Accidents Happen, Suffering Should Not
Should sickness or injury prevent you from earning an income at your occupation disability insurance would serve to replace 40 to 60 percent of your gross income, tax-free. There are several types of disability insurance options, a State Security representative is available to help you examine your options and find the policy that is right for you.
To help you explore your options we’ve defined three commonly available policies. Prior to making any commitment to disability insurance, please contact us at 1-800-277-2300 to make sure you receive the policy that is right for you.
Own-Occupation Disability
Is the inability to perform the major duties of your occupation. The insurance company will consider your occupation to be the occupation you are engaged in at the time you become disabled. They will pay the claim even if you are engaged in another occupation. This definition represents the broadest terms under which an individual can claim a disability. Under Own-Occupation Disability, an individual can continue to work in another occupation, provided that the sickness or injury prevents the individual from performing the occupation that he or she engaged in prior to the sickness or injury. Under this definition, the Disability Insurance insurer does not penalize the disabled individual for attempting to remain productive despite their sickness or injury.
Gainful Occupation
This policy gives nearly complete discretion to an insurance company in determining whether an individual has a disability, because the types of occupations for which a person could "reasonably qualify" represents a broad range of occupations. While it is unlikely that an insurance company would require a dentist to work at a fast food restaurant, the use of the "Gainful Occupation" definition in a Disability Insurance policy makes it more likely that litigation will arise if an individual attempts to make a claim on a policy.
Income Replacement
This policy measures disability by the individual's ability to perform the occupation he or she engaged in prior to the sickness or injury. The critical difference in this policy is that the insurer will reduce the disability benefit by any amount the insured earns in a different occupation. Therefore, if an individual who qualifies as disabled wishes to work, the insurer will reduce the benefits the Disability Insurance policies pays out by the amount that the individuals new job pays. By penalizing those individuals who chose to work, "Income Replacement" provides a disincentive for individuals to find work that they can perform after suffering from a disability.
