Guardian Teams Up With Mental Health America To Educate Public About ... PR Newswire (press release)
, Vice President of Product Strategy for Berkshire Life Insurance Company of America, the Guardian company that issues individual disability income insurance. "But disability often means having back problems, being temporarily sidelined as you recover from a heart attack or cancer—or battling depression or other mental illnesses."Indeed, according to the Council for Disability Awareness (CDA)'s 2008 Long-Term Disability Claims Review, mental illnesses accounted for nearly 6.5% of new disability claims, not far behind the 10% caused by injuries and accidents.
Regardless of the cause, a disability can drastically impact a family's ability to cover basic living expenses. Seven in 10 employees say they could not cover expenses for more than six months if they missed work due to injury or illness, found the CDA's 2008 Worker Disability Planning and Preparedness Study.
"In this economy, protecting your ability to earn an income with disability insurance—obtained through your employer's group plan or on your own as an individual policy—is more important than ever," Hazzard said. "Knowing that your family's well-being can be protected even if a serious illness like depression forces you to leave the work force temporarily is critical."