Disability (Long-term)

Long-term disability insurance is a type of insurance that provides income replacement for a person who becomes disabled and is unable to work for an extended period. Here are some key features of long-term disability insurance:

• Long-term disability insurance is designed to provide income replacement for an extended period of time, typically until retirement age.

• To be eligible for long-term disability benefits, an individual must be unable to perform the duties of their occupation due to injury or illness.

• Disability benefits typically replace a percentage of the individual's pre-disability income, usually ranging from 50-80%.

• The waiting period for long-term disability benefits can range from 30 days to 180 days, during which time the individual must be unable to work due to their disability.

• The benefit period for long-term disability insurance is usually 2, 5, or 10 years or until the individual reaches retirement age.

• The definition of disability varies among insurance policies, but typically requires the individual to be unable to perform the duties of their occupation for a certain period of time.

For example, let's say that John is a surgeon who has a long-term disability insurance policy. He injures his hand in a car accident and is unable to perform surgeries for an extended period. Because he is unable to perform the duties of his occupation, he qualifies for long-term disability benefits. His policy has a waiting period of 90 days and a benefit period until age 65. The policy provides a benefit of 60% of his pre-disability income.

Next Up

Mployer is pleased to announce the winners of its sixth annual Top Employee Benefits Consultant Awards for 2026, recognizing brokerage offices nationwide that deliver exceptional value and client satisfaction in employee benefits. The program highlights nearly 1,000 brokerage office locations, approximately 10% of offices nationally, that have demonstrated excellence in benefit strategy and client outcomes, underscoring the critical role advisors play in shaping the health, welfare, and employee experience of more than 160 million Americans.
This month, Catalyst makes prospecting and outreach easier with AI-powered email creation, more powerful search filters, improved industry and Workers' Comp data, broader access to Mployer data through AI assistants, and improvements to Advanced Analytics.
According to Mployer Insights’ 2026 analysis of 76,000+ employer benefit plans, basic group life insurance achieves near-universal participation with an 83% employer offer rate and a 97% employee enrollment rate, driven by the fact that 96% of basic plans are noncontributory (100% employer-paid). While 47% of employers structure life insurance as a variable multiple of earnings—with 1x salary serving as the dominant national standard (62% of multiple-based plans)—flat-dollar benefit options vary widely from $8,500 (10th percentile) to $48,793 (90th percentile). Additionally, 92% of employers offer employee-paid voluntary life insurance to allow workers to bridge the gap toward the recommended 10–12x salary coverage target.