(Photo By Flickr User Anjan Chatterjee)

If you have an accident or injury, your health insurance typically helps cover the medical bills. But what if your injury results in a total disability that prevents you from working and you need help paying the mortgage, childcare costs and other daily living expenses?

That’s where disability insurance comes in. It’s not the same as Social Security disability coverage, which has eligibility requirements and a rigorous application process. Anyone can choose to get disability insurance to help prepare for what-ifs.

Here are the different disability insurance policies and options:

Disability Insurance Coverage Options
There are two types of coverage available:

-Short-term disability helps make up a large portion of lost income if a total disability requires you to be absent from your job for six months or less. It usually kicks in after all other options, such as paid time off or sick leave, are exhausted.
-Long-term disability will pay out a portion of your salary (typically 50 to 70 percent at the time you purchase the policy) for a set period, from as few as five years to up until you reach age 65. As part of this policy, you’ll want to consider additional options such as:
-A cost of living adjustment to help the monthly payouts keep pace with inflation

Residual or partial disability riders that continue to pay out in reduced amounts if you’re able to work part-time

(Information Courtesy Of learningcenter.statefarm.com)