Short Term Disability: Pregnancy, Maternity Leave

Short term disability insurance which covers normal pregnancy and childbirth creates maternity leave pay. Gain security for unexpected medical events that may disrupt your income at no additional cost. Take a few minutes to avoid months of worry.

• Maternity Leave Pay – Apply for benefits after normal delivery
• Security Just in Case – Coverage for complications before delivery and after
• No Additional Cost – Cover normal childbirth and the unexpected in one policy

You may be struggling to make ends meet before getting pregnant, losing income during maternity leave, and adding the extra expenses for a newborn. Now add concerns for a high-risk pregnancy. What if your doctor ordered bed rest months before your due date?

Maternity Pay Example - Finding a policy that covers normal delivery is the key to creating maternity leave pay. Your benefit for delivering a perfectly healthy baby may be several multiples of the premium paid in advance, making your policy self funding. See examples of how maternity leave pay is calculated for various earnings levels.

Get Disability for Childbirth - You can get coverage for a planned event: your normal childbirth. What has overwhelming advantages to growing families is a money loser for insurers. So there are a few extra steps needed in order to qualify for short term disability covering normal pregnancy. Learn why, when, and how to get coverage that creates income for a planned medical event.

Short term disability insurance for pregnancy allows you to take time away from work without the financial worry. Many women need to stop working before their due date, but can’t afford the lost income while taking bed rest.

Twenty five percent of pregnancies result in one or more complications. Your doctor may order you to take leave from work for bed rest to protect your health, and the viability of your newborn. Short term disability during pregnancy may replace up to sixty percent of your income if your obstetrician requires you to take bed rest prior to your delivery. Bed rest qualifies as a disability when there is an underlying condition.

Income interruptions requiring bed rest are very common with high-risk pregnancies. The most common complications covered under short term disability insurance are:

• Ectopic Pregnancy – When the embryo implants outside the uterus
• RH Negative Disease – The mother develops antibodies against her baby
• Preterm Labor – Mother’s body tries to deliver the baby before reaching full development
• Group B Streptococcus – Bacterial infection in the vagina
• Placenta Previa – When the cervix is clogged by the covering layer of the uterus
• Gestational Diabetes – Mother’s body does not make enough insulin
• Spontaneous Abortion – 10% to 20% of conceptions end in miscarriage 

If complications require intense medical care you may be hospitalized as well. If you have children you may need extra help providing care. For many couples this means a significant loss of income, coupled with extra medical bills, and additional non medical bills for child care. The one-two punch of lost income and extra bills adds unhealthy stress right at the time when you should be resting.

Start your policy prior to conception to avoid exclusions for pre-existing conditions. Even if you are perfectly healthy before complications present, your policy will consider anything pregnancy related as a pre-existing condition, and you will not qualify for coverage. What if your complications crop up during the first trimester? Can you afford to take 9 months away from work while on bed rest?

What happens after you deliver – will you have enough money left to spend time bonding with your baby? Be sure that your policy has at least a 12 month benefit period in order to cover the duration of your pregnancy, and time recovering from childbirth.

Short term disability insurance for maternity leave generates payments while you recover from normal childbirth. There is a six week cash payment for a vaginal birth, and an eight week payment for a cesarean delivery. Payments begin after satisfying your policy elimination period, which is most commonly one or two weeks.

Normal childbirth is a covered benefit when delivery occurs nine or ten months after your policy effective date. Once conception occurs it will be too late to buy a policy. Also, not every pregnancy goes full term. If you deliver inside the exclusion period you may miss out. So purchase your policy several months before you might conceive.

This may be the only time in your life when you can purchase insurance that covers something you expect to happen. By timing the start date of your policy correctly you may find that the maternity leave benefits you receive for normal childbirth are several times higher than the premium payments you make in advance.

Apply for maternity leave benefits after giving birth to your newborn. This is a streamlined claims process for normal delivery that gets your check to you quickly without any hassle. Applying for payments is simple for women making a claim for normal childbirth. The benefit period is fixed: six or eight week depending upon how you delivered. File an express claim form. 

Short term disability insurance works for pregnancy, maternity leave, and postpartum problems as well.

Childbirth is a high risk activity. Things may not go they way you envisioned. You may be injured during delivery, or develop an infection. The main disorders that might affect you after a vaginal delivery include fissures, infections, and postpartum hemorrhage. The leading risk factors include:

• A baby weighing more than 9 pounds
• Use of forceps or vacuum
• Repair of large tear

Delivery via cesarean section is a relatively safe surgical procedure, but entails a higher risk of complications as it is far more invasive. The most common disorders associated with this surgery are blood clots in your legs or lungs, anesthesia related nausea, and bowel movement problems (ileus).

Your doctor may suggest time taking extra time before returning to work. Your short term disability policy may continue to support your earnings during this time.

Many women experience postpartum depression after delivery. This change in mood may be caused by a variety of factors including:

• Changes in hormone levels
• Lack of sleep
• Changes in work relationships

You may experience feelings of extreme sadness which may affect your ability to return to work. Most short term disability policies will only cover biologic reasons for missed work. Postpartum depression is most likely not covered. Check your policy language to see if mental disorders are part of the policy benefit.

Learn about policy costs to see how your benefit for normal pregnancy will help put extra cash in your pocket, ease your worries, and provide some extra time before returning to work.

Short term disability insurance for pregnancy and maternity leave is not one-dimensional. While complications of pregnancy and recovery from childbirth are covered illnesses, there are a wide variety of other conditions that may cause lost income and trigger a benefit payment.

Sixty percent of disabilities are illness related. An illness that causes you to miss work, or spend time in the hospital can have a devastating impact on family finances. Many growing families are two-income households, and both incomes are needed to make ends meet. The most common illnesses causing income disruptions include cancer, heart disease, and degenerative diseases.

Autoimmune diseases strike women three times more than men. These conditions may interfere with your ability to work. Many people purchase short term disability insurance to protect their income in case of illnesses: both men and women – regardless of any plans to have children.

Quotes and Premium Rates - See how your policy may pay far more in benefits for a planned event than you pay in premiums before having your baby. Get personalized illustrations showing benefits for normal childbirth compared to your monthly premium costs. Find sample rates for policies covering accidents and illnesses only if you want to purchase coverage directly.

Short term disability insurance covers complications of pregnancy, maternity leave, postpartum disorders, other illnesses - plus accidental injuries as well!

Twenty percent of disabilities are accident related. Any of us can suffer an accident at any time. If you encounter an accident that causes you to miss work, or spend time in the hospital, you could end up with unexpected medical expenses, combined with a loss in income. Most accidents occur right in the home. You may get hurt while in the kitchen or just walking down the steps. A simple sprained ankle could cause weeks of missed income for many women.

Many female dominated professions require you to be on your feet all day or use of your hands:

• Nurses
• Food servers
• Beauticians
• School teachers
• Dental hygienists

A policy may cover any accidents that prevent you from performing the duties of your full time occupation.

You have seen how short term disability insurance generates maternity leave income for normal childbirth. The benefit you receive for an event that you can forecast may be far greater than what you make in premium payments. The very same policy also covers:

• Complications requiring bed rest
• Postpartum disorders
• Illnesses
• Accidents

Can you find greater value anywhere else? Get short term disability for normal childbirth before it’s too late.