Disability Insurance Articles

The Problem With Going Back To Work Too Early After A Disability Claim

2011-06-28

Disability insurance plans provide great protection for employees, allowing them to receive a portion of their income while temporarily disabled before returning to work. However, the process of making a disability insurance claim can be complicated, and there's plenty of room for mistakes. One of the most frequent mistakes that disability insurance policy owners make is to return to work too early. This might not sound like such a bad thing; after all, insurance companies generally want their policy holders to return to work, as this means that payouts cease. However, there's a major problem with going back to work too early after making a disability claim.

Going back to work too early may affect the possibility of future disability insurance claims because it interferes with the treatment of the policy holder's condition. If an individual disobeys a doctor's orders and goes to work early, he or she may be instantly ineligible for future disability insurance payouts. A doctor must issue a document to the employee's insurance company and employer explaining why the employee is capable of working, what actions the employer must take to make sure that the employee's disability isn't made worse through work, and anything that the employee must do to continue treatment. This document is absolutely essential from an insurance company's point of view, and without it, they can claim that the insured employee isn't doing everything possible to get better.

The good news is that obtaining a return to work note from a doctor can be fairly easy, provided that the patient's condition has actually improved. In most cases, an employee receiving disability insurance payments will also have regular visits with a physician to determine when a return to work will be possible. During these visits, a physician will regularly evaluate the employee's condition and will provide advice on when to return to the job, as well as additional instructions for returning to work safely.

All disability insurance plans act somewhat differently, so the best course of action is to research disability insurance policies before buying them to and to stay in contact with an agent after making a disability insurance claim. Policy holders should know the process for successfully submitting a claim and should adhere carefully to all of an insurance company's guidelines. It's also helpful to keep notes on doctor's appointments, discussions with insurance company representatives and anything else that may be useful for justifying a claim. By following the right procedures, employees can return to work as soon as possible while still receiving a fair disability insurance payout.