the midwives since I was 16 weeks along, so I'm not sure how I'd be able to get an MD signature. The midwife I spoke with made it sound like there was no way they could have the consulting physician sign for it, since they only work with him on an "as needed" basis and they have to pay for every consult. If my claim is denied, I'd go from receiving 100% of my salary for 6 weeks to receiving nothing. Not to metion this isn't a company-paid program; I've been paying into this program for almost a year and a half just because I knew we'd be having a baby at some point and would want the coverage during my maternity leave.