Policy traps

Ten recurring policy traps. Click any trap to drill down. Your workspace dashboard surfaces traps relevant to your claim stage.

Trap	What goes wrong
Diagnosis trap	A diagnosis label alone does not prove you cannot perform material duties.	→
Job-title trap	Job title may understate workload, pressure, travel, supervision, and error consequences.	→
Date trap	DOA, notice, submission, complete claim, waiting period, and rejection dates are rarely the same day.	→
Threshold-shift trap	The standard at submission may be broader than the standard applied at rejection.	→
Policy-vs-guide trap	HR emails and claim guides may use broader language than binding policy wording.	→
Employer-record trap	Payroll, absence records, and employer statements may be decisive but sit with HR — not you.	→
Specialist-evidence trap	Missing specialist evidence is unsafe if you were never told what, why, who obtains it, or who pays.	→
Gross-benefit trap	Benefit % is not final until earnings definition, caps, offsets, and tax are checked.	→
Pre-existing trap	An old diagnosis is not the same as proving a pre-existing exclusion under your policy dates.	→
Appeal-story trap	Emotional narrative should become a structured issue matrix with evidence and remedies.	→
Mitigated-state trap	Discrimination law often tests function WITHOUT treatment or aids; income-protection policies usually test WITH ongoing treatment. Mixing those tests is how a claim is argued as if the person is 'fine on meds'.	→