May is Disability Awareness Month, a fact I typically overlook when writing the May column. It seems as if disability income protection is fated to be the most overlooked benefit in terms of both need and customer value. For example, in study after study where employees rank benefits in importance, disability income coverage consistently rates behind medical, prescription drug, dental, vision and life insurance.

It’s easy to see why medical coverage is virtually always ranked first, and it is also easy to understand that everyone knows they need life insurance. In each case, there are significant economic needs that would be very difficult to meet without insurance. Prescription drug coverage is also essential for those with significant needs such as chronic medical conditions. But for many of us, prescription drug coverage is good for occasional utilization – it saves us money on prescriptions that we are likely to need a handful of times a year.

Dental and vision coverage are like that as well. They are “utilization products,” helpful in meeting common bills, especially when significant work is required. And because employees ranking benefit values usually think about the benefits they use, dental and vision coverage ranks highly. The question “how do you rank your employee benefits?” takes people down a path where utilization drives importance.