What Does Long-Term Disability Insurance Cover?
What Does Long-Term Disability Insurance Cover?
What Does Long-Term Disability Insurance Cover?
Long Term Disability Insurance
Private long-term disability insurance covers a portion of your paycheck if you were to become disabled.
Long-term disability insurance coverage is an effective financial tool to ensure your well-being.
As a society, we often avoid uncomfortable topics such as death and disability. Yet, life insurance and long-term disability insurance are subjects every adult needs to address.
You need some form of life insurance if others depend on your income for their financial survival.
For a one-income household, a private long-term disability insurance policy is as important as life insurance.
If you are a one-person household then you need long-term disability insurance if you need your paycheck to live. Most of us do.
There are two major components to most long-term disability insurance policy. The first component is, “any occupation.”
An “any occupation” long-term insurance disability policy has stricter terms and conditions. You must not be able to work in any job reasonable suitable for you.
The second major component is, “own occupation.”
An “own occupation” disability policy pays you if you are not able to perform your current job.
The term, “own occupation” is important because it offers a distinction for professionals. For example, a dentist would not be able to perform their work if they seriously injured a hand.
How Much Does A Disability Insurance Cover?
Generally, you can purchase long-term disability insurance coverage that will replace 50 – 75% of your earned income.
- There is usually a waiting period before you can receive long-term disability insurance benefits. This means you have to wait a set period of time after the disability occurs.
- Long-term disability insurance generally provides you with a monthly payment and does not cover specific expenses. The payment from your long-term disability is meant to replace a portion of your working income.
- Long-term disability insurance payments continue for the duration of your disability or until the stated time limit on the policy has expired.
- If you purchase long-term disability insurance through a group disability insurance plan at your work and your premiums are deducted from your paycheck then your disability insurance benefits are taxable.
- Long-term disability insurance purchased through a group disability insurance plan or through an insurance company will enable you to have more financial resources than relying on Social Security Disability Insurance.
If you are able to receive Social Security Disability Insurance your monthly disability benefits are based on your lifetime average earnings covered by the Social Security Administration.
Social Security Administration
How Does The Social Security Administration Define A Disability?
The Social Security Administration has an extreme definition they use to define if you are eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance:
The definition of disability under Social Security is different from other private disability insurance programs.
Social Security (SSDI) pays only for total disability.
No benefits are payable for partial disability or for short-term disability.
“Disability” under Social Security is based on your inability to work. We consider you disabled under Social Security rules if:
- You cannot do work that you did before;
- We decide that you cannot adjust to other work because of your medical condition(s); and
- Your disability has lasted or is expected to last for at least one year or to result in death.
- This is a strict definition of disability. Social Security program rules assume that working families have access to other resources to provide support during periods of short-term disabilities, including workers’ compensation, insurance, savings, and investments. 1.
Social Security Administration’s Statistics On Begin Disabled
According to The Social Security Administration in 2014, it states that 1 out of 4 workers over the age of 20 years will become disabled for some period of time before they retire.2.
Surprising, only a small percentage of disabilities are the result of an accident.
A large majority of long-term disabilities are caused by numerous illnesses.
Unfortunately, I am part of the large majority that has become disabled due to illness.
The American Council of Life Insurers and the Insurance Institute of America publishes guides on how to purchase Disability Insurance.
I strongly feel that long-term disability insurance is the most important insurance if you are under 65 years old and you need your paycheck to pay your bills.
According to various studies, between the ages of 25 and 65, people’s chances of becoming disabled are much higher than their chances of dying.
Long Term Disability Insurance Cost
I have learned an important lesson about the alarming chances of becoming a long-term disability statistic; “Long-term disability insurance may be expensive but it’s priceless.”
I hope you find, “What Does Long-Term Disability Insurance Cover?” helpful.
Resources:
1. The definition used by The Social Security Administration to determine if you are disabled.
You can read about my experience with Disability Insurance on Amazon’s #1 Disability Insurance Business Law Book; HypoGal and Disability Benefits.
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