By Sheryl Smolkin

The abolition of mandatory retirement across the country has removed a major obstacle for people who want to work beyond age 65. But options for older workers who need to be insured for long term disability (LTD) late in their career are very limited.

The reality is that if you stick with the same employer, your group LTD coverage will typically terminate at age 65. So I asked Lorne Marr, Director of Business Development at LSM Insurance* what’s available in individual LTD policies.

He told me that only one company (The Edge) he is aware of offers coverage to age 70 but the policy is less comprehensive than a more typical LTD policy from RBC ending at age 65.

Table 1: RBC LTD Quotes
Mid-level male manager
Non smoker

AGE	ELIMINATION PERIOD	BENEFIT PERIOD To Age 65	MONTHLY PREMIUM
30	30 days	X	$224.80
	90 days	X	$128.68
45	30 days	X	$573.61
	90 days	X	$261.14
60	30 days	X	$808.98
	90 days	X	$519.62

Source: LSM Insurance

First of all, the RBC policy provides that insured clients are covered if they are unable to work at their own occupation until age 65. In contrast, The Edge only pays benefits for three years if a disabled individual cannot be employed in his/her own occupation and then he/she is expected to work in “any reasonable” occupation.

The premiums on the RBC LTD policy are also guaranteed for the life of the policy. The younger the insured is when the policy is taken out, the lower the monthly payments. The Edge plan is guaranteed renewable, but the premiums can be increased for the whole class.

Finally, The RBC LTD policy has residual disability provision allowing disabled plan members to work in a limited capacity both during the elimination period and once they are receiving disability benefit payments. The Edge does not have comparable flexibility.

It is also interesting to note that policies from The Edge with an age 70 benefit period split out coverage for injury and illness and only 30 day and 120 elimination periods are available. Therefore, to get similar coverage to the RBC policy (subject to the differences discussed above), an individual would have to buy both.

Table 2: The Edge LTD Quotes*
Mid-level male manager
Non smoker

AGE	INJURY	ILLNESS	ELIMINATION PERIOD	BENEFIT PERIOD To Age 65	MONTHLY PREMIUM
30	X		30 days	X	$67.50
		X	30 days	X	$129.25
	X		120 days	X	$47.50
		X	120 days	X	$82.15
45	X		30 days	X	$67.50
		X	30 days	X	$208.55
	X		120 days	X	$47.50
		X	120 days	X	$132.15
60	X		30 days	X	$67.50
		X	30 days	X	$396.05
	X		120 days	X	$47.50
		X	120 days	X	$251.15

Source: LSM Insurance 

Table 2 illustrates that injury only coverage is relatively inexpensive. Furthermore, it is not displayed in the table, but The Edge’s guaranteed issue, injury only coverage is available to age 75.

In addition, Hunter McCorquodale offers unique solutions and high issue limits for executives and other highly-paid people still working beyond age 65 for as long as they are working. They will quote on full accident and illness coverage underwritten by Lloyd’s of London.

If you are applying for LTD at a young age, it may be difficult to predict if you will want or need to work beyond age 65. And with the limited, less than optimum types of polices with a benefit period to age 70 or beyond, you may eliminate such extended coverage from consideration almost immediately.

But Marr sees extending LTD benefit periods to age 70 as a good niche market opportunity for other carriers. “Because none of us can predict how long we might want to work, and coverage can be cancelled at any time, I’m hoping more companies will revisit their benefit periods and at least give clients the option to select coverage until age 70,” he says.

*LSM Insurance Brokers is located in Markham, Ontario. They have a working relationship with Delorie Jacobs and Gord Martens affiliates with the Sentinel Financial Group headquartered in Saskatoon.