Why Employees Need Short-term Disability Insurance
Health insurance only covers medical bills. It won’t pay for groceries or rent. And Workers’ Compensation kicks in only in the event of a work-related injury or accident. Research shows that:
- One in four of today’s 20-year-olds can expect to be out of work for at least a year due to a disabling condition before they reach the normal retirement age.1
- Without disability insurance, 50% of Americans say they would use their savings to help them pay for living expenses if they were unable to work due to an illness or injury.2
- When asked how long it would be before their household would feel the financial impact of a wage earner becoming disabled, 63% said it would happen in six months. And 14% said it would take less than a week.3
Our STD insurance can help employees replace lost income due to a disabling injury or illness. But we go beyond the benefit with support to help employees maintain productivity and stay on the job. When an illness or injury happens, we offer resources that employees need to help them return to work as soon as they are reasonably able.
What Short-term Disability Insurance Covers
Short-term disability insurance replaces a portion of an employee’s income for covered injuries sustained outside of work and also covers maternity leave. Examples of common injuries include:
- Musculoskeletal injury
- Whiplash
- Epicondylitis (Tennis elbow)
- Surgery recovery
- Bunion removal
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Stress/anxiety
- Tendonitis
- Herniated disks
- Broken bones
Flexible Short-term Disability Insurance for Businesses
Short-term disability insurance can give employees peace of mind when they’re unable to work due to a covered illness or injury. Businesses can customize their STD policy to be a stand-alone plan, complement an employer-paid short-term disability plan or coordinate with a long-term disability plan to help ensure continuity of coverage. Benefits can include:
- Various benefit start dates, including the first date of injury
- Benefit durations up to 52 weeks
- Benefit amounts that include 50%-70% of income loss
- Clinical claims management through highly trained nurses
- Access to Return-to-Work Services – vocational experts and trained claim staff, knowledgeable in the assessment of return-to-work capacity and the facilitation of a safe and timely return to work.
