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Short Term Disability Insurance

Maternity Leave Pay; Security Just In Case

Maternity Leave Pay; Security Just In Case

Your pregnancy and maternity leave should be a time of great happiness.  Don't let the stress of work and financial concerns rob you of the joy, or imperial your health. 

Short Term Disability Insurance for pregnancy and maternity leave can help you enjoy this time, without the worry. 

  • Create maternity leave pay;
  • Spend more time bonding with your baby;
  • Worry less about paying your bills

Your benefit for normal delivery may triple the premium you pay, creating up to eight weeks of maternity leave take-home-pay.  You can also protect your family in case of:

  • Pregnancy complications;
  • Delivery complications;
  • Premature birth;
  • Accidents & illnesses

Follow these steps to make it happen for you and your family:

1 - Learn the general features and benefits of short term disability for pregnancy and maternity leave by following the links found below.

2 - Understand the importance of timing.  Coverage must begin before conception - with at least a three month buffer for premature birth.  There are policy restrictions related to time of conception, and time of delivery.

3 - Sign up to read our free case study that provides sample rates and benefit illustrations of eight weeks maternity leave take-home-pay. You can then request a personalized quote and illustration to estimate your maternity leave take-home-pay.

4 - Get started today by engaging us as your benefits advocate with your employer. You won't find the same benefits sold direct.  You will need cooperation from your employer.  But it's very easy - because you pay the premium via payroll deduction.  There are no direct costs to your employer.  

 

 

 

 

Maternity Leave Pay to Bond with Baby

Individual Short Term Disability Insurance

Short Term Disability Rates and Quotes

State Short Term Disability

Applying for Short Term Disability

Short Term Disability Benefits

Is Short Term Disability Taxable?

 

 

Maternity Leave Pay to Bond with Baby

Short term disability insurance for maternity leave can provide income replacement that greatly exceeds the premium you pay. A c-section delivery, which occurs one year after the policy effective date may generate a maternity leave pay benefit that is three times greater than premium paid.

This excess benefit amount is paid directly to you, and provides you with extra cash to help pay your bills while you bond with your baby. You will feel less financial pressure to return to work.

The benefit period for normal childbirth is:

  • Vaginal Birth - six weeks less the elimination period
  • Cesarean Section Delivery - eight weeks less the elimination period

Sign up to get sample rates, and specific benefit examples that illustrate how your maternity leave pay may be three times premium paid, and enable you to stay at home longer to bond with your baby.

Plus Pregnancy Leave Disability Benefit for Complications

Each year almost 25% of expectant mothers will have one or more complications of pregnancy not including c-sections. Pregnancy complications cause many women to leave work well before their expected delivery date for a pregnancy disability leave.

In addition, many women work in active occupations that require them to spend a great deal of time on their feet.  Examples are nurses, dental hygienists, retail workers, food servers, etc.  Your doctor may require you to stop working before your delivery date simply because your perfectly healthy pregnancy prevents you from performing your regular job duties. 

Short term disability pregnancy plans provide income protection, which becomes especially important if you have a high risk pregnancy, or work in an active occupation.  The same short term disability policy which provides maternity leave income, will also pay an additional benefit to cover your pregnancy disability leave.

Sign up to get a specific example of how a pregnancy leave disability for complications may pay benefits in addition to your maternity leave pay.

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Plus Extended Maternity Leave Pay for Delivery Complications

During childbirth, the delivery may not always go as smoothly as hoped. Mother can be injured during delivery when a birth accident occurs. The main birth injuries that can affect the mother include vaginal tears, fissures, incorrect suturing following an episiotomy or Caesarean, and infections.

These birth injuries may cause you to miss more than the standard maternity leave of six to eight weeks for a normal delivery. Short term disability will continue to pay benefits up to the selected benefit period, provided you provide proof that you remain disabled.

Sign up to gain access to sample rates, and a specific benefit example of an extended maternity leave disability due to delivery complications.

Plus Coverage for Pre-mature Birth

In addition to applying well before your planned conception, you may also consider coverage that pays benefits for your expected hospital stay. Hospital Indemnity Insurance will pay cash benefits for your normal labor and delivery, and may pay an additional benefit if your child is born pre-mature and spends time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Multiple pregnancies often result in pre-mature birth. In these cases, Hospital Indemnity Insurance may pay an additional benefit for each child in the NICU.

Don’t miss the opportunity to get this important coverage in addition to your short term disability coverage.

Sign up to see what Hospital Indemnity Insurance costs, and how it pays benefits for maternity labor and delivery, and provides coverage for premature birth and multiple birth.

Both short term disability and hospital indemnity insurance contain a 9 month birth exclusion.  Even if you concevie after your policy effective date, if your child is born premature, delivery may occur inside the exclusion period.  Don't delay. 

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Plus Income Protection for Accidents & Illnesses

Very few parents can afford to provide as well for their families as they would like on only one income. If either parent were to lose time away from the job for any reason, the entire family could easily suffer.

That is why short term disability coverage is so important in two income households. Either parent could become sick and/or injured and miss time at work. In the event that this happens to you, your short term disability policy will replace a portion of your income during the time you are unable to work - up to your selected benefit period.

If you are planning a pregnancy, you have an extra reason, and extra urgency, to buy short term disability coverage. You are planning to use the benefit for your maternity leave.

Sign up to find specific examples of income protection for accidents and illnesses.

Individual Short Term Disability Insurance

You saw above how your maternity leave pay could be triple premium paid. This is a bad bet for the insurance carrier. Now add in the extra coverage for pregnancy complications, delivery complications, premature birth, accidents, and illnesses. A bad bet is now an awful bet. So insurance carriers won't sell these policies direct to the general public.

Individual short term disability insurance policies with pregnancy and maternity leave disability coverage are only available through your employer - sold as voluntary employee benefits. You will own your policy, and pay for it yourself via convenient payroll deduction. The policy is portable, so you keep your coverage even if you separate from your employer.

Sign up to see examples of the total benefit you may realize compared to the premium cost, and understand why individual short term disability with maternity leave and pregnancy coverage is only available at work, and begin the process to get your employer on board.

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Short Term Disability Rates and Quotes

Short term disability insurance rates, cost and quotes will vary based upon your state of residence, age, industry of your employer, your occupation, and the insurance policy benefits you are applying for: monthly benefit amount, length of benefit period, and elimination period.

Sign up to find sample short term disability rates and quotes.

State Short Term Disability Insurance Falls Short

State maternity leave insurance is not available for most women working in the United States. In the U.S. only five states mandate short term disability maternity leave coverage: California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.

If you work in one of these states pay attention to these key factors:

  • Your state disability pregnancy benefit may be limited.
    • Percentage Caps: Each state replaces a percentage of your income - ranging from 50% to 66%
    • Hard Dollar Caps: Each state caps the weekly benefit amount - ranging from $170 per week to $865 per week.
  • Government employees are not included. If you work for the federal, state, county, or municipal government, you may not have coverage.
    • Teachers are government employees. This means there is no pay for teacher maternity leave – a predominately female work population. Get your teachers maternity leave pay by applying for individual short term disability at work.
  • Coverage applies to people who work in the state. If you reside in one of the five states, but commute to work in one of the 45 states without a mandated plan you are not covered.
    • If you live in New Jersey and commute to work in New York, you will have a much lower level of coverage.
  • The benefits may be taxable. Each state varies.
  • Cash workers: People working in cash businesses may see lower state disability maternity benefits - because they may report lower income. Food servers, stylists, etc. work on their feet and may be more prone to a disability for pregnancy.

Sign up to see what it costs to supplement your state short term disability insurance maternity benefits.

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Applying for Short Term Disability

The optimum time to apply for short term disability protection is three months prior to conception. Short term disability policies contain a 9 month exclusion for giving birth as the result of a normal pregnancy. When you conceive three months after the policy effective date, and your pregnancy goes full term, your maternity leave income will still yield 2.7 times what you paid into the policy. Don’t get greedy by trying to time both your policy effective date with your conception date.

Plan ahead! 12% of all babies are born premature. When you conceive three months after the effective date, and your pregnancy does not reach full term, your delivery date will likely fall comfortably outside the nine month exclusion period.

Delays happen. If you are planning to get pregnant very soon – don’t wait.

Sign up to take your first step toward applying for short term disability.

Dont' delay.  Get started before you conceive.

Short Term Disability Benefits

Short Term Disability Insurance provides income protection if you become unable to work because of a covered illness or injury. You can select the level of coverage that best suits your individual needs:

  • Monthly Benefit - Up to 70% income replacement
  • Benefit Period – Up to 24 months
  • Elimination Period - How quickly benefits are paid. The optimal elimination period for women planning a pregnancy is 7 days for sickness. This allows you the greatest level of benefit during your maternity leave.

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Is Short Term Disability Taxable?

The answer to “will you pay a short term disability tax?”, depends upon how you paid the premium.

  • If you paid the premium entirely yourself using after-tax dollars, then your benefit will be tax free. This is a great way to replace more than 66% of your take home pay. Short term disability will replace 66% of your pay – before tax considerations. If your regular pay is reduced by 33% by taxes, your net take home pay will remain the same during your maternity leave!
  • If you pay the premium with pre-tax dollars, your benefit will be taxed. Many women planning a pregnancy opt for after tax payments in order to maximize maternity leave pay. When the odds are stacked in your favor, maximize your bet.
  • If your employer shares in the cost of your disability premium, the benefit is taxed. This frequently occurs with state short term disability programs.

Free Case Study - Short Term Disability for Pregnancy

8 Weeks

Maternity Leave Take-Home-Pay Illustration

You can then request a personalized illustration

Eight Weeks Maternity Leave Pay

 - no direct cost to your employer -
Ask and it will be given!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Free Case Study - Short Term Disability for Pregnancy

8 Weeks

Maternity Leave Take-Home-Pay Illustration

You can then request a personalized illustration

Eight Weeks Maternity Leave Pay