Things to Know About New York State Short Term Disability Insurance
If you’re living in New York and are looking to purchase Short Term Disability Insurance, there are 7 things you should know first.
Some of these tips will help you determine whether Short Term Disability Insurance is right for you at all, and some will help you figure out what to do if you do decide to buy it.
So these are the seven Things to Know About New York State Short Term Disability Insurance.
1) How long you can receive payments
You can receive payments for a maximum of six months. You can also use your spouse’s income as a resource if they are employed or self-employed.
Your employer must cover at least 50% of the premiums, and you cannot waive coverage in order to be eligible for short term disability benefits.
When considering what kind of policy is best for you, consider How much time you need off work.
If it will be more than 6 months, then long-term disability may be worth looking into. It is important to note that these policies have waiting periods before they start paying.
What other things should I know about this type of insurance? Policies differ greatly, so make sure that you’re comparing apples to apples.
2) How much you can receive
If you are unable to work for a period of time, you may be eligible for short term disability insurance.
NYSTDI will provide a percentage of your salary for up to 26 weeks as long as you meet certain eligibility requirements.
The percentage is determined by how much you earn and the number of dependents who rely on your income.
You can receive between 50% and 75% of your gross weekly wage, including overtime pay if applicable.
The initial amount that can be paid out per week: Up to $200.00 each week ($600.00 total)
An extra benefit with this coverage is a Dependent Care Spending Account, which pays expenses such as childcare or elder care services incurred because of the illness or injury.
With this account, you can set aside money before taxes to help cover these expenses in case they arise during your claim period.
3) What is considered a covered illness or injury
A covered illness or injury is any disease, illness, injury, or other physical impairment that would prevent an individual from performing the essential functions of his or her occupation.
A covered illness or injury also includes a preexisting condition (i.e., a medical condition that existed before your coverage began) if it substantially deteriorates such that it becomes disabling.
Covered illnesses and injuries are those for which you are entitled to disability benefits under the short term disability insurance policy you have purchased.
They include diseases, injuries, or impairments that render the person unable to perform their occupation.
If you can still do some tasks but not others then only those tasks will be considered when determining whether you are able to work.
You can receive monthly payments while disabled up until 24 months in a 36 month period.
4) How long it takes for payments to start
The payments can start on your first day of disability and will be based on the number of weeks you’ve paid for.
You’ll need to have purchased the correct number of weeks in order to be eligible for a payment.
You can purchase up to 26 weeks at a time, with most employers purchasing 12-14 weeks per year.
There is a waiting period of two days before you are able to apply for benefits. If approved, there is no limit as to how long you may receive short term disability benefits each week or over the life of your policy.
5) How your income is calculated
Short term disability insurance is calculated by your gross weekly income minus any pre-tax deductions.
This is an important detail as it determines how much you’ll receive in benefits each week and how often payments will be made.
For example, if you make $1,000 per week and are paid by weekly, your short term disability benefit would be 50% of $1,000 or $500 for two weeks.
Your total payment would be $1,000. However, if you were only paid monthly (12 times a year), the same benefit would only cover 8 months ($4,167).The difference between the two methods is $3,833.
6) How to file a Claim
If you need short term disability insurance, it’s important that you know the in and outs of the process before you file your claim.
Here are some things to know before filing a claim for NY state short term disability insurance:
The amount of time that you can collect payments is based on the amount of time you were employed at your company before filing your claim.
For example, if you worked at your company for six months or less, then the maximum number of weeks that you can receive is 26 weeks.
For those who have been working with their company for more than six months and up to one year, payment will be issued up to 50 weeks.
7) When coverage ends
When your coverage ends, the insurance company will send you a letter telling you the date.
You should also receive a notice from your employer with the same information about how long you had coverage and when it ended.
If you want to keep your coverage, you’ll need to contact the insurance company or your employer.
The cost of additional coverage is usually much less than if you were to apply for benefits while not having any insurance.
If you find that your job doesn’t offer any disability benefits, consider taking steps to make sure that you’re adequately covered by purchasing short term disability insurance for yourself.
Many companies offer this type of insurance for individuals as well as small businesses, so be sure to check out your options before deciding on anything.
One thing to keep in mind is that state short term disability plans only pay up to 60% of an employee’s wages.