According to the Council for Disability Awareness, someone becomes disabled every 49 minutes in the United States. What is frightening is that most Americans are not covered by disability insurance.
The Council for Disability Awareness compiled an extensive list of disability statistics in the United States, which included the following startling facts:
- More than 51 million people are classified as disabled in the United States
- Three in 10 workers will become disabled before they retire
- One in 7 workers will be disabled for more than five years
- One in 5 workers will miss work for at least a year before they turn 65 because of an accident or illness
- The average long-term disability lasts 2 ½ years
- 71 percent of Americans live from paycheck to paycheck
- 70 percent of employees in the private sector have no long-term disability insurance
Disability can cause a serious financial hardship, as it prevents people from earning a much needed paycheck. The majority of employees are not financially prepared when a disability occurs and they mistakenly believe that Social Security or Florida workers' compensation will cover their expenses. The average monthly benefit paid by Social Security is only $1,004 a month and many claims are denied. Only about 10 percent of disabling accidents and illnesses are work-related, meaning workers' compensation will not cover the disability.