A rider attached to a life or health insurance policy. AD&D covers death by accidental means (rather than natural causes) and dismemberment, which includes loss of the use of certain body parts (including limbs or eyesight.) 

These riders are usually written in such a way that the insurer must pay double the amount payable otherwise, or a specific amount of continous income payments, and are sometimes called double indemnity riders. AD&D insurance is often offered by employers as an extra option on group health plans.



|||It is important to carefully check the terms of AD&D policies. For example, if you are injured in an accident that later turns out to be fatal, the death must occur within a certain amount of time. To qualify for 100% of the dismemberment insurance, the injury may have to involve the loss of two limbs or both eyes. 

There is a schedule that lays out what percentage of the total will be paid for so-called partial dismemberment, such as the loss of one limb or the sight in one eye. Overall, AD&D is a limited policy that will be useful to a small percentage of people, so be sure to read the fine print in advance so that you understand exactly what is covered, and under what time frames.