Disability Income Protection Insurance Plan

Insurance Plan

Disability income coverage through the Disability Income Protection Plan can help protect you from devastating financial loss due to a disabling illness or injury and can provide you with peace of mind, knowing that you could continue to support your family’s current lifestyle.

The Disability Income Protection Plan coverage provides protection at exclusive member-only rates that are among the lowest you’ll find anywhere for comparable coverage. By providing coverage only to ADA members through an experience rated group policy, we are able to offer generous policy features at an extremely attractive price.

The Plan includes a true "own occupation" definition of disability: that can pay benefits all the way to age 67*. If you become totally disabled from your specialized area of dental practice, you'll get full benefits, even if you are able to work in another area of dental practice or choose to enter a new profession.

• Up to $180,000 a year to replace lost income. The amount of disability insurance you need is typically 60% of your net monthly income. If your net monthly income exceeds $20,000 contact an Insurance Plan Specialist for assistance.
• Coverage for total or partial disability
• Exclusive member-only discounts

What are the odds I'll become disabled?

Statistics show that 1 out of 4 dentists will be disabled long enough to collect benefits at some point before retirement.

Source: Odds of disability determined by Great-West Financial in 2014 after studying years of disability claims submitted by insured ADA members.

Apply for Disability Insurance for Dentists.

To be eligible to apply for the Disability Income Protection Plan, you must be actively working 20 hours per week and not in the active, full-time service of the military.

Rates

The ADA-sponsored Disability Income Protection Plan offers exceptional disability income coverage at member-only premiums that can be significantly less than some other insurance carriers. By keeping premiums low, the ADA makes this important protection accessible to all members, even dentists who are just starting out in practice.

Rates are based on your gender and Attained Age and gradually increase every five years. All dentists within the same gender and five-year age band pay the same rates (though premiums can vary based on elected options).

To learn more and compare premiums by age and coverage options as well as waiting periods, download the Disability Income Protection rate chart for males (pdf) here and the Disability Income Protection rate chart for females (pdf) here. You can also obtain a Disability Income Protection premium quote online. Rates for all participants (regardless of gender, age or coverage) incorporate a Premium Credit discount, whenever the Plan's experience has been favorable. The current Premium Credit discount is 36%.

To be eligible to apply for the Disability Income Protection Plan, you must be actively working 20 hours per week and not in the active, full-time service of the military. There is a 25% increase to the Standard rate if the applicant uses tobacco. If the applicant does not qualify for Standard rates, it may be possible to qualify for one of the two additional substandard rate classes.

Features

The Disability Income Protection Insurance Plan was designed for ADA member dentists concerning the unique risks you face.

• True "own occupation" coverage: This Plan includes a true own occupation definition of disability – the most generous definition there is – pays you full benefits if you're disabled and can't work in your specialized area of dental practice, even if you're able to practice in other areas of dental practice or choose to work in another profession. (Not all insurance companies offer this.)
• Benefits are payable to age 67: Or if you become disabled between ages 65 and 75, benefits are payable for 24 months.
• Flexible waiting periods: You can reduce your premium by extending your disability waiting period or reduce your risk of income loss with a shorter waiting period. You can choose from 30, 60, 90, or 180-day waiting periods.
• Residual protection: Partial disability benefits are payable should you be able to return to work part time, following a total disability. And with the Plan's Residual Plus option, you can qualify for residual benefits even sooner without ever being totally disabled.
• Hospital waiver: If you incur a medically necessary in-patient hospital confinement that lasts a minimum of five consecutive days, your monthly benefit will be payable from the first day of confinement.
• Coverage renewable to age 75 (if actively working full-time)
• Voluntary rehabilitation program: An optional, fully-paid rehabilitation program including both physical and occupational therapy is available to help you get back to work as soon as possible.
• Mental and nervous conditions: This coverage includes full long-term benefits for mental and nervous disorders, as well as some benefits for disabilities resulting from alcohol, drug, chemical, or substance abuse.
• Tax benefits: Generally, disability insurance benefits are not subject to federal income taxation, as long as you have not deducted the insurance premiums as a business expense. Please consult with your tax or legal advisor.

Coverage Lock-In

The plan features that you select when you purchase Disability Income Protection coverage with ADA-sponsored insurance plans are in place for the life of your coverage. Read more about ADA-sponsored insurance plans coverage lock-in.*

To be eligible to apply for the Disability Income Protection Plan, you must be actively working 20 hours per week and not in the active, full-time service of the military.

* Mandatory changes because of changing regulatory or legal requirements in the future may be made as required by Illinois law. Otherwise, coverage features in effect on or after November 1, 2009 may not be amended by Great-West or the ADA once coverage commences as long as the participant does not allow coverage to lapse. Locked-in coverage features that subsequently lapse may not be available upon re-application for coverage. Premium rates are subject to change. The Coverage Lock-in feature does not apply to the Universal Life certificate.

Options

Members under age 50 are eligible to enhance their Disability Income Protection by applying for the following options:

• Residual Plus: Income benefits without being totally disabled.

  Our most popular enhancement among members, this optional coverage does not require you to be totally disabled to receive benefits. Days of both full and partial disability count toward your waiting period even if they are not consecutive. For example, with the Residual Plus option and a 90-day waiting period, you could qualify for partial benefits when you are completely or partially disabled for any 90 out of 180 days.

  Benefits of this option include:

  • Recovery Benefit: If you fully recover from disability and return to full-time work performing all of the duties of your own occupation, you may continue to receive a monthly benefit for up to an additional three months as long as you continue to suffer an income loss of 20% or greater.
  • Liberal Definition of Loss of Income: During the first 90 days of partial disability, lost income will be based on a 20% drop in billables, rather than receivables, so benefit payments can potentially begin sooner.
  • Renewable through age 64.

• Future Increase Option: Get more coverage without a medical exam.

  Your income needs today may not be the same in the future. This optional coverage guarantees your ability to increase coverage as your income needs increase – without a medical exam (subject to financial underwriting and the overall plan maximum of $15,000).

  Advantages of this option include:

  • Get an additional $1,000 in coverage every twelve months, up to a maximum increase of $5,000, without providing Proof of Good Health.
  • Additional coverage can be applied for at any time and is subject to underwriting.
  • Renewable through age 54.

• Cost of Living (COLA) Option: Don’t let inflation devalue your income benefit.

  This optional enhancement allows your benefits to automatically increase keeping pace with the cost of living.

  Why select this option?

  • COLA is particularly beneficial for long-term disabilities that extend for several years or even decades.
  • Adjustments to the annual benefit are based on increases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
  • Renewable through age 59.

To be eligible to apply for the Disability Income Protection Plan, you must be actively working 20 hours per week and not in the active, full-time service of the military.