Leukemia patient denied critical illness claim, advice for appeal?

Hi everyone,

I (28F) started a job and signed up for a voluntary critical illness claim during the on boarding process. Three months into my job, I developed an aggressive form of leukemia – AML and immediately started chemotherapy in the hospital upon diagnosis. I submitted all the documentation from when I was first diagnosed to current treatment.

According to the critical illness claim agent, I was denied the lump sum payout for a Category I life threatening illness because the initial diagnosis claim was filed within “the 30 day benefit waiting period” per the documented policy. I was diagnosed August 29 and the benefit waiting period ends on September 1 (3 days between). If I waited until September to go to the doctor, I would have been paid out. However, my cancer is a very fast growing disease and I would have likely perished in a matter of a couple days in the state I was in when I went to the emergency department.

Would there be any likelihood that this can be contested? If possible, what additional documentation (other than existing hospital records) can I provide for a subsequent review for appeal?

Thank you kindly!