Volunteer Work and Long-Term Disability Benefits: Rules

Author: Disability Attorneys Dell & Schaefer
Published: 2010/09/19 - Updated: 2026/01/11
Publication Type: Informative
Category Topic: Claims - Related Publications

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates

Synopsis: This information from disability law specialists addresses a common concern for people receiving long-term disability benefits who want to volunteer. The guidance proves particularly valuable because it comes directly from attorneys who handle ERISA and disability insurance cases, offering practical insights into how insurance companies scrutinize volunteer activities. People with disabilities need to understand that carriers often compare volunteer tasks to previous job duties, potentially using any similar activities as evidence that a claimant can return to paid employment. This creates a careful balancing act for individuals who want to stay engaged in their communities while protecting their benefits - making this legal perspective both practical and necessary for anyone navigating long-term disability claims - Disabled World (DW).

Introduction

Can I do Volunteer Work While I Am on Disability Benefits?

Many of our clients will ask us if they can engage in volunteer work while they're collecting long-term disability, and the answer really depends on the scope of how disability is defined within your disability policy.

Main Content

For example, if you were going to go out and do some volunteer work for a local charitable organization, whatever those activities are that you're asked to do for that charitable organization, if they're similar to the scope of what you were doing before you became disabled, the long-term disability carrier could make the argument that if you're able to do that type of work for the charitable organization, then why couldn't you go and do that kind of work for an employer that is paying you.

So you have to be very careful that even though you feel like one day you want to go out and do something for a charitable organization or do something that you used to do for years every November or every December, you want to be very cautious because a disability carrier, while you're trying to do something that's really nice, will often use that against you to say that if you can do that then you can go back to work.

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Editorial Note: The tension between maintaining disability benefits and contributing to one's community through volunteer work reveals a troubling gap in how insurance policies treat human capability. While the law requires claimants to prove they cannot perform substantial gainful activity, the reality is far more nuanced - someone might manage a few hours of light volunteer work under ideal conditions yet remain genuinely unable to sustain full-time employment. Insurance carriers, however, rarely acknowledge this distinction, treating any activity as potential evidence of fraud rather than recognizing the therapeutic or social value of limited engagement. Until policy language evolves to accommodate the spectrum of human function rather than demanding absolute incapacity, disabled individuals will continue facing this impossible choice between isolation and financial security - Disabled World (DW).