Long Term Disability Insurance: Getting the Most from Your Coverage
If you've decided to secure long term disability insurance, congratulations! You're taking an important step in helping to protect your ability to earn an income.
Posted in Long Term Disability Insurance on Sunday, November 2, 2025
You don’t have to look far for coverage that fits your needs as a doctor of chiropractic. The DC Long Term Disability Insurance Plan, issued by The Prudential Insurance Company of America (Prudential), is customized for DCs. It includes benefits and features you’ll appreciate.
Applying is Easy
You don’t have to wait. It takes just minutes to apply online. To make sure you get the most out of your coverage, here are a few things to consider as you complete the application.
Choosing Your Monthly Benefit Amount
Disability insurance pays a monthly benefit to help replace a portion of your lost income if you suffer a disabling injury or illness. You can use the money however you see fit—for recent medical bills or everyday expenses.
While disability insurance plans generally list a wide range of monthly benefit amount options, you should choose an amount based on a stated percentage of your predisability monthly earnings. (This is usually 60%.)
Why 60%? Group plans generally allow you to collect up to 60% of your income, and some individual disability insurance plans may cover up to 70%. This limitation is an insurance regulation to prevent people from profiting when receiving disability insurance benefits.
So, if your predisability monthly earnings are $5,000 and the disability insurance plan you’re applying for pays up to 60% of your predisability monthly earnings, you can apply for a maximum monthly benefit of $3,000.
If You Have Other Disability Insurance
Some DCs choose to have more than one disability insurance policy. For example, if you need higher benefit levels than one policy provides, a supplemental plan may make sense.
Just remember that the maximum amount you can receive from all disability income sources is capped, generally at 60%. Any benefits received may be reduced by other deductible sources of income you qualify for, such as Social Security, Workers’ Compensation, retirement benefits and other disability insurance plans. So, you may not receive the full benefit amount from both plans.
Calculating Your Pre-disability Monthly Earnings
When processing a disability insurance claim, an insurance company (in this case, Prudential) will verify that the monthly benefit amount you chose does not exceed the maximum allowable.
To do this, they verify your predisability monthly earnings. They’ll typically use your last two years’ income tax returns to do this. So, it’s a good idea for you to review those same documents to calculate your pre-disability earnings when choosing your monthly benefit amount. That way, you know you are applying for a monthly benefit amount for which you are eligible.
Keep in mind that long term disability insurance is only intended to help replace the income you receive from your normal occupation as a DC. This does not include:
- Investment income;
- Rent;
- Royalties; or
- Any other income not directly produced by your work as a chiropractor.
How Soon Should You Collect Benefits?
You choose how quickly you’ll receive benefits after your disabling injury or illness on the application. This is called the elimination period—the waiting period between the onset of your disability and when benefits are payable.
To help you decide, consider how long you can be without a paycheck to cover your bills and other expenses. If you don’t have much money at your immediate disposal, you may want a shorter elimination period. If you do have enough to cover everything for a while, a longer elimination period may work best.
Keep in mind that the shorter the waiting period, the higher the premium.
Long term disability insurance is a great way to help protect your financial future. Knowing these basics as you apply will help you get the most from your protection. If you have additional questions, we’re always happy to help. Call 800-932-9240.
NCMIC Insurance Services is the exclusive agent for the DC Long Term Disability Insurance Plan. California license #0B84564. IA License #2002515. In NY: NCMIC Insurance Agency. In MI: NCMIC Insurance Services Agency, Inc.
This plan is sponsored by and for members of the National Business Association for Chiropractors (NBAC). Disability benefits payable may be adjusted by other deductible sources of income for which you qualify. Disability insurance does include a preexisting condition limitation.
This plan is not available in Alaska or New Hampshire.
This policy provides disability income insurance only. It does NOT provide basic hospital, basic medical, or major medical insurance as defined by the New York State Department of Financial Services.
North Carolina Residents: THIS IS NOT A MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT PLAN. If you are eligible for Medicare, review the Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare, which is available from the company.
THIS IS AN EXCEPTED BENEFITS POLICY. IT PROVIDES COVERAGE ONLY FOR THE LIMITED BENEFITS OR SERVICES SPECIFIED IN THE POLICY
Group Insurance coverage is issued by The Prudential Insurance Company of America, a Prudential Financial company, Newark, NJ. The Booklet-Certificate contains all details, including any policy exclusions, limitations, and restrictions, which may apply. If there is a discrepancy between this document and the Booklet-Certificate/Group Contract issued by The Prudential Insurance Company of America, the Group Contract will govern. In Washington, the controlling document is the Certificate, not the Contract. Contract Series: 83500
1088582-00001-00