Professors often have demanding occupations that are misunderstood by long term disability insurance companies. Insurers may focus on whether a professor can sit, stand, walk, or speak in a classroom. But that narrow view misses much of what professors actually do.
A professor’s work can require sustained concentration, complex reading and writing, original research, public speaking, teaching, student interaction, grading, committee work, academic advising, publication pressure, travel, and the ability to perform consistently over long periods of time.
For a long term disability claim, the issue is not simply whether a professor can occasionally teach a class or respond to an email. The issue is whether the professor can perform the material duties of the occupation on a reliable, full-time basis.
A professor’s duties vary depending on the institution, subject matter, tenure status, research expectations, course load, and administrative responsibilities. Some professors spend more time teaching. Others spend significant time conducting research, publishing, mentoring graduate students, applying for grants, presenting at conferences, and serving on faculty committees.
Common occupational duties may include:
Preparing and delivering lectures;
Leading class discussions;
Developing syllabi and course materials;
Reading and analyzing complex academic literature;
Grading exams, papers, and assignments;
Providing feedback to students;
Advising students on academic or career issues;
Conducting research;
Writing articles, books, grants, or scholarly materials;
Publishing in the professor’s area of expertise;
Attending department and faculty meetings;
Serving on committees;
Supervising teaching assistants, research assistants, or graduate students;
Participating in conferences or academic events;
Maintaining office hours;
Communicating with students, faculty, and administrators.
These duties can involve both exertional and non-exertional demands. The physical demands may include standing, walking, commuting, carrying materials, moving between classrooms, or traveling for academic work. The non-exertional demands may include concentration, memory, processing speed, communication, emotional regulation, social interaction, judgment, and sustained productivity.
Insurance companies often reduce a professor’s occupation to a simplified description: teaching classes, sitting at a desk, and performing “light” or “sedentary” work. That can lead to an unfair denial if the insurer ignores the cognitive, communication, stamina, and performance demands of the job.
For example, a professor with a spine condition may be able to sit for short periods but may not be able to stand at a lectern, walk across campus, commute, carry materials, or tolerate a full teaching schedule.
A professor with cognitive impairment may be able to hold a casual conversation but may not be able to prepare lectures, analyze complex material, grade accurately, publish research, or respond to students in real time.
A professor with chronic fatigue or autoimmune disease may be able to complete isolated tasks at home but may not be able to sustain the pace, schedule, and intellectual demands of the occupation.
The claim needs to explain the real job, not just the job title.
Professors may become disabled from many different medical conditions. The key is connecting the condition to the specific demands of the occupation.
Examples may include:
Musculoskeletal conditions affecting the spine, neck, back, hips, knees, or hands;
Neurological conditions causing cognitive deficits, headaches, seizures, tremors, dizziness, or neuropathy;
Autoimmune diseases causing fatigue, pain, brain fog, and unpredictable flares;
Cancer or cancer treatment causing fatigue, cognitive changes, pain, or reduced stamina;
Psychiatric conditions affecting concentration, stress tolerance, social interaction, or reliability;
Vestibular disorders causing dizziness, vertigo, imbalance, or screen intolerance;
Vision or hearing impairments affecting classroom performance, reading, computer work, or communication;
Chronic pain conditions affecting sitting, standing, sleep, focus, and stamina.
A diagnosis alone will rarely be enough. The evidence should show how the condition prevents the professor from performing the specific duties required by the occupation.
A strong claim should combine medical evidence, occupational evidence, functional evidence, and a clear explanation of work impact.
Helpful evidence may include:
Medical records from treating physicians;
Diagnostic testing, such as MRIs, CT scans, bloodwork, imaging, or neurological testing;
A detailed physician statement explaining restrictions and limitations;
Neuropsychological testing if cognitive function is impaired;
Functional capacity evaluation if physical stamina, sitting, standing, walking, lifting, or endurance are impaired;
Vocational assessment explaining the actual demands of the professor’s occupation;
Statements from colleagues, supervisors, or department chairs;
Course schedules, teaching loads, publication expectations, committee assignments, or grant obligations;
A personal statement explaining how symptoms interfere with teaching, research, grading, communication, travel, and sustained work.
For example, if the professor has cognitive impairment, neuropsychological testing may help document deficits in memory, processing speed, attention, executive functioning, or verbal fluency. These deficits may directly affect lecture preparation, classroom teaching, grading, research, writing, and student advising.
If the professor has pain, fatigue, or reduced stamina, a functional capacity evaluation may help show limits in sitting, standing, walking, postural tolerance, activity endurance, or the ability to sustain work across a full day.
If the insurer misunderstands the occupation, a vocational assessment may help explain why the professor’s actual duties require more than generic “sedentary” work.
The most important part of the claim is often the explanation of how symptoms affect work.
For example:
A professor with cognitive deficits may struggle to prepare lectures, follow complex academic discussions, grade accurately, write publishable work, or respond to student questions in real time.
A professor with chronic pain may be unable to stand while teaching, sit through meetings, commute to campus, carry books or materials, or maintain concentration while in pain.
A professor with fatigue may be unable to sustain teaching, office hours, grading, meetings, research, and writing across a full workweek.
A professor with anxiety, depression, or another psychiatric condition may have difficulty tolerating classroom pressure, student demands, committee responsibilities, deadlines, conflict, and social interaction.
A professor with vestibular symptoms may have trouble teaching in visually busy classrooms, using screens, walking across campus, standing at a lectern, or tolerating fluorescent lights and movement.
These details matter because the insurer may otherwise assume the professor can work if they can perform basic daily activities or complete occasional academic tasks.
Disability claims for professors can be challenging because insurers often undervalue the intellectual, communication, research, and stamina demands of the occupation. A strong claim should define the occupation carefully and then connect the medical evidence to the actual duties of that work.
At Riemer Hess, we help professionals and executives nationwide file, appeal, litigate, and protect long term disability claims. Our national disability insurance practice is headquartered in New York City, and our attorneys focus exclusively on long term disability and related insurance matters.
If a medical condition is affecting your ability to work as a professor, we can help you understand what evidence may strengthen your claim and how to present your occupation accurately to the insurance company.