As one of the largest financial services companies in the world, Met Life has thrown its substantial heft behind its disability income protection products with the introduction of its Income Guard Disability Insurance plan. Not only does it include one of the more liberal 
“own occupation” definitions of disability, it has also enhanced its residual disability benefit, both of which make this product particularly attractive to medical and dental professionals.
Income Guard’s Definition of Residual Disability
Going right to the Income Guard’s definition of Residual Disability (enhanced), the reduced earnings requirement of 15 percent sets it apart from its other plans and many competitors that require a 20 percent reduction. Additionally, with Income Guard you are considered to be residually disabled when:
You are receiving appropriate care from a physician who is appropriate to treat the condition causing the impairment, and
You are not totally disabled, and are gainfully employed, but you are:
- Prevented from performing one of the material and substantial duties of your regular occupation, or
- Able to perform the material and substantial duties of your regular occupation but at a reduced capacity of at least 85 percent of the time normally required, or
- Engaged in another occupation
Enhanced Recovery Benefit
In recent years, the Recovery Benefit has proven to be a critical aspect of disability income planning. Met Life’s Income Guard Disability Insurance plan joins a growing list of top tier, physician-specific disability insurers by offering its Enhanced Recovery Benefit with benefits payable for as long as your earnings are more than 15 percent below your pre-disability earnings up to the maximum benefit period. It also modifies the time and duties requirement inside it definition of Residual Disability removing:
Able to perform the material and substantial duties of your regular occupation but at a reduced capacity of at least 85 percent of the time normally required.
So there are only the two criteria for determining eligibility for the Recovery Benefit:
You are not totally disabled, and are gainfully employed, but you are:
- Prevented from performing one of the material and substantial duties of your regular occupation, or
- Engaged in another occupation
Its new, more liberal “own occupation” definition that includes specialty language and its enhanced Residual Disability Benefit should place Met Life’s Income Guard Disability Insurance on the essential list of physician-specific disability insurance policies to compare.