Most policies include a waiting period or deductible period. 

• The waiting period begins on the date of the loss and continues for a specified length of time. During this period, the insurance plan does not pay any benefits.  
• Once this waiting period has been satisfied, the plan will begin to pay eligible benefits.

If a person satisfies the waiting period and later recovers, he or she *may* need to satisfy a new waiting period in order to receive benefits related to any subsequent loss of functional capacity. 

However, not all plans work this way. Some plans state that the waiting period must only be satisfied once per lifetime. Please refer to the Certificate of Insurance. If the certificate is not clear, please get help from a supervisor. We have encountered at least one situation where the certificate was not clear and we had to consult Aetna for clarification.