[CAUT] disability insurance

[Jeff Tanner]

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On Jan 19, 2006, at 2:56 PM, Wimblees@aol.com wrote:

> As a standard, Social Security will pay benefits when you are not  
> able to perform any duties of any job after being totally disabled  
> after 6 months. The payments will continue as long as you are in  
> that condition. How much the payments are I don't know, but I  
> assume it is what senior citizens are getting when they retire.

It usually takes an experienced lawyer a couple of applications to  
get you Social Security disability benefits.  I have long forgotten  
how the SS disability benefits are calculated.  I've seen some pretty  
lame (pun intended) injuries qualify for benefits, but it will take  
you a lawyer to help you get them.

> The definition of disability also varies, from not being able to  
> perform your "normal" duties, to not being able to do anything in  
> your trained profession. My policy says my "normal" profession. In  
> other words, if I did loose my hearing, my policy would cover me.
>

I just found mine. It says (these are more or less the definitions I  
remember from college):

Definition of Disability:
You are disabled if you meet one of the following definitions during  
the period it applies:

A.  Own Occupation Definition of Disability;

(You are disabled from your Own Occupation if, as a result of  
Physical Disease, Mental Disorder, Injury or Pregnancy, you are  
unable to perform with reasonable continuity the Material Duties of  
your Own Occupation)

You may work in another occupation, while you meet the Own Occupation  
Definition of Disability.  If you are disabled from your Own  
Occupation, there is no limit on your Work Earnings in another  
occupation.  (although there may be a deductible income issue -- they  
basically don't want you to earn more on disability than before you  
were disabled)

B.  Any Occupation Definition of Disability; or

(You are Disabled from Any Occupation if, as a result of Physical  
Disease, Mental Disorder, Injury or Pregnancy, you are unable to  
perform with reasonable continuity the Material Duties of any gainful  
occupation for which you are reasonably fitted by education, training  
and experience)


C.  Partial Disability Definition.

(During the Any Occupation Period, you are Partially Disabled when  
you work in an occupation but, as a result of Physical Disease,  
Mental Disorder, Injury or Pregnancy, you are unable to earn more  
than the Any Occupation Income Level in that occupation and in all  
other occupations for which you are reasonably fitted under the Any  
Occupation Definition of Disability.)

I left out the complicated stuff, and changed around the order as it  
appears in the policy to simplify the explanation but that's the  
general idea.  There are issues like "deductible income" but I'm  
looking at the supplemental policy.  I don't have the state  
disability policy in front of me.  The benefit is usually some  
percentage of current income, depending on what you're paying for  
(you don't get many options with a group plan), and also varies  
depending on which definition of disability you meet, but remember,  
social security benefits are also available, although they may be  
"deductible income".

You just have to look at each plan.  The law requires that the  
language to be understandable by us regular joes who aren't lawyers,  
so you should be able to make heads or tails of it.  Also, your  
agent, although he's not going to want to, should be able to supply  
you with a copy of a policy to be able to read before you purchase  
it, and I seem to recall that you are supposed to have the right to  
refuse for something like three days after you've received your  
individual policy as well.

Man! been a while.

Jeff
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