When it comes to making an individual disability claim, women may unfortunately have a greater need to file than men. That’s because women are more likely to suffer a disability than men and therefore are put at a greater financial risk as well. The physical and financial risk for women exists whether they are single or married.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, women are increasingly more likely to suffer a disabling condition during their working and senior years than men. Between 1999 and 2009, disability among women has risen disproportionately in comparison to men, and women are more than twice as likely to suffer the leading cause of disability among all adults, arthritis.
When a disability hits, women are also more likely to be financially impacted than men. According to a survey conducted by State Farm, half of the surveyed women said that if they became disabled their household finances would be “somewhat devastated.” Women were also asked how a disability would impact their savings. More women than men believed their savings would last less than one month if they suffered a disability, and women were more generally worried about the impact a disability would have on their financial well-being.
When it came to marital status, single women identified themselves as being slightly more vulnerable than their married counterparts. About 30 percent of single women who took the survey saw the consequences of a disability as “totally devastating” whereas about 20 percent of married women held the same view.
For many women, employer-sponsored disability insurance is their main source of disability coverage, and that means the proper completion of an individual disability application is all the more important to receive disability benefits. Too often, insurance companies cite the lack of information to avoid payment and an experienced disability lawyer can help an applicant complete her claim to ensure proper benefits are received.
Source: insurancenewsnet.com, “Women at Risk When It Comes to Disability,” June 5, 2012