The Value of Disability Insurance

As a husband and father, David Heydrick, MD, hadalready obtained life insurance and made a will. But afterhearing a presentation by IBC representative Bob Paff, herealized that there was a whole range of wellness conditions"between healthy and death"that were not financiallycovered in his life, including long-term disability.

"Though I had not previously considered this possibility,it was clear from his presentation that this was somethingimportant that needed to be addressed, especiallyto protect my family's future well-being,"Dr. Heydricknotes. Even though he read articles on disability policies,the details and potential scenarios were still complicated,and that's where Paff really made the difference.

"Having worked many years in the insurance industry,Paff was able to not only clearly and fully explain the variousdisability policy options, but also assign relativeimportance measures to them,"Dr. Heydrick says. "Hemet with me at my convenience and, using examplesfrom his own life and other clients'experiences, helpedme choose a quality disability policy."

In 2003, the very reason for obtaining the policymanifested itself in the form of Parkinson's disease.The irony of a young neurologist with a neurodegenerativedisease was not lost on Dr. Heydrick's friends.

"Unfortunately, my symptoms progressed quickly andrequired reduction of my workload, and subsequentlymy income,"Dr. Heydrick explains. "I notified Paff of mysituation, and with amazing compassion, efficiency, andeffectiveness, he led me through the disability applicationprocess and ran interference for me when needed,yielding a timely approval of the claim. Additionally,above and beyond his professional duties, he offeredempathy and encouragement, and to this day, checks inwith me regularly to see how I'm doing."

Dr. Heydrick recognizes that the preservation ofincome provided by the disability policy, now and formany years to come, is a blessing to his family. "It has providedpeace of mind to me and my wife, allowing me tostill work the hours I can as a neurologist, concentrate onmy health and family, and even work part-time with alocal Parkinson's foundation,"he says. "I am grateful toBob Paff and IBC for providing me with the importantinformation about the necessity of a disability policy andthe subsequent guidance from policy application to disabilityclaim and the continued personal follow through."