Nearly one-half of all adults will be disabled for ninety days or more before they reach age 65. You will want to have at least 50% of your salary covered in the event of an accident or illness.

Group Long Term Disability (LTD) coverage is generally less expensive, but it must be offered through your employer. If available, it may cover up to 60% of your salary to a cap. If no group LTD is available, or if your income is greater than the cap, you should consider non-cancelable individual disability income.

In addition, make sure you have a feature called “residual disability.” This type of coverage pays you on a pro-rata basis after you return to work but cannot make as much money due to time or duty restrictions.

⁵Cite: Mebane, F. Want to Understand How Americans Viewed Long-Term Care in 1998? Start with Media Coverage, The Gerontologist, Vol. 41 No.1, p.24, February 2001