The LTD Opportunity

What Is Long-Term Disability?

LTD insurance is private disability coverage, most often provided through an employer's benefits package. When a covered employee can no longer work due to chronic illness or disability, the policy replaces a portion of lost income — typically 50–60% of pre-disability salary — often payable to age 65. For a disabled worker, a successful LTD claim can be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars over the life of the benefit.

Employer-sponsored plans are governed by ERISA and administered by carriers such as Unum, Cigna, MetLife, Hartford, and Lincoln Financial — insurers with well-documented histories of denying and terminating valid claims. That is precisely where specialized counsel changes outcomes.

How LTD Differs from SSDI

SSDI is a federal program funded through payroll taxes and administered by the Social Security Administration. LTD is a private contractual benefit paid by an insurer under the terms of a policy. The two systems apply different definitions of disability, different eligibility rules, and entirely separate legal frameworks — which means a client can pursue, win, and collect both at the same time.

Why SSDI Claimants Are High-Value LTD Leads

• Built-in eligibility. SSDI claimants are, by definition, workers who became disabled — the population most likely to have held employer-sponsored LTD coverage.
• SSDI approval helps. An SSA finding of disability is compelling evidence in LTD litigation.
• Benefits stack. LTD benefits do not reduce SSDI payments — clients can collect both.