Disability Insurance vs. Workers Comp: What do they cover?

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the number of Americans who miss work is about 12 per 1,000 fully employed workers over the past few years.  In total, this means about 1.2 million people missed an average of 8 days of work each year in 2011 and 2012.  What happens to these people when they are injured varies depending on how they are covered by their insurance.  If they work for a company with 3 or more employees, then they will be covered by a workers compensation policy if the injury or illness occurs on the job.  Any officers who have excluded themselves from their workers compensation policy or people who miss work due to an occurrence outside of their job will only be covered if they have a disability policy.  Knowing the differences in these two insurance types is essential in keeping yourself covered and not financially devastated if you become physically or mentally unable to work.