Category: Long Term Disability Benefirts

What Qualifies as a Long-Term or Permanent Disability?

Dealing with a disability and getting appropriate compensation can be complicated and frustrating. While many people imagine that disabilities are something you are born with, in most cases disabilities usually occur later in life or develop over time. Disabilities can result from accidents or injuries, or even from acute or chronic illnesses. Understanding what qualifies as a long-term or permanent disability can help you to navigate disability coverage options and make the best choices for your future.

Long-Term Disability

First, it is helpful to have some definitions, and to have an idea of how the different kinds of disabilities are defined. The difference between long-term and permanent disabilities is usually unrelated to the type of illness or injury, but more about the length of time you are affected. A long-term disability is a physical, mental, or emotional health condition that affects you for at least one year. There are many conditions that can qualify for this kind of disability coverage, as long as the duration qualification is met.

Mental health issues like anxiety and depression, physical illnesses like cancer and heart disease and chronic illness and chronic pain can all potentially qualify as long-term disabilities. If you have personal long-term disability coverage, or are seeking long-term disability coverage from social security, and you have any of these conditions, you should be able to get the help you need. Though these long-term disabilities are in some cases related to a work related injury, most of the time they are due to unrelated medical or mental health difficulties that make it hard for you to continue doing your job.

Permanent Disability

Permanent disabilities generally start out as long-term disabilities and eventually progress to where they are unlikely to improve anymore. This can happen either because the injury or illness worsens over time, or because you have tried all medical interventions available, and there are no more options left to treat your disability. When a doctor has ruled out the likelihood of future intervention improving your symptoms or capacity to work, you are considered to have a permanent disability.

Sometimes medical advances may occur in the future that could more effectively treat your disability, but if at a current point of time there aren’t further interventions, the disability is considered permanent.

How to Qualify

Qualifying for disability is different depending on the kind of disability assistance you are trying to acquire. If you have disability insurance through your employer, then you will have to speak with HR and see if you qualify for disability through their benefit. If you have personal disability insurance, then you would need to qualify through the parameters set up by your insurance provider. And, if you want to qualify for disability coverage through social security, then there are also parameters you would need to meet.

For social security purposes, you would need to have worked a qualifying job before sustaining your disability. Then, you would need to document a medical condition that qualifies as well. Once you have established those two things, you should be able to receive disability social security benefits.

What it Means

When you are qualified to receive social security benefits, you will generally be able to qualify until you are able to return to work. There are also additional incentives that can help you as you make a transition back to working regularly. Social security monthly disability benefits average at around 1200 dollars a month, but depending on your situation, they may be higher. If you were a breadwinner for your family, you may qualify for more of the benefit in order to properly care for your other family members.  If you at some point are able to return to work, make sure to talk with the folks at social security so they can help you to get transition benefits while you return to the workforce and figure out the best way for you to begin making the transition.

Living with a Disability

Living with a disability can be difficult and complicated. Once you have secured your financial benefit to live on, it is also important that you take care of yourself mentally and physically. When you obtain a disability later in life, it can be difficult to make the transition and live your life differently. Make sure to maintain connections with the people you love, friends and family are an important part of a happy life, and you still deserve and need those connections after becoming disabled. Also, don’t be afraid to seek out resources that will help you live more fully and learn to manage your disability well.

With the right information on your side, you can manage your disability and get the benefits you need. Understanding how disability benefits work can help you to make the best possible decisions for your future and your quality of life.

5 Steps for Applying for Long Term Disability Benefits

People don’t like to think that accidents or injury could happen to them, but unfortunately, the statistics are against them. About 1 in 4 twenty-year olds get seriously injured and are unable to work for a period of time before they retire. Thankfully, many employers provide or make available disability insurance to help in this siutation There are multiple types of disability insurance that kick in if you are ineligible to work for any amount of time. There is short term disability that prevents you from being able to work for shorter periods of time (no longer than 6 months usually) and then there’s long term disability (which can range from 2 years until retirement). Either of these types of insurance may be provided by an employer or purchased individually. This article focuses on how to apply for employer provided long-term disability insurance.  Here’s a step-by-step process of how to apply for long term disability benefits.

Look at Quotes

Long before you need to use it, you will need to purchase long-term disability insurance. Every insurance company is different as is each individual. Different companies have different ways of measuring how an individual qualifies for their insurance, so you want to find a company that fits for you. You also want to look at whether your employer offers disability insurance. Most employers will have short term disability insurance to some degree, but you may have to look on your own to find an insurance company that will give you long term disability benefits. There usually isn’t a lot of choices to make with an employer provided policy. The most important is usually whether you will pay for the policy premium before payroll taxes are deducted or after. Generally speaking, if you pay your premium after taxes are deducted then you will not be required to pay taxes on the benefits if they are awarded. Some employers also offer policies with different maximum payment periods. You will want to consider your age and your various risk factors in determining how long you want the long-term disability benefits to last.

Filing a Claim for Benefits

If the time comes that you need the long-term disability benefits , the application process will require you to fill out paperwork. The details for the paperwork differ depending on the company, but most companies will ask you for your name, date of birth, social security number, contact information, family members, name of your employer, work and education history, when you were last able to work, when you becamesick/disabled, your reason for disability, all medical providers and their contact information, prescribed medication, and any other income you might receive. The form is sometimes called the employee’s statement and requires basic information about you and your health history. The insurance company wants to know as much information about you and your health history as they can so they can make an informed decision about offering you insurance. They will use the information you provide to gather information such as medical records, testing, prescription records, and job descriptions. Then they will review that information often with the help of medical and vocational experts. That means that it is very important that you are thorough and accurate with the information you provide on these forms. Remember, insurance companies do not make money by paying claims so they are not likely to go out of their way to help you no matter how difficult your circumstances or how nice they seem on the phone.

Get a Statement from Your Doctor

You will then need to submit a physician’s statement completed by your doctor. Most insurance companies will provide you with a form that asks the necessary questions. Some may even contact your doctor directly. Some insurance companies will have you complete a medical exam with their medical technician at their expenses. But regardless of what insurance company you are applying to, you will need a doctor to provide your medical history, including diagnosis, treatment, and the doctor’s assessment about your ability to work with the injury or sickness. Your physician’s statement is one of the most crucial aspects of applying for long term disability benefits because the insurance company needs to know that you are disabled and will not be able to work long-term. If your doctor recommends additional testing to strengthen your case you should take that recommendation very seriously and get the testing done. Because long-term disability claims come under such high scrutiny, you want to be as thorough as you can in your application process.

Getting Approved

After you’ve submitted the proper paperwork, you may have to do a phone interview with the representative of the insurance company. They will talk about your health history, your lifestyle and will likely ask for the contact information of your primary physician. Even after the interview, your approval process is not complete. An insurance company representative that specializes in making disability decision will review all the information including the medical reports and your statements.It can be a long and anxious waiting period, which is why it’s important to be thorough with your application and submit your paperwork on time to the company. While the final approval process is not up to you, and there’s not much more that you can do other than wait. The policy sets the amount of time the insurance company can take to make a decision and there is usually an allowance for at least one extension. When you get the decision, it will come in a letter from the insurance company. Sometimes an insurance company representative will also call you to notify you of the decision..

What to Do If Rejected

Sometimes applications get rejected. This rejection doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t meet the definition of disability under the policy. Rather, it may mean that there wasn’t enough medical evidence for the insurance company, or that the insurance company simply made the wrong decision. Remember, insurance companies don’t make money by paying claims.. If your application is denied, you generally have 180 days to appeal it, but this can vary by policy so make sure to read your denial letter carefully. The insurance company’s decision does not limit your future or your potential—you can still get the disability benefits that you need to support your family.

Long term disability benefits require a lengthy process to be approved, and even then, it’s not guaranteed. But if you qualify, long term disability benefits can greatly benefit you and your family when you are not able to go into work.