Understanding Long Term Disability Benefits

Many employers offer their employees short term disability policies and long term disability policies. IT is also possible to purchase these types of policies on your own to protect yourself in the event that you may need them. People often use short term disability benefits for things such as recovering from childbirth, a surgery, or an injury or illness. In most cases, employ-sponsored short term disability policies will require a person to exhaust all paid time off before being eligible for short term disability benefits. Being approved for long term disability benefits after your short term disability benefits are exhausted can be a little more difficult. Consider reading to learn more about the requirements to receive long term disability benefits:

Medical Need

One of the main requirements in order to receive long term disability benefits is being able to prove that you have a legitimate medical need. This means that your physician will have to fill out a form and submit a letter on your behalf explaining your condition, your current treatment plan, and how long your condition is expected to last. In addition to this information from your physician, you will also need to submit your medical records. While you are applying for long term disability benefits, it is essential that you continue to see your doctor and carefully follow your prescribed treatment plan. If you have proof of a medical need but your application for benefits is denied, you may want to hire a long term disability attorney to assist you.

Fulfill the Waiting Period

Receiving long term disability benefits is not something that you should expect right away. In most cases, insurance companies have a specified waiting period before any type of benefits can be issues. In most cases, this waiting period is a few months. If you also have a short term disability policy, you can collect those benefits during the waiting period to collect long term disability benefits. 

Make Sure that You Qualify

Before you count on receiving long term disability benefits through your policy, it is very important to make sure that you actually qualify. Almost all insurance companies that issue long term disability policies do not provide benefits if you have an injury or illness that was diagnosed within a specified period of time before your long term disability policy coverage began. Many insurance companies will also deny benefits if your condition can be attributed to drug or alcohol abuse. 

Reach out to a company like Iler and Iler to learn more.