I went on disability retirement about 14 years ago. I get union pension and social security. I've been on the same insurance thru my union for 25 years. I've been on self pay for maybe 12 years now on my health insurance, which also includes life insurance. In our summary plan description booklet we have a standard group life benefit with the following categorys, employee life, disabled life, retiree life, etc.. and a optional step-up benefit for group life with the same categorys, employee life, disabled life, retiree life, etc.. My union has always told me we have the optional step-up benefit, which would double our benefit from the standard $18,000 to $36,000. My union official still says we have the step up, but I can't get much more help from him. Now our insurance company tells me now that I don't have the step-up option. I get various answers, depending on who I talk to at the insurance company. Either the union has it, but I don't, or we've never had the step-up, or we looked into but never got it. It looks very clear to me in my summary plan description book that I should have the standard group benefit and the optional step up benefit. I've asked the insurance to tell me how the reach their conclusion, but I never get a straight answer. I've wrote them a letter asking them to explain this, and they never have answered me. Any suggestions? What type lawyer do I need? I don't have a lot of money to get a lawyer, would one represent me and ask the insurance company to pay his fee? Thanks, JohnnyG