Long ago when I started working, straight out of college - was hired on at a busy local hospital. The administrator who took all of us new hires & new nurses told us we should sign up for optional disability, because the part that is payed through the hospital at no extra premium is not enough to live on. Around $200 a month. Best advice anyone ever gave.
I worked there for 5 years, worked at another couple hospitals & returned to roost at the first place 8 years later. By then, policy (or the lady who was willing to give it to us straight) had changed & no one advised us how important it was to sign up for LTD optional plan. There is no medical exam when you are first hired, they cover all employees no matter what & for any "window" (time frame of waiting before they issue payments) from 30 days to several months. I choose 60 days - wish I had made it 30 because you still wait another 30 days to have any income. It just starts to accrue at the end of the waiting period you select. I didn't need it for another 10 years, and then only for a few months. Now after my 2nd back surgery I am in a huge amount of pain and I don't see how I could hold a job - any job. It takes me 10 or 12 hours to get a minimal amount of crappy sleep - I am in severe pain for the first 3 or 4 hours I am first up - and I have no idea what days I am able to get anything at all done. I don't see what job or employer would be satisfied with me drifting in for a few hours whenever I was having a good day & have no problem with me calling off on all the others. If I have a good day I can cook or try to tidy the house, but I move at my own pace & can stop at any point I need to. Have to hire a housekeeper for all routine cleaning like vacuuming or mopping, etc. My once beautiful yard looks like a riot.
Anyway signing up for optional disability is so important. We don't stay young & strong forever, no matter how infallible we feel. I would advise anyone who can, to sign up for LTD and get a shorter waiting period for benefits to kick in.
The company my employer uses is Standard, they have been completely willing to cover my claims at least so far. Now that it doesn't look like I will be returning to work, I hope the worm doesn't turn. We shall see.