May is Disability Insurance Awareness Month. Want to learn about the benefits of disability insurance? Our friend Serena Smith at State Farm can help!

If you have an accident or injury, your health insurance typically helps cover the medical bills. But what if your injury results in a total disability that prevents you from working and you need help paying the mortgage, childcare costs and other daily living expenses? Or, what happens if you get a disabling illness that results in you not being able to work? That’s where disability insurance comes in. In contrast to Social Security disability coverage, which has eligibility requirements and a rigorous application process, disability insurance is available to anyone and helps prepare for life’s what-ifs.

Here are the different disability insurance policies and options:

  • Short-term disability has a one or three year benefit period and can replace a portion of your monthly income up to a maximum of $3000, based upon your income.
  • Long-term disability has a five year up to age 67 benefit period and can replace a portion of your monthly income up to a maximum of $20,000, based upon your occupation and income. As part of this policy, you may want to consider optional riders:
    • A cost of living adjustment (COLA) benefit to protect against inflation by increasing your monthly disability payments each year.
    • Residual disability riders that continue to pay out in reduced amounts if you’re able to work part-time.
    • Accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D)
    • Social Insurance Supplement Rider (SIS) provides an additional benefit amount. Benefit amount will be reduced proportionally once the SIS benefit is approved.
    • 5 Year and to Age 67 Own Occupation option which changes the qualification of a claim so it’s specific to your occupation (if you can do another job, you would still get the benefit).
    • And others.

These insurance policies can take the form of a variety of products to help you plan for the unexpected.

  • Long-Term Disability Insurance: A type of disability insurance policy that provides funds to help replace lost income if you become disabled for an extended period of time.
  • Short-Term Disability Insurance: A type of disability insurance policy that provides funds to help with monthly debt obligations like car loans, mortgage, rent and credit cards — or to help replace lost income if you become disabled.

For more information on Serena Smith at State Farm, call 479.268.6431 or or visit www.serenasmith.com.