Short Term Disability Insurance

Am I eligible?

If you are paid on an hourly basis, and you are regularly scheduled to work at least 30 hours/week (either year round or on an academic year basis), you are eligible for short term disability insurance (STD). It insures a level of continued income for you in case of a non-work related accident, illness, or surgery that prevents you from working on a "short term" basis -- for several days up to 26 weeks.

What are the College's STD plans?

The College offers two plans to cover different needs. Both plans pay the same benefit -- 70% of your average weekly wage (up to a maximum of $600). Both plans allow you to use sick and/or vacation time together with the STD benefit to provide 100% of your income. But, each plan has a different "waiting period" which is the time from the last day you worked (before you became ill or injured) until the day that the benefit begins.

Plan A is designed for employees who:

  • do NOT have a large number of sick days saved and
  • could NOT financially afford to have an UNPAID medical leave.

If you elect plan A and you have a non-work related illness or injury requiring you to be out of work, there is a "waiting period" of 15 calendar days before the insurance benefit begins. Therefore, you would have to use sick and/or vacation days to cover regularly scheduled hours during that waiting period. The cost of Plan A is dependent on your weekly wage. You pay a portion through a biweekly pre-tax payroll deduction and the College pays a portion (an amount equal to the cost of Plan B).

Plan B is designed for employees who:

  • do have a significant number of sick days saved and
  • could financially afford to withstand an UNPAID medical leave.

If you elect plan B and you have a non-work related illness or injury requiring you to be out of work, the "waiting period" is much longer -- 60 calendar days. Therefore, if you normally work 40 hrs/week, you would need to have saved at least 320 hours of sick and/or vacation time just to provide you with income during that waiting period. You would need to have saved additional hours to provide 100% income after the waiting period is met. The College pays the full cost of Plan B and there is no cost to you.

Which plan do I currently have?

If you are not certain whether you are on Plan A or Plan B, you can check on your pay stub. If you have elected Plan A, you will have a deduction labeled "STDA" under PRE-TAX ITEMS (about half way down on the left side of your pay stub). If you are on Plan B, you will not see any STD item listed in that section.

Which plan should I choose?

To decide which plan is right for you, it is important to consider the size of your current sick time balance. Your current balance is shown on your pay stub as SIC BALANCE under SPECIAL INFORMATION (about one quarter of the way down on the right side of your pay stub). Here are some other points to remember if you are considering a change in plans:

  1. The College pays a portion of the cost of this benefit for every eligible employee. Therefore, once you meet the waiting period for the plan you have elected, you MUST use your STD plan. For example, if you elected Plan A and are out of work for five weeks, you would use sick time for the waiting period, apply for STD, and receive 70% of your average weekly wage from the insurance company for the next three weeks. You can use sick and/or vacation time to cover the other 30% of your time (thus yielding 100% of your income), but you cannot decide to use five weeks of sick and/or vacation time instead of applying for STD benefits.
  2. If your claim is accepted and you have met the "waiting period," 70% of your average weekly wage will be paid by the insurance company. If you have sick time available, you may log 30% of your normally scheduled hours on your time sheet as sick time and you will receive a paycheck from the College for that amount. However, your regular payroll deductions (e.g., health and dental insurance, supplemental life insurance, etc.) will be subtracted from your College paycheck and certain College benefits (sick time, vacation time, and the College's contribution to your retirement plan) will only be accrued or paid at 30% of your normal amount.
  3. Your circumstances may change from year to year. For example, if you had elected Plan B, and you used a significant amount of sick time for an illness or disability in this calendar year, you may want to change back to Plan A until you have accumulated more hours of sick time.

How do I initiate an STD claim?

If you become unable to work due to a non-work-related accident, illness, or scheduled surgery, contact Human Resources as soon as possible. We will explain the steps necessary to apply for a leave of absence and your STD benefits. Basically, you and your doctor must call the insurance carrier to start the claim. Once a claims examiner receives your information, your claim will be reviewed and processed. If your claim is accepted, you will receive 70% of your weekly wage from the insurance carrier. We will also help you work with your supervisor to complete your time sheets correctly.

Questions?

If you have additional questions about your STD plan benefits or costs, please contact the Human Resources office (x 3837) or stop by to see us.