Allstate Insurance Co. is now selling individual disability policies that allow policyholders to maintain a portion of their income while disabled, regardless of whether the disability is work-related or due to sickness or injury.

Called "Heritage Protector" and "Heritage Protector Plus," the individual policies are available through Allstate agents and allow individuals to apply for benefits up to 60 percent of their income with a minimum benefit amount of $400 per month and a maximum of $7,000 per month. The policies also carry a choice of benefit periods (two years, five years, and up to age 65) and a variety of waiting periods (30, 60, 90, 180, and 365 days). Policyholders may also purchase optional benefits, such as accidental death and dismemberment and inflation protection.

"Many Americans do not realize the importance of individual disability income insurance," says William H. Monie Jr., executive vice president of Allstate's workplace division. According to a recent survey released by the Consumer Federation of America and the American Council of Life Insurers, 82 percent of workers in the United States either have no long term disability coverage or have coverage they believe is inadequate.