Short-Term Disability/Maternity

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · May 17, 2011

I am getting ready to take maternity leave, and will be using short term disability once my sick time is used up. It kicks in after 30 days at 60% of my base pay. I work weekend nights, so it will be much less than what I'm used to getting, but it beats nothing. My facility offers it for full- and part-time employees so that's where I got it. The same folks who manage the FMLA are the ones who manage the disability payments. So far the proverbial hoops have been reasonable ones. I might have a different opinion in a few weeks, but that remains to be seen.

madwife2002, BSN, RN · May 17, 2011

Some plans state you have to have STD for a year before it starts paying out so check with your facility

CrazziiRN913, ADN, BSN · May 17, 2011

My state (NY) @ my current job (non-nursing/healthcare) its 60% of your pay but mine started after a week...they don't pay you for the first week ur out

ckh23, BSN, RN · May 17, 2011

When my wife went out on maternity the state paid. I think the calculation they use is 2/3 of the weekly pay average of the last 8 weeks of pay. Disability started from the date the doctor put on her disability paperwork. In NJ they will pay back until that date and I think it took two weeks before we received our first check.

lillymom · May 17, 2011

I used short term disability through my employer for my pregnancy. They would only let an employee use disability if they did not qualify for FMLA and since I was part time I did not have the hours for FMLA. The MD filled out forms and the insurance company called me to ask questions when they received the forms.

I had to be out of work 10 days before the insurance would kick in but they still paid that time so I did have to wait two weeks for a check. My employer direct deposited it and the insurance company reimbursed them. The first 10 days they paid 50% and thereafter they paid 75%.

It wasn't really a hassel to deal with but if I recall correctly I had to call them no later than 3 days after my daughter was born to verify the actual date that I delivered.

morte, LPN, LVN · May 17, 2011

Why should disability be involved in a normal pregnancy/delivery, at all?

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · May 17, 2011

Considering the crap maternity leave women in the US gets as compared to the rest of the developed world, most of it unpaid, and considering that I've paid for my STD insurance for about six years now, I think I should get to use it if I have it. It kicks in after 30 days of absence (at least mine does), at which point the 'standard' six weeks of leave isn't up yet anyway. Technically, you are right, it is not a 'disability', but it is a 'long-term absence', and as such it qualifies to be covered according to the company.

I don't mean to come across as snapping at you, morte. My apologies if it sounds that way; that's not at all my intent. I'm a bit frustrated at the state of maternity leave in this country in general right now.

morte, LPN, LVN · May 17, 2011

Considering the crap maternity leave women in the US gets as compared to the rest of the developed world, most of it unpaid, and considering that I've paid for my STD insurance for about six years now, I think I should get to use it if I have it. It kicks in after 30 days of absence (at least mine does), at which point the 'standard' six weeks of leave isn't up yet anyway. Technically, you are right, it is not a 'disability', but it is a 'long-term absence', and as such it qualifies to be covered according to the company.
I don't mean to come across as snapping at you, morte. My apologies if it sounds that way; that's not at all my intent. I'm a bit frustrated at the state of maternity leave in this country in general right now.

not a problem, just that from the 60's on we fought for women to be seen as equal and pregnancy as not disabling....and of course the glass ceiling.

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · May 17, 2011

not a problem, just that from the 60's on we fought for women to be seen as equal and pregnancy as not disabling....and of course the glass ceiling.

I see your point, and agree. Pregnancy per se isn't a disease and recovering from a normal delivery is, well, normal. But I also think that parents (mothers AND fathers, I do think it should be equal) should get much better leave than they do here, and I think it should be paid as it is in so many other places. But that's a bit tangential to the point of the thread. It's pretty sad that we have to use disability insurance to help pay the bills while we are out. That may be beside the point as well....