Disability Benefit Plans

Know your long-term disability plan – and know your rights.

An employer disability benefit plan can be a great benefit to have. If you are unable to work because of a disability or disease, the plan should provide you with an income.

• The long-term disability policy is the contract between a claimant’s employer and the insurance company. The provisions in the contract vary from policy to policy, so it is essential ask the employer’s human resource department for a copy of the policy.
• Under most employer-based disability plans, short-term disability benefits are paid for a limited amount of time, anywhere from one week to six months. Because they are limited and because they are usually paid by the employer, it can be easier to obtain approval for short-term disability benefits than it is to obtain approval for long-term disability benefits.
• Typically, once short term disability benefits are exhausted, and the claimant has made it through the “elimination” or waiting period, he or she may apply for long-term disability benefits. These benefits are generally paid for 24 months if a person can prove that he or she is “disabled” and cannot work in his or her own job.
• After this “own occupation” period, the claimant must typically prove that he or she is disabled and cannot perform “any occupation” for which the claimant is fit based on his or her education, background and skills.
• If the claimant can continue to prove ongoing disability, benefits are usually paid through age 65, depending on the policy.
• Different rules may apply for mental disabilities such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder, and there may be offsets, for instance, for Social Security disability payments.

Contact us and make certain you have a clear view of your rights under your employer’s disability plan. Do not take a chance on losing this important benefit.