As I’ve said before, the Long-Term Disability Plan (LTD) provided by your employer likely is governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), a federal statute. The standard of review, or what you have to prove to the court, in an ERISA case either is arbitrary and capricious or de novo.
The arbitrary and capricious standard of review simply means that the plaintiff (or, you, the claimant) must prove that the insurance carrier (or the plan administrator) acted in an unreasonable manner, without respect to the evidence.
In a de novo standard of review, the Court sets aside the decisions of the insurance carrier (or the claims administrator), and then evaluates your claim strictly based on the evidence before it. This levels the playing field just a bit for you.