Disability Insurance

The amount of monthly income replacement benefits you will receive while unable to work is based on the lesser of your qualifying insurable monthly earnings (QIME) at the time of your claim, or the amount of coverage purchased.

Yes. Employee Insurance is offered by the federal governments as temporary financial assistance to those who qualify. It is possible to receive unemployment insurance benefits along with income replacement benefits – which are helpful for longer-term financial security. You can utilize a private disability benefits plan alongside many kinds of coverage. For instance, if you’re in a car accident, you can coordinate benefits between your personal accident insurance or your government plan, and your EDGE income protection policy for maximum coverage.

Worker compensation plans through an employer are designed to protect you if you are injured at work only. A private disability plan means that your income is protected all the time — not just for a work-related injury. It’s also not mandatory in all provinces to be covered by WCB. EDGE recommends 24-hour coverage because our plan covers injuries and illnesses that worker’s compensation benefits may not.

Permanent total disability means an individual can no longer work due to injury or illness. Permanent partial disability, like back and neck injuries, are more common. An individual is still able to fulfill their role, but not at full capacity.

Soft tissue injuries typically occur in one of two ways; due to a sudden event, or over time. An event-related injury might be a Sprain or Strain. Those that occur over time are sometimes called ‘Repetitive Motion Injuries’ – doing something over and over results in a stretching or deterioration of the soft tissue around a joint. Sometimes people think repetitive motion conditions, such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Bursitis, or Plantar Fasciitis to name a few, are an ‘illness’, which they are not. Regardless whether a soft tissue injury results from a sudden event or over time, EDGE covers both types of injuries under the guaranteed issue Income Protection – Injury coverage. There are limitations to the length of time that benefits will pay out, but typically this is in line with the recovery period for such injuries. Depending on your policy, typical payout periods can be 20, 40 or 60 days or longer per occurrence, with a lifetime payout, including all occurrences, of 36 months.