(Akiit.com) Disability insurance is a policy that will protect you if you are unable to work. If you do not have a policy in place then you could be putting both yourself and your family at risk. If you have never heard of long term or short term disability insurance before however, then you are not alone and there are several things that you need to consider if you have never taken out a policy for yourself.
Short Term Disability
Short term disability insurance is where you are paid a part of your income over a period of time. This is usually only the case if you are all out of sick days. Your benefits will usually be paid on a weekly basis and it can cover you for up to 26 weeks. The problem is that if you take out this type of disability then you won’t be covered for any work-related injuries. Some of the injuries that you might be 
covered for include prolonged sickness or broken bones.
Long Term Disability
This only begins when your short term disability has run out. A lot of people are curious to know the cost of long term disability and this is because a lot of people don’t think it’s worth it. After all, you have so many bills to pay for and this includes your life insurance as well. The last thing you need is another bill on top of all that, but if you don’t have any type of disability insurance at all then this could cause you real problems. For example, what would you do if you had to have surgery, and couldn’t work for 6 months? You would probably risk losing your house, your job, and everything you have worked hard for.
Long term disability insurance protects you against this. Some of the conditions that are usually covered under the long-term option include cancer, any accidental injuries that are proven to be serious or even cardiovascular diseases as well. If you happen to experience any of the above, then you will receive a paycheck until you can go back to work.
Insurance through Your Employer
It’s more than possible for you to take out an insurance policy through your employer and in some instances they may split the cost for you as well. A lot of people don’t know this, but it is possible to claim long term disability up until your retirement age. If your employer does not offer this then it may be worth you taking it out separately.
The main reason for this is because you can easily break a bone or develop a serious health condition at any time and when you do become ill, you can’t then take out a policy.
For this reason, it is very important that you plan everything out in advance so you can plan for the worst happening. Nobody thinks that they will ever need long term or short term disability coverage, but if something happens and you have it already, it could save you thousands and even your home.
Staff Writer; Carl Brown