Under the second definition, it would not be covered if it could be proven to have existed prior to the policy's effective date. This definition might be necessary for someone whose skill could be transferred to another occupation, for example, a surgeon. Without this kind of definition, he or she could be expected to teach or become involved in a related field of medicine. As a result, the surgeon might not be considered totally disabled and instead might be paid under the residual benefits provision. These definitions reflect a particular carrier's claims experience for a particular occupation.
Some carriers even offer an own-occ specialty definition.
Especially important to the medical profession. A policy with this definition pays if the insured can't do the duties of his or her occupation and is not working elsewhere. Working or not then becomes the claimant's choice. This definition has been around for a long time, but more carriers have recently chosen to stipulate this in lieu of the own-occ definition. Higher issue limits are available if the premium is employer paid.