Long-Term Disability Facts
Long-term disability is generally defined by the Social Security Administration or an insurance company. In both cases, these definitions assist in determining whether or not an individual should receive benefits from an insurance policy or the Social Security Administration.
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Defining Disability
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There is a complicated process for defining disability. Insurance companies have different plans and levels of coverage. They may define disability differently than the government. Three common levels of disability according to insurance definitions are: a person cannot work at his own occupation as he did before becoming disabled, a person cannot work at a job for which he is qualified through education, training and experience, and a person cannot work at any occupation due to the disability. Different insurance plans pay at different levels of disability.
Social Security
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Social Security's definition for disabled is that a person cannot work at any occupation. The decision of whether or not someone is disabled has five steps: A person cannot be working more than a set amount determined by the government; the condition must be defined as "severe" and last more than one year; the condition must be on the state's list of impairments; the impairment must prevent the person from doing the work they did before; and the person must be unable to do any kind of work.
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Warning
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Private disability insurance must be purchased before a disability occurs. Short-term coverage may come in the form of worker's compensation for on-the-job injuries or it may come from a group disability insurance policy through an employer. It can take six months to a year to complete the application process for Social Security disability benefits.
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References
- Photo Credit sign. disabled. wc. toilet image by L. Shat from Fotolia.com
