Mealey's (March 5, 2019, 1:26 PM EST) -- SAN DIEGO — A disability plan’s termination of short-term disability (STD) benefits was an abuse of discretion because the plan failed to consider the claimant’s subjective reports of pain related to her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and erroneously concluded that the claimant’s symptoms had improved, a California federal judge said March 4 in remanding for an award of STD benefits and for a determination on the claimant’s entitlement to long-term disability (LTD) benefits (Lizbeth Valdez v. AT&T Umbrella Benefit Plan No. 1, No. 16-2613, S.D. Calif., 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 34159)....