The average underwriting time of our agency is 35 days, this is the period of time from the moment we receive the completed application until the issued policy is overnighted to your home. Underwriting is the insurance company's selection process, and while 35 days is the average, it is very common for the process to take as short as 2 weeks, and as long as 2 months. There are several major factors that influence the underwriting time of your application.

1. How Detailed Is Your Application? - If you provide all of the details the insurance company needs up front, it takes us less time to keep coming back to you for clarification on some of your answers on the application. So it is always a good idea to provide a high level of detail when you apply for disability insurance through Berkshire or Guardian.

2. How Long Does It Take To Obtain Your Medical Records? - This probably causes more delays than any other part of the disability insurance underwriting process. The insurance company generally requests a copy of your medical records from your general physician, and the insurance company is also at the mercy of their office for them to turn around the request. Sometimes they obtain medical records within a couple days, however sometimes it takes a very long time for your physician to send the insurance company a copy of your medical records. There is a third party company that follows up on this request very often in order to obtain the records as quickly as possible.

3. Scheduling The Paramedical Exam - Once our office receives your completed disability insurance application we will order a paramedical company to contact you to schedule a paramedical examination. This includes a blood test, urine sample, BP reading, and some medical questions. If you schedule this sooner rather than later, it helps to reduce the underwriting time of your application.

The bottom line is that a disability insurance application can be underwritten very quickly, however there are some potential delays. As a consumer you can help to reduce the delay time by providing a high level of detail when you complete the application, ask your physician to provide the medical records quickly, and by scheduling the labs in the same week you receive the phone call.