Accidents often lead to injuries. Some injuries heal over time whereas some fatal injuries lead to permanent disability. Permanent disability or long-term disability impacts your life significantly not only in performing your daily activities but also the inability to work which leads to loss of wages. All of this affects the lifestyle that you used to live. For such workers who cannot return back to work permanently, there are conditions that qualify for long term disability in the U.S. It acts as a safety net for workers by providing them with monthly benefits payments which is a percentage of their past income.
A long-term disability can impact your life in the following ways:-
Employment issues: A long-term disability means you will be unable to go back to work permanently. This inability to work will lead to the loss of your job. Long-term disability insurance will be your only source of income till you find out other ways to make a living. The employment rate of disabled people is lower than expected. However, nowadays the trend is changing and companies are hiring people with long-term disabilities by giving them the job role that they can do.
Lifestyle changes: A long-term disability definitely impacts your lifestyle. Firstly, loss of income source will not allow you to spend as you used to in the past. Secondly, loss of body function will not allow you to easily move around or socialize, thereby affecting your social circle.
Discrimination: Such disabled people often face discrimination as compared to normal people. Such a negative attitude towards them demotivates them from actively participating in a community or social event. Such discrimination also leads to social exclusion.
Mental and emotional turmoil: Loss of income source and social exclusion due to long-term disability leads to mental and emotional turmoil. It leads to the following:-
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Anger issues
- Sadness
- Grief, etc.
Such mental turmoil leads to other diseases and affects physical health too.
It is disheartening and demotivating for some to live a life with a permanent disability. However, with long-term disability insurance in place, you can think of starting your life in a new way. However, in some circumstances, your insurance company might refuse to pay you the claim amount. In such an instance you must contact an expert disability insurance attorney and consult them on why it happened and how to recover the claim.
The Washington Magazine 