★★☆☆☆
Unethical Claims Handling, Delays
I do not recommend working with Principal Financial Group based on my experience with their disability benefits process.
During a time of significant financial and medical hardship, when I was fully dependent on these benefits as my sole source of income, my benefits were unexpectedly terminated despite consistent medical documentation and support from highly qualified treating providers.
In addition to the termination, there has been a persistent pattern of delayed and inconsistent payments. Even when benefits were approved, payments were not issued in a timely manner. At one point, more than 30 days passed without any payment at all, despite an active approval. This type of delay places an unnecessary and severe burden on individuals who rely on these benefits for basic financial stability and raises serious concerns about whether claims are being administered in good faith.
It is also deeply concerning that the company appears to rely on internal “medical reviews” to override the conclusions of treating physicians who have direct knowledge of my condition. This creates a process where legitimate medical evidence and consistent symptom reporting are minimized or disregarded, which I’m obviously smart enough to recognize is what’s happening. Therefore, they can disregard any medical evidence from qualified professionals all to arrive at the conclusion they want using their “medical review” to deny benefits under the guise of someone not being disabled despite providing ample documentation, detailing symptoms and barriers.
The overall experience reflects a lack of transparency, accountability, and empathy. The handling of my claim has caused significant financial and emotional harm during an already vulnerable time. At a minimum, I expected a fair, timely, and unbiased review process.
I strongly encourage others to carefully evaluate their options and fully understand the claims process before relying on this company for disability coverage.
★★☆☆☆
This is not an institution I would ever do business with…..the interaction that I’ve had is really less than desirable… I see now why the review rating is what it is, and unless they can do better, this is what it will be…. I had to speak to a manager ( or so they told me) to get a simple answer to a question! Poor service!
★★☆☆☆
Let me start by stating I hadn't been able to work for nearly 3 months due to an accident out of work. I coach my sons baseball team and got hit with a baseball right in the eye and put me out of work for this long. I called principal to see what options I have to help me with my bills. They said they have a hardship program. So I submitted the form and they took nearly a month to reply what all I needed to get help. So I submitted all forms needed to get help. Waited a week they claimed they never received anything. So resubmitted they information they were requesting and they claimed again never received it. So now it's been two months from original date asking for help so as I asked for management they claimed to have received my information and it took them two days to deny me because some of the dates were not within the time period as per the regulations. But they continue to get my money every pay period since I've been back at work. Now I have submitted request to change my account to zero they are not getting a penny from me anymore. So i would not recommend these thieves at all.