After initially being denied for long-term disability, Laib appealed but was rejected in March 2017. More than 60 percent of appeals are denied, according to a 2017 report from the American Council of Life Insurers. Less than 1 percent of those denials lead to lawsuits, the vast majority of which are unsuccessful. Federal law makes it difficult for a judge to overturn an insurer's denial in most states. Seventeen states have passed rules or laws to balance the field between an insurer and a person claiming disability, but Pennsylvania isn't one of them.