Aetna L-ADR Spine Surgery Settlement: 2 Deadlines Still Open
At a glance
- Status
- Closing soon
- Defendant
- Aetna Life Insurance Company
- Settlement fund
- Not publicly disclosed
- Claim deadline
- September 29, 2026
- No-proof cash option
- No
- Max documented payout
- $55,000
- Administrator
- Atticus Administration
- Official site
- www.ladrsurgerysettlement.com
- Court
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California
- Case number
- 2:19-cv-06840-AB (Hendricks), consolidated with 2:22-cv-01505-AB (Howard)
Last verified September 9, 2026
Key dates
| Milestone | Date | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Claim deadline | September 29, 2026 | Last day to file for a payment |
| Opt-out (exclusion) deadline | February 17, 2026(passed) | Last day to leave the settlement and keep the right to sue |
| Objection deadline | February 17, 2026(passed) | Last day to object to the terms |
| Final approval hearing | June 5, 2026(passed) | When the judge decides whether to approve the settlement |
| Expected payout | Not yet scheduled | Payments are not sent until after final approval and any appeals |
Where to file
Aetna Single-Level L-ADR Spine Surgery Denial Settlement (Hendricks & Howard v. Aetna) is administered by Atticus Administration. The only place to file is the official settlement website:
File at the official sitewww.ladrsurgerysettlement.com
Administrator phone: 1-800-243-4551
Filing is free. No legitimate settlement charges a fee to file a claim.
You cannot file on RecordingLaw.com. We are an independent publisher, not the settlement administrator, and we are not affiliated with any court, agency, or defendant.
What happened
This is not a data breach. Hendricks & Howard v. Aetna Life Insurance Company is a lawsuit over health-coverage denials. It alleges Aetna, acting as the insurer or claims administrator for employer health plans governed by a federal law called ERISA (the Employee Retirement Income Security Act), denied coverage for a specific back surgery called single-level lumbar artificial disc replacement, often shortened to single-level L-ADR.
That surgery replaces a single damaged disc in the lower spine with an artificial one, as an alternative to spinal fusion. The lawsuit alleged Aetna denied these claims by treating the surgery as experimental or investigational, a policy patients say Aetna applied even when their own doctors recommended the surgery as medically necessary.
"ERISA-governed" matters here because it explains why this case is in federal court rather than before a state insurance regulator. Most employer-sponsored health plans are governed by ERISA, a federal law that controls how disputes over denied coverage get resolved and what a patient can recover.
Where the case stands now
As of September 9, 2026, the court has granted final approval. That happened on June 5, 2026. The deadline for class members to exclude themselves from the settlement or object to its terms was February 17, 2026, and that deadline has passed. The settlement is final, and two of the three claim paths are still open: past out-of-pocket reimbursement through September 29, 2026 and a new coverage request through December 28, 2026.
There is no aggregate cash fund tied to a single dollar figure here. Instead, the settlement provides individual relief that depends on which of three paths applies to you. The two reimbursement paths are capped at $55,000 per person. The third path, for people still covered by an Aetna ERISA plan, is a new coverage request that gets the surgery approved under the settlement terms rather than paying a capped cash amount.
Who is in the class
You are potentially covered if you were a member of an ERISA-governed health plan insured or administered by Aetna Life Insurance Company, and you were denied coverage for single-level lumbar artificial disc replacement surgery. The denial had to fall within one of two windows, depending on which underlying lawsuit covers your plan: August 7, 2016 through February 8, 2023 for the Hendricks action, or March 4, 2019 through February 8, 2023 for the Howard action.
If Aetna denied you this specific surgery within that broader window, you may be eligible for relief, though which relief path applies depends on where things stand for you today.
Three different deadlines, and they are not interchangeable
This settlement does not have one claim deadline. It has three separate relief paths, each with its own deadline. Two are reimbursement paths capped at $55,000; the third is a coverage approval rather than a cash cap. Figuring out which path applies to you is the most important step before you file anything.
If you already paid out of pocket for a single-level L-ADR surgery that Aetna denied, you can seek reimbursement for what you paid. That claim is due within 90 days of final approval, which the settlement calculates as September 29, 2026. You will need a completed claim form, your operative report or clinical records, and proof of what you paid.
If you have not yet had the surgery and you are still covered today by an Aetna-insured or Aetna-administered ERISA plan, you can submit a new coverage request instead of a reimbursement claim. That path is due within 180 days of the notice of final approval, which the settlement calculates as December 28, 2026, the latest of the three deadlines. A surgeon's attestation that the surgery is medically necessary is what triggers coverage under this path.
If you have not yet had the surgery and you are no longer covered by an Aetna ERISA plan, and you lack other coverage or the ability to enroll in a plan that would cover it, you can seek reimbursement for a future surgery once you have it. This path had the earliest deadline of the three, August 31, 2026, and that window has now closed.
Because this page's automatic key-dates display shows a single claim deadline, remember that date reflects only one of the three paths, not necessarily yours. Match your own situation to the three paths above before you rely on any single date.
What you'll need to file
Every path requires a completed claim form. Beyond that, the documentation depends on your path. Past-surgery reimbursement needs your operative report or clinical records plus proof of payment. A new coverage request needs a treating surgeon's attestation of medical necessity. Future-surgery reimbursement needs proof that you no longer have qualifying coverage.
There is no no-proof, flat-payment option in this settlement, unlike many data-breach settlements. Every path requires supporting documentation of some kind.
Who pays the attorneys
Attorneys' fees of up to $2,556,000 were approved to be paid separately by Aetna, not deducted from what claimants recover. That is worth knowing because in many class settlements, attorney fees come out of the same fund claimants are paid from, which can shrink individual payouts. Here, that is not the structure. A claimant's award and the attorneys' fee award are not competing for the same pool of money.
How to file
Claims go through the official settlement website only, run by the administrator, Atticus Administration, which also operates a support phone line for questions. Because final approval has already been granted and two of the three paths are still open, this is one of the more time-sensitive settlements on this site. The August 31, 2026 future-surgery reimbursement deadline has passed. The next deadline is September 29, 2026 for past out-of-pocket reimbursement, followed by December 28, 2026 for a new coverage request.
If you're not sure which path applies to you, or you think you were denied outside this settlement
If you are unsure whether your Aetna plan denial matches the class definition, or which of the three paths fits your situation, the administrator's support line and the official settlement site are the places to ask, not a third-party "claims" site.
Because this case involves denied medical coverage, not identity theft, a credit freeze or credit monitoring does not apply here. If you believe you were denied coverage for this surgery outside the settlement's class period, or by a different insurer, the U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration publishes general guidance on your right to appeal a denied ERISA health claim, which can be a starting point outside this settlement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Aetna L-ADR spine surgery settlement a data breach case?
No. Hendricks & Howard v. Aetna Life Insurance Company is a health-coverage denial case alleging Aetna wrongly denied coverage for single-level lumbar artificial disc replacement surgery under ERISA-governed health plans. No personal data was exposed.
Has this settlement received final approval?
Yes. The court granted final approval on June 5, 2026, and the opt-out and objection deadline of February 17, 2026 has already passed, so the settlement's terms are now final.
What is the claim deadline?
It depends on which of three relief paths applies to you. Future-surgery reimbursement was due August 31, 2026 and that window has closed. Past out-of-pocket reimbursement is due September 29, 2026, and a new coverage request is due December 28, 2026.
How much can I recover?
The two reimbursement paths, for a past out-of-pocket surgery and for a future surgery if you are no longer covered by an Aetna plan, are capped at $55,000 per person, subject to what your documentation supports. The third path, a new coverage request for people still covered by an Aetna ERISA plan, results in the surgery being covered under the settlement terms and the official materials state no dollar cap for it. There is no flat guaranteed amount, and the eventual amount depends on your specific circumstances and records.
What if I have surgery planned but haven't had it yet?
If you are still covered by an Aetna-insured or Aetna-administered ERISA plan, you may be able to submit a new coverage request supported by your surgeon's attestation of medical necessity, due December 28, 2026. If you are no longer covered by such a plan, the future-surgery reimbursement path would have applied, but its August 31, 2026 deadline has passed; check the official settlement site for your options.
Do I need proof to file a claim?
Yes. Unlike some settlements that offer a no-proof flat payment, every path in this settlement requires documentation, such as an operative report, proof of payment, or a surgeon's attestation, depending on which path you use.
Will attorneys' fees reduce my payment?
No. The court approved attorneys' fees of up to $2,556,000 to be paid separately by Aetna, not out of the money available to claimants.
Will my settlement payment be taxed?
It depends on what the payment is meant to replace, such as medical expense reimbursement versus other damages, and the IRS has not issued settlement-specific guidance for this case. Consult a tax professional; IRS Publication 4345 has general guidance on the taxability of lawsuit settlements.
What if my Aetna coverage denial doesn't fit this settlement's class period?
If your denial falls outside the Hendricks or Howard class periods or involves a different insurer, this settlement does not apply to you. The U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration publishes general information on appealing a denied ERISA health claim.
How to tell a settlement notice is real
Check the case name, case number, and court against the official settlement site. Go to that site directly instead of clicking a link in an email or text. Nobody legitimate will call, text, or email out of the blue asking for your Social Security number, bank account, or card details, and nobody will charge you to file. Report anyone who does at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Informational only. Not legal, tax, or financial advice, and not affiliated with any settlement.
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We do not process claims and we never collect your claim information. You cannot file a claim on RecordingLaw.com. To file, opt out, object, or check your status, use only the official settlement administrator identified above. We link to it for your convenience.
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Deadlines, amounts, and approval status change and are set by the court. We verify against the official administrator and court records, but confirm the current details on the official site before acting. Nothing here guarantees eligibility, a payment, or any amount. Settlement payments may be taxable. See IRS Publication 4345. and consult a tax professional. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state. Affiliate disclosure.
Updates
Updated settlement status and dates: Title said "3 Claim Deadlines" now now says 2 deadlines are still open, since the Aug 31, 2026 future-surgery path has closed
Sources and References
- L-ADR Surgery Settlement - Official Settlement Website (Hendricks & Howard v. Aetna)(ladrsurgerysettlement.com)
- U.S. Department of Labor: Health Plan Claims and Appeals (ERISA)(dol.gov).gov
- HealthCare.gov: External Review of an Insurance Company Decision(healthcare.gov).gov
- IRS Publication 4345: Settlements - Taxability(irs.gov).gov