ShieldWhat happens to your family if you can't work?
Three questions. Thirty seconds. The number most families never see coming.
Your family's monthly gap
That's what disappears if you can't work.
No commitment. No phone call required.
Six questions your employer plan hopes you never ask.
Answer honestly. The gaps you find here are the ones that matter when the paycheck stops.
Does your employer plan cover more than 60% of your base salary?
Most group disability policies cap at 60% — before taxes. After withholding, that's often 45%.
Does your coverage include mental health conditions and chronic illness?
Anxiety, depression, and autoimmune conditions account for 31% of long-term disability claims. Many employer plans exclude them.
If you can't do your specific job, are you still covered?
"Any occupation" policies cut off benefits if you can do any work — even unrelated to your career. "Own occupation" protects your actual income.
Would your benefit last until your youngest child turns 18?
Short-term policies pay for 3–6 months. Long-term policies often cap at age 65. Do you know which you have?
Could your household survive on one income for 24 months?
The average disability claim lasts 34.6 months. That's almost three years on one paycheck — if there is one.
If you're self-employed, do you have a personal disability policy?
Freelancers and business owners have no employer plan. A sick month means zero revenue — no unemployment, no sick pay.
Three people who needed this. Before they needed it.
Real scenarios. Real numbers. The version with a policy, and the version without one.
Two salaries, one mortgage, two in daycare.
Marcus and Priya bring home $11,400/month combined. Daycare for their toddler runs $2,100. A second is due in April. If Marcus's back injury keeps him out 8 months — as the average lumbar case does — their gap hits $6,200 before the first missed mortgage payment.
"We thought our employer plan was enough. It wasn't even close."Calculate our gap
One paycheck. No backup.
Danielle earns $5,800/month as a nurse manager. Her daughter is 4. There is no second income. A mental health leave — the most common claim for healthcare workers — means $0 in week three if her employer plan excludes psychiatric conditions.
"If I go down, everything goes down."See my options
Sick days cost you. Every one.
Tomás runs a freelance UX practice billing $9,500/month. No employer. No paid leave. No sick days. A herniated disc three years ago cost him four months of revenue — $38,000 — with no coverage. He had a policy quote sitting in his inbox.
"I thought disability insurance was for other people."Get covered now
See What You'd Actually Get.
Three screens. Your personalized coverage comparison lands in your inbox — no phone call, no pressure.
The Family Coverage Checklist
Six questions to ask your HR department — or your current policy — before you need the answers.
- Does your plan cover mental health and chronic illness?
- Is it own-occupation or any-occupation?
- How long does the benefit period last?
- What's the elimination period (waiting period)?
- Does it include a cost-of-living adjustment?
- Would it survive a career change?
Not ready to talk yet?
That's fine. Download the checklist, review it after the kids are asleep, and come back when the number feels urgent.
Ready to see your actual options?
See What You'd Actually Get →