Individual disability insurance is privately-purchased insurance designed to provide a percentage of an employee's salary (45-60%) on a tax-free basis if he or she experiences a loss of income due to a sickness or injury. Because Social Security and Workers' Compensation only provide benefits under specific circumstances, many workers need additional disability protection. Although many employers offer disability insurance to their employees, an individual policy may be necessary if an employee does not qualify for employer-sponsored disability benefits and/or the benefits offered are not sufficient.

There are three classifications of individually owned disability policies: individual, mortgage, and business. Individual disability provides benefits to replace lost income due to sickness or injury, mortgage disability provides benefits to pay mortgage payments when the borrower loses income due to sickness or injury, and business disability provides benefits to cover overhead expenses for a sick or injured business owner, such as rent, employee’s salaries, utilities, and other business-related expenses. For more information about individual disability and/or other forms of disability, contact an experienced Disability Insurance Lawyer, as provided on this site, to discuss your disability insurance concerns and find the policy that is right for you.

Should I hire a Social Security Disability Attorney?

If you are denied on your Initial Claim, you should get a social security disability attorney to provide representation and help you with your claim for continuing and past due benefits (back pay). The reason you need a disability attorney is because a claimant will, typically, either be approved on an initial application. If the claim is denied, the claimant will typically be forced to follow the appeal route, at least to the point where their case is brought before an Administrative Law Judge at a social security disability hearing.

Initial claims are typically denied 60 to 70 percent of the time, depending on the state in which you filed, so chances are you'll end up in the hearing. And, you never want to end up in a hearing with no social security attorney representation. Use the form on this page to find a Social Security Disability Attorney to assist you with your claim and represent you if it is denied and you end up having to go to the hearing.