You may be eligible for disability insurance if you’ve been injured from an incident that is not industrial, illness, or pregnancy. In general terms, disability is a mental or physical illness or injury that prevents you from working like you normally would. In order to prove you qualify for disability insurance, you will need to fill out a form about your illness.

It’s possible to file an appeal after being denied your claim for disability insurance or a payout of leave benefits to take care of your family – here’s how. (more…)

In order to qualify for Social Security Disability, you must have a certain medical condition that will prevent you from having a normal Substantially Gainful Activity (SGA) and you must meet the all the required work history and other requirements set by the SSA.

When you submit your initial application there is usually a 3 to 6 month waiting period in which approximately 35% of all applicants are approved nationally. If you need help with this process there are many good advocates to work with such as Freedom Disability located in Shelton Connecticut.

This company can guide you with completing the initial paperwork such as the Social Security disability application and a detailed information Activities of Daily Living Questionnaire as well as any other required paperwork. Once you have all your paperwork in order, a doctor will verify information on your application to determine that the disabling condition will last at least twelve months. (more…)

Disability Insurance is often the forgotten protection. Anyone can become sick or hurt. Whether you are employed or a small business owner, you can become sick or hurt, unable to generate an income, and find yourself financially devastated. This type of insurance is designed to protect you from such a dire situation.

According to the Social Security Administration, seventy percent of the private sector work force has no long term disability insurance. Moreover, three in ten workers entering the work force today will become disabled before retiring. Without a doubt, most people own life insurance to provide income for their loved ones in the event of a premature death. However, death due to the big three: hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes have dropped by thirty-two percent. Disabilities due to these conditions are up by fifty-five percent. (more…)

Losing your mobility because of an unexpected accident related to work or sport – that is the traditional explanation of the word ‘disability’ for most people. Nevertheless, just look at the statistical figures and you will see that accidents are accountable for only about a half the amount of handicapped people than serious sicknesses such as cancer, diabetes or heart diseases.

You and becoming handicapped?

If you are younger than 65, your chances of becoming long-term handicapped due to an accident or disease are double than the chances that you will die because of these causes. Naturally the chances of becoming handicapped gradually raises with age:

* out of every 100 children up to 14 years, 3 are classified as handicapped

* 4% of young people between 15 and 24 years become handicapped

* 7 in 100 adults between 25 to 44 become handicapped

* 17% of adults between 45 and 64 years become handicapped

* 40% of adults of 65 years and older become handicapped (more…)

More and more people are starting to realize how useful disability insurance can be. However, the best policies can get quite expensive, so if you are looking for this type of insurance you might want to try to find a way to reduce the cost. Typically policies cost between one and three percent of your salary. There are a number of options you can take advantage of in order to reduce the cost of this type of insurance.

First of all, if you get a group disability insurance policy through your employer it will be less expensive than if you get this type of coverage on your own. You really don’t have many options though, you have to choose between the few options they offer you. (more…)

If you are considering getting disability insurance, you are on the right track. It is a good idea for most people to get this type of insurance. It will help to keep you from getting over your head in debt if something unexpected should happen to you. The basic policy will go a long way, but there are some optional insurance riders that might make the policy even more useful to you, especially if you are young.

One of the most useful riders for anyone to have is the residual disability rider. A lot of times when people are sick or injured they don’t just get sick or recover all at once. It is a gradual process, and they might be able to work part time or perform part of their job duties when they are in the process of recovery. Without this rider, their disability would cut off if they went back to work part time. The rider makes it so that they can work a part time schedule and get a portion of their salary from the insurance company to help make up for the decrease in salary that this would entail. (more…)

A lot of people don’t bother getting disability insurance. They figure they don’t need it. However, this type of insurance can really make a difference should something happen to you that kept you from working for any length of time. Most people can’t afford to go without working for more than a few weeks or a few months. However, a difficult pregnancy or a long illness can keep you out of work for longer than that. Unless you have a lot of savings for emergencies or a lot of money in general, it would be a good idea to get this type of insurance.

Many people think that the disability insurance provided by their employer will be enough, but most of these policies have a maximum amount that they pay out per month, which is usually about 60 percent of your salary or even less if you have a pretty high salary since there is a cap on how much they will pay. Also, the benefits you get from work are taxed, so you will end up with even less than the 60 percent you might be expecting. A supplemental policy might be necessary in order to meet all of your expenses. Check into the insurance that is provided by your employer to see what the terms and conditions are so you are prepared should something happen. (more…)

So who decides if you are disabled? Your insurance company does of course. Therefore you need to pay special attention to the details in your policy. By reviewing this list of definitions you will be able to better understand your disability insurance policy.

Own Occupation: This means you are disabled and cannot perform the regular duties of your usual job, even if you could do some other job.

Any Occupation: You are considered disabled if you cannot work at any job that you are currently qualified for by training, education and experience.

Total Disability: You are disabled and unable to work at any job. (more…)

Most people would never imagine owning a house or vehicle without insuring it. People’s homes and cars are valuable assets and they naturally want to protect themselves. These same people often do not have adequate coverage (or any at all) for their largest most valued asset — their income!

Successful people consider more and more to secure their income in a case of a disability. Why do they do it? Because without proper planning, an unexpected disability can quickly exhaust their savings and create a substantial debt. Their income is essential to them and gives them their freedom. A 39 year old man for example: with an annual income of $60,000 and an assumed annual increase of 3% of his salary could lose up to $2,313,000 income if he gets totally disabled. It is evident that the need for income replacement is universal–yet many people don’t have this valuable coverage. The following statistics illustrate the need for income protection in the United States:

In 2003 alone, there were 3,400,000 disabling injuries, this breaks down to:

• 65,385 a week,
• 9,341 a day,
• 389 an hour and
• 1 every 10 seconds! (more…)

If you are a female professional that is in the market for Long Term Disability insurance, you probably have realized that disability coverage for women is fairly pricey. Due to a higher claims history with women, insurance companies usually charge 30-40% more for women than they do for men. As a female professional, it is important that you learn about the different ways that you can save on your premiums without having to sacrifice the benefits.

Most people looking for individual Disability insurance will do so either because they are self-employed or because their employer does not provide coverage for them. Whether you are a female business owner or a female professional working for a small, medium or large business, you could qualify for significant savings on your Disability insurance premiums. The following are two techniques we often use for our clients. (more…)