Should You Offer Group Disability Insurance to Your Employees?
By: Angela Cervio
The answer is always "YES"!
If you have 10 or more employees, a group disability benefit may be a valuable addition to your employee benefits package. Group disability plans typically provide a totally disabled covered employee with a benefit of up to 60% of their pre-disability income, to a specified maximum, such as $10,000 a month. It can help to cover personal expenses as well as provide business overhead protection. For Key Employees, or higher earners, this coverage can be increased to 100% of pre-disability earnings!
Beneifits can be offered to employees on a voluntary basis- meaning no cost to the employer!
Advantages of a group plan include:
- Plan design flexibility. In many cases, employers can elect a plan design that fits their budget and works for their employees. For example, an employer may choose a guaranteed issue plan, which gives employees the option to purchase coverage regardless of their current health condition.
- Lower premiums. Group rates tend to be lower than individual rates.
- Potentially portable. Depending on the plan design, covered employees may be able to take their coverage with them if they leave the company.
- Premium payment flexibility. Premiums can be paid by the employer, the employee, or a combination of the two, using pre-tax or after-tax dollars.
- Tax deductible premiums. You can take pre-tax company-paid premiums as a business tax deduction.
- Recruitment and retention tool. Having group disability insurance in your benefits program helps attract and retain quality employees.
- Short Term Disability & Long Term Disability can be packages together or separately.
- Positive impact on your Workers Compensation
Drawbacks to group disability plans include:
- Employer paid coverage can be expensive
- Benefit amounts are capped, which may make it difficult for you and your higher-paid employees to replace a large enough percentage of income.
- Disability is reduced by other forms of income