Long-term disability insurance coverage is sometimes part of a comprehensive benefits package. Some people also carry private policies to protect themselves and their family members. While most policyholders never require this type of coverage, it can be invaluable to those who experience sudden medical emergencies.
Long-term disability insurance can help replace an individual’s wages when medical challenges prevent them from maintaining gainful employment. How long a condition and any related unemployment must last to qualify can vary from one policy to the next. Typically, people need to wait anywhere from 30 days to 180 days or longer before coverage becomes available.
Successful long-term disability claims can help protect policyholders from devastating financial stress. They can also be relatively costly for the insurance company. As such, long-term disability claims are subject to intense scrutiny. How can professionals prove that they cannot continue to work?
By gathering medical evidence
Insurance companies want objective evidence of a debilitating medical issue, not just the personal claims of a policyholder. In some cases, a policyholder may have a diagnosis so devastating that there is no question about their capacity to continue their career.
Other times, an individual’s injury or illness could present in a variety of different ways. If there is any question about the severity of the condition, then intensive testing may be necessary. Functional capacity evaluations and similar testing can help prove that an individual cannot work. These tests last for hours and thoroughly examine how injury or illness symptoms affect their ability to work.
Those with insufficient medical evidence or denied benefits claims may need help as they prepare to pursue their long-term disability benefits. Gathering adequate evidence is important for those who require long-term disability benefits to pay their cost-of-living expenses.