The Hartford Financial Services Group has announced that it is offering the new DisabilityAccess Rider as an option on most of its permanent life insurance policies.

Hartford said that its new DisabilityAccess Rider is designed to provide small business owners and their key employees with help with critical expenses while those covered by certain Hartford life insurance policies recover from a disability or, in the case of a life-altering illness or injury, find a new way to make a living.

Once qualified under the rider, the policyowner receives a monthly disability benefit of as much as $5,000 a month for up to two full years. The rider can be purchased with many new permanent insurance policies at an additional cost of between 6% and 10% of the premium.

When purchasing one of The Hartford’s Bicentennial UL Founders, Leaders VUL Liberty, or Leaders VUL Legacy life insurance policies, a policyholder may purchase a DisabilityAccess Rider for an additional charge and a first-year issue fee.

The rider provides a monthly benefit with a maximum lifetime benefit equal to 24 monthly payments and can help bridge the gap between a return to work or, in the case of a permanent disability, the potential receipt of social security benefits. Because the DisabilityAccess Rider is on an individually owned life insurance policy, coverage is not lost if an employee changes jobs. It can be renewed up to the policy anniversary date closest to the insured’s 65th birthday, though the cost of the coverage may increase.

The monthly benefit amount is determined when the policy is issued and is generally received income-tax free. The maximum monthly benefit is the smallest of the following: 2% of the total initial face amount of the policy, $5,000, or 30% of the monthly salary at the time the policy is issued.

Cliff Barron, Hartford’s director of life insurance product development, said: “The DisabilityAccess Rider is intended to provide a safety net to small business owners, sole practitioners, and their key employees when they need it most. For those who already know they need life insurance to protect their family’s income, it’s an easy add-on. It can also prove useful to a highly skilled person who can no longer practice their craft because of an injury, and who now needs time to find a viable career alternative.”

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