Disability Insurance Articles
How Disability Insurance Coverage Protects The Hearing Impaired
2010-06-28
Disability insurance protects people from loss of income when they become ill or disabled and cannot work. If an illness or disability prevents a person from performing the essential functions of his or her job (like becoming hearing impaired), disability insurance will pay a benefit to compensate for some, or even all, of the person's lost earnings. The percentage of income covered by disability insurance varies depending on the policy. Generally, the benefit is an amount equal to 50 or 75 percent of their income, although some policies may cover up to 100 percent.
If a person becomes hearing impaired, disability insurance may help in protecting against loss of income. In particular, when a person cannot perform the essential functions of his or her job because of being hearing impaired, the benefits of a disability insurance policy will be available. Determining whether disability insurance will provide a benefit to a person with a hearing impairment will all depend on the nature of the person's job. If hearing is not essential to the job, such as with a computer programmer or graphic artist, the person will be able to continue to work, and disability insurance benefits will not be paid. If an employer can make a reasonable accommodation, such as providing a TDD device, and with the accommodation the person can perform his or her job, disability insurance benefits will also not be available. However, when hearing is essential to the person's job, such as with an air traffic controller or an audiologist, and no reasonable accommodation exists to allow the person to perform his or her job, disability insurance will cover the person's loss of income, up to the amount determined by the individual policy.
Many companies offer disability insurance as an employment benefit. If your employer provides disability insurance and you become hearing impaired and cannot work, check with your human resources department to find out how to apply for benefits. In many cases, you must choose to participate in an employer-provided program, and sometimes you must make a contribution to the cost of the disability insurance through a payroll deduction. For people without employer-provided disability insurance, individual policies can be purchased through many different insurance carriers. Online quotes for disability insurance are easily obtained by searching the term "disability insurance quotes."
For people who are hearing impaired and eventually cannot work due to their impairment, disability insurance can offer the peace of mind that their financial security will not be compromised by a loss of income. Always remember to read any disability insurance quote carefully in order to understand all of the policy terms, limitations and coverage levels.