An income safety net for your peace of mind

It’s a waiting period between the time when your disability begins and the time when you begin receiving benefit payments during which time you must remain disabled. The most common options are 90 days and 180 days and you should check with your benefits representative for your company’s specific plan details.

That depends on your needs and what percentage of your salary you think you would need if you were unable to work.

Typically, you would get it through your employer, though you can purchase it on your own. It tends to be more expensive if you purchase it on your own.

This is determined under the terms and provisions of the policy. Check with your benefits representative for your company’s specific plan details.

If the same disability recurs within a certain amount of time, you don’t have to satisfy the elimination period again, so your benefits would begin right away if you are determined to be disabled under the terms and provisions of the policy. If a new disability occurs, you will need to satisfy the elimination period before you can receive benefit payments if you are determined to be disabled under the terms and provisions of the policy.

Every policy is different, but typically short- and long-term disability insurance will not cover things like intentionally self-inflicted injuries, loss of professional or occupational license or certificate, or injuries that happened while committing a crime or during war or an act of war, whether its declared or undeclared. It also may not cover pre-existing conditions, like a disability you were treated for in a specific period of time before you signed up for the policy.

Coverage typically ends when employment is terminated. Check with your benefits representative for your company’s specific plan details.

They can be. Please seek advice based on your particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor.

If you are receiving income from another insurance policy, retirement benefits or a government program, such as workers’ compensation, your disability benefits may be reduced.

The amount you receive depends on your pre-disability earnings and the benefit percentage in your policy.

As soon as possible after you’ve been disabled. If you have Short- or Long-Term Disability Insurance from Equitable, you can obtain a claim form from your employer. If your disability is scheduled, such as surgery or childbirth, you can file a claim prior to the event to help speed up the process.

You’ll need your personal contact information, work schedule, reason for not being able to work, last day worked, first day of missed work, information about your condition and the contact information for your treating physician.

If you have Short-Term Disability and Long-Term Disability from Equitable, we will initiate the long-term disability claim as the end of the short-term disability benefit period approaches. If we don't insure your short-term disability policy, you will need to fill out and send a long-term disability claim form to the group claims department address on the form.

This varies by carrier. If you have short- or long-term disability from Equitable, you’ll typically have a short-term disability claim decision within 10 business days and a long-term disability claim decision within 30 business days from when we received the appropriate completed claim form. If it looks like it will take longer than that, we will let you know as soon as possible and explain why it’s taking longer than expected.

Your claim analyst will work with you throughout the process and can help you design an appropriate return-to-work schedule when you are no longer disabled. Please notify them when you know your return-to-work date.