What is disability insurance?
Disability insurance serves as a financial safety net if you’re unable to work due to unforeseen occupational disability. Covered disabilities must result in a work capacity reduction of at least 50% lasting over 6 months. Common disabilities include mental illnesses like burnout and coordination impairments such as chronic back pain.
Public health insurance covers the initial 6 months of occupational disability. Disability insurance fills this gap until retirement or your ability to return to work.
How does disability insurance work?
You’ll apply for insurance with a requested monthly payout sum. This is the amount you will get per month after it has been determined that you have an occupational disability.
Why is disability insurance necessary?
Premium
Disabilities related to mental illnesses
About 1 in 4 people in Germany face mental health challenges annually. Psychological issues rank as the second most common cause of sick leave and the leading reason for early retirement. With the mental health add-on, your disability insurance covers psychosomatic occupational disabilities.
What isn’t covered?
Chronic back pain
Aleyna, a chef diagnosed with chronic back pain, finds support through disability insurance when she’s unable to continue in gastronomy. After the waiting period, she pursues a new career in design, confident in her continued coverage with disability insurance.
Cancer
Steven is diagnosed with thyroid cancer and needs to have his thyroid completely removed while taking medication and going through therapy to fight off the cancer. After 3 years, he feels well enough to continue his former work and continues to pay into disability insurance at that point.
15% of the people who will receive disability insurance will have cancer-related occupational disabilities. In this scenario, they will receive their monthly payout until they can work or retire.
Addon
Burnout
Peter embarked on an internship in his dream industry, juggling over 35 hours of work per week alongside his studies. Despite the strain, he excelled and secured a promising start-up job after graduation. Over the next four years, he poured himself into the company, clocking over 70 hours a week and assuming multiple roles to ensure success. However, the venture collapsed when a formidable foreign competitor entered the market, triggering Peters untreated burnout. Left incapacitated and unable to secure new employment, he relies solely on his disability insurance for income.