The Importance of Disability Insurance—A First-Hand Account
As a veterinarian, your calling is to care for others—from the animals you treat, to the clients you empathize with, to the loved ones you cherish. At AVMA LIFE Trust, we share that same passion.
For over 60 years, we’ve been committed to helping protect the veterinary community. So there’s nothing that brings us more joy than hearing how our products have helped veterinarians like you get through tough times.
A couple years ago, we received an email from Dr. Barry Wander, the franchise owner and head veterinarian of Woof Gang Bakery Grooming and Vet Clinic in Boca Raton, Florida. Dr. Wander wanted to express his gratitude to AVMA LIFE and our insurance carrier, New York Life Insurance Company, for encouraging him to obtain disability insurance and professional overhead expense coverage and for providing support in his time of need.
Here’s his story, in his own words*:
There have never been more truer words written or spoken than the old adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Being a practicing DVM for over 33 years, I wouldn’t have realized how important having disability insurance and professional overhead expense coverage would be… until I needed it.
I had to have an extensive reverse shoulder replacement surgery that sidelined my abilities to practice, I was diagnosed with a severe essential tremor of my dominant left hand and arm, and I was diagnosed with concurrent bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome with crippling arthritis as a result of using surgical instruments my whole life. I would never have anticipated needing such coverage when I was a young, strapping, self-confident, and vibrant practitioner and surgeon.
But thank goodness for my AVMA LIFE agent who urged and convinced me when I was just starting out to have disability coverage for myself and my practice to protect me against the events that can shape and affect our professions and businesses for a lifetime. When the unexpected happened, it was a life saver.
I don’t know what I would do if it weren’t for the comforting and genuinely sincere support of AVMA LIFE and New York Life, who were there for me in my time of need. My senior claims representative has been here for me every step of the way—guiding me through the claims process with sincere interest, concern, and a helping hand.
No one can anticipate what lies around the corner… that your health can become threatened and your future ability to practice your art and craft can be suddenly taken away from you by illness.
Your youth fools you into thinking you are invincible and that you’d never need a disability insurance policy to rely on. Take it from someone who was fortunate enough to have listened, learned, and believed in my agent’s sound advice when it became a question of protecting myself for the future.
Disability and professional overhead expense insurance can mean the difference between worrying how to pay your bills and making ends meet and being able to sleep at night. You can either pay the price for coverage now… or pay the price for not having it in the future.
Stories like these remind us why we do what we do. Helping protect you and your loved ones in your times of need is our calling. It’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly, and we hope we can continue to help provide protection and peace of mind to the veterinary community for decades to come.
To learn more about the products and services offered by the AVMA Trust, visit our websites: AVMA LIFE and AVMA PLIT.
*This story has been lightly edited for clarity.
The experiences of the individual described herein may not be representative of the experiences of all members.
For more details on AVMA LIFE Trust Disability Income and Professional Overhead Expense Insurance, including features, costs, eligibility, renewability, exclusions, and limitations, visit our product pages: Disability Insurance and Professional Overhead Expense Insurance.
Coverage is underwritten by New York Life Insurance Company, NY, NY 10010 on group policy form GMR.
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