Insurance Library

Disability

Experiencing a disabling injury or sickness often means a significant loss of income. Disability insurance is a type of health insurance that provides you with an income should you become sick or injured and unable to work. It protects your family against a financial troubles by giving you an income to meet daily expenses.

Disability insurance comes in two major forms:

• A variety of employer-paid and government-sponsored programs, generally cost-free to the recipient, covering certain categories of workers.
• Private policies, paid for by you, that protect income when there is no applicable employer or government program or when those programs do not adequately meet your needs.

Disability coverage can last for different lengths of time. Short-term disability coverage provides benefits for a short period of time, usually 13, 26, or 52 weeks, and up to a maximum of five years. A long-term policy may provide benefits up to age 65, the normal retirement age.