Guardian Disability Insurance Brokerage

I Am Pregnant...Can I Get Disability Insurance?
The Reality
by Paul Baader

First and foremost….Congratulations! You are about to welcome a new bundle of joy to your household.

At our office we hear this question several times a day. One of the most natural steps after a couple finds out that they are about to welcome a new baby into their family is to think about protecting the family, and being able to support them financially. In doing so, most couples decide to purchase or increase their existing life insurance coverage. The next most common thought is about replacing their income while out on maternity leave, especially if the woman is the breadwinner of the family. This leads us back to the question above.

The good news is that the answer is YES. With most insurance companies, it is possible for a woman to obtain disability insurance while currently pregnant. The bad news is that you should expect a rider on any issued policy excluding pregnancy and any complications thereof. This is quite common with most of the major disability insurance companies in the industry. The insurance carrier will simply exclude your pregnancy from the coverage. However, please keep in mind that the trimester that you are in will have an impact on the offer from the insurance company. The odds are significantly higher for a policy to be issued with only a pregnancy exclusion if you are still within your first or second trimester. The odds of a declination or postponement of coverage becomes more of a reality further along in your pregnancy.

One important thing to think about is that most disability insurance contracts are geared towards disabilities that last longer than 90 days, and as a result are referred to as “Long Term Disability Insurance.” These are not the type of contracts that are designed for individuals that are simply looking to replace their income while out on maternity leave. Unfortunately, that type of “Short Term Disability Insurance” is typically only offered on a group basis, and usually provided by an employer.

Also, please keep in mind that if you do obtain a disability insurance policy, and it has a “Pregnancy Exclusion” within the contract, it is important to understand that this exclusion may be reviewable. Once you are back at work on a full-time basis with no restrictions, you can contact your insurance agent to have the policy exclusion reviewed by the insurance company. If the exclusion rider is removed, any pregnancy you have in the future would not be subject to any exclusion riders except for the normal pregnancy exclusion built into the policy that does not pay benefits during the first three months of a disability caused by or contributed to by pregnancy or the elimination period whichever is longer.

A maternity leave is not a disability. A disability is a sickness or injury preventing you from performing the material and substantial duties of your occupation. A pregnancy is neither a sickness or an injury, however complications from a pregnancy could lead to a disability. I just want to be clear that a maternity leave is a natural act, and not a disability in and of itself.