Disability Insurance Articles

3 Tips For Making A Disability Claim On A New Policy

2011-08-03

Accidents and illnesses happen, but your wages shouldn't suffer just because you are. You need that money to pay your medical bills, regular bills and everything in between. Luckily for most, there is disability insurance that you can count on. A disability insurance policy tends to include long term disability, short term disability and paid sick leave. The purpose of disability insurance is so, if the employee has an illness or accident that prevents them from going back to work, they can continue to receive their normal earned income. Sometimes these policies work in conjunction with worker's compensation, though you would have to apply for both and speak to your employer or disability insurance provider to find out if you can. There are three tips when you're thinking about filing a disability claim on a new disability insurance policy.

It doesn't matter if your policy is new or old; the first thing that must be done is to report the claim. Although this seems rather obvious, it is the important first step in getting the process moving. Many people wait until much later in their illness or injury to call and report a claim. If you do this, it may slow down the claims process and ultimately delay the arrival of your income checks. As soon as you believe that you'll be absent from work for more than seven calendar days, you should report the claim. You can actually report a claim up to four weeks in advance of your disability leave, but that normally follows scheduled surgeries or childbirth.

The next thing that must be done in order for you to get your checks at the right time is know when your disability will start. In many cases, your disability, whether short term or long term, starts the moment you report the claim. In other cases, disability pay starts when you actually file a claim. For this reason, know when you want to start your disability leave because that will ultimately determine when your weekly benefits will start. Try to time it so that you get the money you need for the duration of time you need it.

Probably as important as reporting the claim and figuring out when to start disability is getting your physician to sign off on your disability. This may actually be the most important tip to take into account because without a doctor's signature on the "Doctor's Certification", you will not be able to get your income quickly. This form tells your employer and insurance provider that you are in fact ill and that you need time off to recover or get better before working again.