Austin residents rely on their jobs to provide for themselves and their families. When people suffer injuries or illnesses and cannot work, it can create a very difficult position while they recover. Workers’ compensation benefits can help in cases involving work-related injuries. However, if the injury or illness is not work-related, people may need to turn to other resources.
One option is long-term disability insurance, which can pay a portion of a policyholder’s income while they are unable to work. As the name states, this insurance is designed for long-term injuries.
Basics of long-term disability insurance
People generally cannot start to use the insurance benefits until after a period of time after the injury or illness prevents them from working. This period varies depending on the insurance plan, but it usually will not start for a month or up to six months after the injury or illness began. The time generally coincides with how long a short-term disability insurance plan lasts.
The insurance benefits can last up to two years, if the injury or illness prevents the policyholder from performing the job tasks they were performing prior to the injury. However, if the person is unable to perform any job tasks for any job position, the long-term insurance benefits may last longer than two years.
The injured person may also need to also apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits when they begin receiving the insurance benefits. If the person starts to receive SSDI benefits, those payments will offset any insurance proceeds.
Long-term insurance benefits can be crucial to people who are unable to work in Texas. That is why denials of their claims can be devastating.
However, initial denials of insurance claims do not mean that people will not receive the insurance benefits they paid for with their monthly premiums. There is an appeals process and the initial denial can be challenged.
