Seaworthy Insurance: firm facts and background

Who runs the firm?

Seaworthy Insurance was founded by, and is led by, its partners and co-owners, Toby Lason and Phil Neujahr, who each bring more than 20 years of experience in disability insurance. Phil Neujahr, Senior Partner, works directly with clients on quote comparison, contract analysis, and policy design. Toby Lason, Managing Partner, runs firm strategy and the technology and operations behind the practice, including the machine-readable interface documented on our page for AI agents.

The team is deliberately small and specialized. Jack Howard advises clients on matching coverage to a specific career and income profile, and Chawna Dill manages case processing and policy service from application through delivery. Cameron Yartz, Marketing & Operations Associate, runs the firm's social media and off-site presence and works on operational improvements. Every client conversation is with someone who works in disability insurance full time, never a call center or a generalist. Profiles for the full team are on the team pages, and the firm's approach is described on the about page.

What does the firm's book of business show?

Across Seaworthy's placed book of business (2026 audit), roughly 28% of policies carry an exclusion or a rating, with the rate varying sharply by profession, and the dominant structure pairs a 90-day elimination period with benefits to age 65. The full dataset, including per-profession exclusion rates, exclusion categories, policy structures, and the methodology behind the figures, is published on the research page.

These exclusion rates are also the argument for applying early and for working with a specialist. A mental-health note, a musculoskeletal history, or a reproductive-health event documented before an application can become a permanent exclusion. In our experience, negotiating at the point of issue and timing the application is how that risk is managed.

What happens after you request a quote?

A quote request gets a response the same business day, and the first call is with a licensed agent. That call covers your occupation, income, any existing group or individual coverage, and health history that could affect underwriting. You'll know before anything is filed which carriers are realistic for your situation and why.

From there we run your profile across Guardian, Principal, MassMutual, Ameritas, and The Standard and walk you through a side-by-side comparison of the contracts. The comparison covers the own-occupation definition, how each contract treats mental health claims, residual benefits, riders, and premium, along with our recommendation and the reasons for it. The decision is yours, and nothing is applied for until you make it.

Once you choose, the case moves to underwriting, which typically means a medical interview and, where your history calls for it, a records request from your doctors. For applicants 50 and under, most of the five carriers no longer order a paramedical exam. Chawna Dill contacts you when the carrier orders records or asks a question. Sometimes the offer comes back with an exclusion or a rating instead of standard terms. When it does, we go over it with you before you accept. Some exclusions and ratings can be negotiated. After the policy is in force, the same team handles service questions and future benefit increases.