GREENSBORO, N.C. — There are just some days in your life that you'll always remember. Your wedding day. The birth of your kids.
For Kristina Buron, there's another day.
“I was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy,” Buron said.
That moment is one she will never forget. Hearing those words was confusing and crippling at the same time.
Muscular Dystrophy is a disease that attacks the central nervous system, causing communication issues between your brain and the rest of your body.
“I can still walk and be mobile, but for me, it affects me cognitively,” Buron said.
Life would forever change in that moment, and Buron has spent the past 16 years learning a new normal. She worked for about eight years after her diagnosis but was eventually forced to medically retire in 2015.
“Sometimes I can’t remember little things, things I should be able to remember,” Buron said. “I got so fatigued – I was falling asleep at work.”
Buron started receiving her pension and she signed up for Social Security disability and long-term disability through her insurance.
“It was no problem. I was getting a check every month from Hartford Insurance for long-term disability,” Buron said.
Every month, Buron would collect her pension check, a Social Security disability check, and her long-term disability check. The Hartford Insurance company would often request updated medical information from her doctors as it related to her long-term disability claim.
Buron has multiple doctors and would send whatever information the insurance company requested as it related to her health and Multiple Sclerosis. Then last year, the insurance company started asking for more information about her health.
“They started questioning whether I was disabled or not. They sent someone out to my house to interview me,” Buron said.
The company also asked Buron to see an independent medical expert. Buron said the dates and times were not convenient and she already had medical visits or conflicts around the times she was given. She also told the insurance company they could reach out to any of her doctors for updated information.
At one point last year, the insurance company had someone follow Buron and take a video of her while she was outside running errands or doing things in her yard.
“It made me mad, and it upset me because it came out of nowhere,” Buron said.
About four months after Buron was followed, she received a letter from the insurance company alerting her that the company would no longer provide a disability payment.
“They saw the MRI. There’s no way I could fake (Multiple Sclerosis),” Buron said.
After receiving the letter, Buron contacted an attorney and decided to call WFMY News 2 as well for some help. Her attorney sent a letter to the insurance company while we sent several emails and contacted a representative with the company.
“I just appreciate News 2 caring about my situation and listening to me,” Buron said.
We asked the representative with Hartford Insurance several questions surrounding Buron’s claim and the recent decision to terminate her disability payments. A spokesperson for the company declined to answer any of our questions but did send us this statement:
“Due to privacy laws, we do not discuss the specific details of a customer’s disability claim. Generally speaking, long-term disability benefits require periodic reviews of a claimant’s current medical information. These reviews can include medical records, discussions with the claimant or their medical provider, independent medical examinations, and a review of public activities. Updated medical information is necessary for us to determine whether a claimant has the ability to work in any job as described in the policy with us. Claimants always have the right to file an appeal when they’ve been advised they are no longer eligible for benefits," the representative said.
While Hartford Insurance declined to provide any details about the claim, the company did reverse course and agreed to provide long-term disability payments.
“They have settled with me. They are sending me a lump sum payment,” Buron said.
Buron received a check from the company last month and is glad this ordeal is now over.
“Thank you, (News 2), very much for caring,” Buron said.