Please help me use short term disability

May 9, 2021 2:14 PM

I have been off work for three days and do not feel well enough to go back. I presume every company is different but is there general information you can share as to what qualifies for and how to use short term disability? I have a dr appt scheduled - do they assist or provide information? I plan to contact HR tomorrow but I have heard stories they are supposedly not very helpful. I've never had to do this and don't know anyone who has. Any information is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
posted by racersix6 to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

HR may not be helpful in speeding the process, but I think you still have to go to them for the necessary forms, and they should at least be good for information. I was out for the maximum time my company's policy allowed (this was several years ago so I don't remember exactly, but I think over a month). I believe I just had to get the treating physician to fill out a form, very much like the process for FMLA leave. Nobody tried to deny my request/claim but there was still an obligatory waiting period before checks started coming, which was financially difficult. I had an undeniable physical injury and had already had my assessments & imaging paid for by workman's comp, at my boss's urging, which helped a lot. People with nonphysical issues may encounter more employer/insurance resistance.

There are laws and regulations governing the order and amount of paid leave / disability / FMLA time you have to use first, last, or concurrently; HR will have to give you written info (ask for it in writing (email) if they resist). Sometimes you can get leave reclassified retroactively if HR is willing & wanting to help.

I think the qualifying conditions for disability leave are set by the insurance company that issues the policy, not by your employer directly. But this is something that will be spelled out in writing somewhere. You may (again it all depends on what's in writing) be able to get the beginning of your disability leave officially backdated to the first day that this condition kept you out of work; I believe this is what happened with me. But this only partially compensated for the unpaid waiting period. so if & when you get the forms, be sure to specify the date your condition started and/or the date you want your leave to have officially started, not the date you're filling them out (where appropriate, indicated, & allowable.)
posted by queenofbithynia at 2:44 PM on May 9, 2021 [1 favorite]

For my company, you have to be off for two weeks using sick or vacation days before you qualify for short term disability. You can find out what your company’s policy is from HR.
posted by FencingGal at 3:05 PM on May 9, 2021 [2 favorites]

At my previous employer, going back to work for even part of a day would reset the clock on the waiting period, so be careful about that. I had to fill out some forms but no doctor’s verification was required. Benefits were good, 80% of salary and I was able to use one day of sick leave or vacation per week to bring it up to 100%.
posted by doctord at 7:59 PM on May 9, 2021 [1 favorite]

i had to be off for one week without pay (not even using pto days) and then STD was allowed to kick in. i had to have my doctor fill out forms for the insurance company, which was actually really helpful when the doctor was slow. so basically, a lot depends on how your specific policy is written. also, why you want to take it matters. i was able to use it for a week for heart surgery (after a week of no pay) but couldn't use it when i was floored for over a week with an insane sinus/double ear infection.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 7:08 AM on May 10, 2021 [1 favorite]

When my husband was on short term disability after surgery, there a waiting period (where he used his sick pay) and then he got a combination of STD (x% of salary) and then we could use sick leave or vacation days to cover the rest.

One thing I didn't realize is that short term disability is usually handled by an insurance company, not your employer. So if you get letters or phone calls from some company that you never heard of, make sure it isn't the company handling your short term disability. (I nearly threw some important paperwork in the trash because I thought it was just sales pitch for some insurance we didn't need.) Also, he got two different pay checks - one from the disability company and one from his regular insurance.
posted by metahawk at 9:49 AM on May 10, 2021 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone, I really appreciate the information. This helps a lot.
posted by racersix6 at 9:56 AM on May 10, 2021