Disability Insurance

Disability Insurance

All workers will want to purchase disability insurance at some point in time. The insurance covers the workers in the case of an incapacitating illness or injury. New employers usually offer their full-time employees disability coverage as part of their sign-on benefits packages. The coverage usually begins 60 to 90 days into the new employee’s career. The coverage cost for disability is usually low because the employer has a deal with the insurance company. A new employee will usually pay a flat rate for medical, dental, life and disability benefits.

Disability coverage works on a case-by-case basis. The employee must contact the insurance company and notify someone about the illness or injury immediately upon becoming unable to work. The insurance company will ask for verification of the illness or injury. It will request X-rays, prescriptions and any other supporting documentation that one may have from the medical provider. The insurance company will then conduct an investigation and determine whether it will offer the insurance person coverage while he or she is out of work. The doctor must specify a return date. If the person cannot return on the date that the doctor specifies, then that person will have to request an extension of benefits.

Insurance companies have different payout structures. One company may decide to pay 100 percent of an ill person’s pay until that person returns to work. Other companies have a tiered payment system where they start out paying as much as 100 percent, and they decrease the payments the longer the person is out of work.

Long-term disability and short-term disability are the two main types of coverage for disability. Short-term disability lasts about six months, and long-term disability goes beyond one year. Long-term disability is for people who have mental health conditions, heart conditions and major surgery that will render them unable to work for long periods of time.

The major benefit of having disability coverage is that the insured person does not have to stress about falling ill or receiving an injury. The policy will protect the person from financial ruin until he or she recovers.