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Most popular questions

Short term disability insurance is a kind of insurance that helps replace your lost income for up to a year if you become too sick or injured to work.

How much income you’ll receive (your monthly benefit) and the maximum amount of time you’ll receive it (your benefit period) depend on the policy and the options you choose. With Haven Disability, you can choose a monthly benefit from $500 to $5,000, and a benefit period of either 3, 6, or 12 months.

Many people are likely to benefit from disability insurance, but there are some situations in which coverage could be especially important. Those include:

  • If your income is needed to pay some or all of your family’s important monthly expenses (especially single parents)
  • If you have a physically demanding job
  • If you don’t have enough emergency savings to cover your most important bills for several months

You can use Haven Disability benefits for anything you need, including your rent or mortgage, car payment, food, utilities, and more. The money comes directly to you and can be used as you see fit.

Haven Disability is currently available in all states except CA, DE, FL, MT, ND, NY, SD, and WY. (But we’ll be expanding soon, so check back often.)

Haven Disability benefits aren’t subject to taxes. Because Haven Disability is purchased privately with post-tax money, you won’t be taxed on any benefits you collect.

One of the main differences between Haven Disability and employer-provided plans is portability. If you change jobs, your employer-provided disability coverage will probably end, but you can take Haven Disability with you if you switch jobs.

If your employer pays for your short term disability insurance, or if you pay for it with pre-tax money, the disability benefits you receive will likely be subject to taxes. Because Haven Disability is purchased with after-tax income, your benefits aren’t subject to tax deductions.

We can’t offer Haven Disability to anyone planning to replace an existing disability policy, but it can be used to supplement your coverage. If your workplace disability policy won’t quite cover your monthly bills, choosing a small individual policy may help fill the gap.

About us

Haven Life is a tech-focused life insurance agency that offers affordable insurance products that you can purchase online.

Haven Disability is a disability insurance product sold by Haven Life. Other products offered by Haven Life include Haven Term, Haven Simple, Haven Secure, Haven Salary Protection, and AgeUp.

Haven Life is backed and wholly owned by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) Springfield, MA 01111, a leading insurer with a long history of financial strength. Our relationship with MassMutual allows us to provide you with dependable protection, while still having the freedom to innovate.

MassMutual has been in business for 170 years and is rated A++ (Superior) for financial strength by A.M.Best.1

Disability insurance

The best answer is “it depends.” Disability insurance needs vary by situation, so we can’t give a blanket answer for everyone. But there are some things you should consider when choosing a disability policy:

Monthly expenses

One of the most important things to consider is how much you spend every month on necessities, like rent or mortgage, utilities, car payments, and food, along with other obligations, such as student loans and credit card debt.

Emergency savings and other income sources

The more you have saved for a rainy day, the less you’ll probably need to rely on short term disability insurance in the first weeks and months after losing your income. Having a partner who earns an income can also help reduce the amount of income you’ll need to replace. But if, like many Americans, you live paycheck to paycheck, you may want to choose a larger benefit amount to cover your essential bills, along with a shorter elimination period to receive benefits after missing as little as two weeks of work.

The price you’ll pay for individual disability insurance depends largely on the coverage options you choose, including how much you’ll receive per month, how long the benefits last, and how soon you’re eligible after becoming disabled. Other factors that affect your monthly premium include your age, gender, and occupation.

Monthly Haven Disability premiums typically range between $10 and $50 a month, depending on the choices listed above. The easiest way to find out how much it costs for your situation and preferred options is to get a quote.

Your monthly benefit is the amount of money you’ll receive each month if you’re sick or injured and can’t work. With Haven Disability, you can choose a monthly benefit from $500 to $5,000 per month.

There’s also a maximum of 60% of your income. If you earn $4,000 per month before taxes, the highest monthly benefit you could choose is $2,400. But, since Haven Disability is purchased with after-tax money, disability benefits are tax-free. A monthly benefit of $2,400 means you’ll receive $2,400.

Your benefit period is the maximum amount of time you’ll receive disability benefits if you can’t work because of illness or injury. Haven Disability offers benefit period options of 3, 6, and 12 months.

An elimination period is the amount of time you’ll need to be disabled before you’re eligible for disability benefits. Haven Disability offers elimination periods of 14, 30, and 60 days. With a 14 day elimination period, you’d be eligible for benefits if you suffer a covered disability that prevents you from working for more than two weeks.

That doesn’t mean you have to wait for your elimination period to pass before filing a claim. If it’s clear you’ll be unable to work for an extended period, it’s best to file as soon as possible so we can get to work processing your claim. Monthly benefits, however, do not begin to accrue until the end of the elimination period.

Short term and long term disability insurance are related, but provide protection for different scenarios. You can absolutely have both types of disability insurance, and many people will benefit from having each.

Short term disability insurance is intended for less severe injuries and illness that prevent you from working for shorter periods of time – usually weeks or months.

Long term disability insurance is intended to cover major disabilities that prevent you from working for very long periods of time – usually years. But it also doesn’t begin paying benefits until you’ve been disabled for a long period.

Your application

To qualify for Haven Disability, you’ll need to meet the following criteria:

  • Between 18 and 55 years old
  • Actively working at least 25 hours per week
  • Earn at least $30,000 per year in an hourly or salaried (W2) job
  • U.S. citizen or permanent resident
  • Not active military or in the process of enlisting
  • Not been convicted of a felony in the past 10 years

Currently, Haven Disability is only available to salaried and hourly (W2) workers. But good news! We’re planning to cover gig and contract workers soon. 

The application process takes around 5 minutes to complete.

The Haven Disability application is 100% digital. You’ll need to answer some questions about your health status and medical history. Your application is subject to our approval.

During the application, you’ll need to provide your…

  • Personal and contact info (like your name, address, gender, date of birth, etc.)
  • Medical history, such as height, weight, tobacco use, and previous or current illnesses. All of the questions are things you’ll likely know off the top of your head – no records needed
  • Information about your current job and the activities it requires
  • Payment details and Social Security number for identity verification

Companies selling financial products are required by law to verify their customers’ identities to prevent money laundering and other illegal or unethical activities. Your Social Security number is used only for the ID verification – we don’t run credit checks, and your information will be kept private and secure.

You can pay Haven Disability premiums using either a credit or debit card (including American Express and Discover), or by linking a bank account.

Yes, Haven Disability includes a discount if you choose to pay your full year’s premiums up front.

You can contact our support team by email anytime at disupport@havenlife.com, or by phone at 1 (855) 950-1395 weekdays from 8:30am to 4:30pm Eastern.

Your coverage

The largest monthly disability benefit we offer is $5,000. There’s also a cap of 60% of your pre-tax income. That means if you earn $4,000 per month before taxes, the maximum monthly benefit would be $2,400.

Keep in mind Haven Disability benefits aren’t subject to income taxes, so a $2,400 monthly benefit means you’ll receive $2,400 per month.

Haven Disability currently offers benefit periods of 3, 6, and 12 months.

Yes. While disability insurance won’t cover job losses due to business closure, being unable to work because of illness is covered, including COVID-19 and other contagious diseases.

There are some disabilities that may cause you to miss work for an extended period, but aren’t currently eligible for Haven Disability benefits in most cases. These include (but aren’t limited to):

  • Normal pregnancy and childbirth
  • Substance abuse
  • Most cosmetic surgery
  • Self-inflicted injuries

Exactly which disabilities are and are not covered can also vary depending on your state and policy endorsements. If you have a question about a specific condition or state, you can contact our support team by email at disupport@havenlife.com, or give us a call at 1 (855) 950-1395 weekdays from 8:30am to 4:30pm Eastern.

Disabilities caused by pre-existing conditions may not be covered in some situations. We’ll ask you about your medical history during the application. Disabilities caused or contributed to by a pre-existing condition we ask you about on the application won’t be covered if the disability begins before the policy has been in force for 24 months. Disabilities caused by a pre-existing condition we don’t ask you about won’t be covered if the disability begins before the policy has been in force for 12 months.

For reference, a pre-existing condition is defined as one for which…

  • Symptoms existed that would reasonably cause an ordinarily prudent person to seek diagnosis, care, or treatment within the year before the policy issue date
  • Medical advice, diagnostic testing, or treatment was recommended or received by a physician within the two years before the policy issue date
  • A qualified health professional prescribed drugs or medication within the two years before the policy issue date

To receive benefits, you’ll need to suffer a total disability. That means…

  • You have a condition caused by sickness or injury that prevents you from doing the important tasks, functions and operations generally required for your occupation that can’t be reasonably omitted or modified
  • You’re under a doctor’s care
  • The disability begins while the policy is in force

We consider your occupation to be your regular profession(s) or business(es) at the start of a disability for which you receive or can receive remuneration.

Absolutely. Once you’re approved for Haven Disability coverage, you’ll have the option to renew until age 65.

Claims

Our support team is here to help. Contact us by email anytime at disupport@havenlife.com, or by phone at 1 (855) 950-1395 weekdays from 8:30am to 4:30pm Eastern.

To begin the claims process, you’ll need to provide:

  • Personal information (like your name, date of birth, etc.) and policy number
  • A brief description of the diagnosis or medical condition causing your disability
  • The last date you were able to work normally

Depending on the circumstances of your claim, we may request additional information. From there, our dedicated claims team will walk you through the process and keep you up to date on the status of your claim at every step.

You’ll be eligible to receive benefits as soon as your elimination period has elapsed. If you suffer a serious illness or injury that will keep you from working for an extended period, it’s a good idea to file as soon as possible so we can get to work processing your claim. We try to pay all claims within 7 days of approval.

You can use your disability benefits for anything you need. The money comes directly to you, and can be used as you see fit, without restrictions.

Yes, you can file multiple claims, provided you suffer multiple disabilities that are not concurrent. For instance:

  • If you have more than one injury or sickness during the same claim occurrence, your claim will be treated as one continuous period of disability.
  • But if you suffer an injury or sickness that prevents you from working, and after receiving benefits and recovering from your disability, you later suffer a new injury or sickness that prevents you from working again, you can absolutely file a new claim.

Haven Disability includes a waiver of premium, which means you won’t pay your monthly premiums while collecting disability benefits.

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It’s important to be honest in the application process. The issuance of the policy or payment of benefits may depend upon the truthfulness of answers you give in the application.

1 Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its subsidiaries C.M. Life Insurance Company and MML Bay State Life Insurance Company are rated by A.M. Best Company as A++ (Superior; Top category of 15). The rating is as of February 1, 2021 and is subject to change. MassMutual has received different ratings from other rating agencies.