It’s all in the name. TPD insurance covers you if a permanent injury or illness makes it difficult or impossible to return to work. It provides a safety net to support you and your family with payouts to support living costs and medical and rehabilitation costs. Insurers have different definitions of what it means to be totally and permanently disabled, but generally you can be covered in the event you can’t return to your current occupation, or covered in the event you can’t return to work at all.