South Carolina Term Disability: Maternity Benefits in SC
South Carolina short term disability insurance is a valuable benefits to growing families. Many couples are financially stretched even before starting their family. The extra costs for new housing, transportation, baby furniture and more, make having children challenging.
Losing an income can prove devastating. But that is exactly what happens to many couples as most employers do not provide paid maternity leave.
* SC Temporary Disability for Pregnancy – create maternity leave pay, and provide security in case of complications before delivery and postpartum disorders.
* South Carolina State Disability – covers long term disabilities lasting one year or more.
* SC Maternity Leave Laws - very limited job protection benefits.
SC Short Term Disability: Pregnancy, Maternity
If you are trying to conceive, you are also trying to lose mom’s income after childbirth. Mom will need to take to recover, and odds are no income will be coming in. Also she may experience complications of pregnancy and lose far more income than you might have planned or expected.
South Carolina short term disability for maternity pays a six week benefit for your vaginal delivery, and an eight week benefit for your c-section birth. The cash payments paid directly to you for normal delivery may be far greater than what you pay in insurance premiums prior to delivery.
25% of pregnancies will experience one or more complications. You may miss weeks or months of work prior to your delivery. Your temporary disability policy may continue to restore a portion of your income during this time and help you protect your family finances.
You may also experience some type of birth injury or postpartum complication that requires more time to heal than expected. Your doctor may ask you to stay away from work in order to properly heal. Your policy may continue to pay benefits during this time.
South Carolina Short Term Disability Insurance
Why put all this stress on your family during what should be a happy time? Short term disability can be purchased to cover both incomes. In SC you will need to get your policies at work as most insurance carriers find this the only way to control risks.
Most couples thinking about having children will find it best to start at mom’s employer. She can get a policy for herself that replaces up to ⅔ or her earnings or $5,000 per month. She can get a supplemental policy attached to an accident plan for her husband. Many times dad works in a dangerous occupation, and an accident only plan can be quite affordable.
South Carolina State Disability Insurance
Since a pregnancy last for about nine months you will not be covered by this program. Unless something happens that causes some type of permanent inability to work. This is quite rare, and most women will not find any maternity income relief.
The S.C. Vocational Rehabilitation Department of Disability Determination Services processes claims for state residents.
South Carolina Maternity Leave Laws
South Carolina has two fairly limited maternity leave laws.
State employees are allowed up to fifteen days of sick pay leave per year. Sick pay may be accumulated, but may not exceed 180 days. Employees may not use more than ten paid sick days to care for a family member. Source: SC Legislature Online Section 8-11-40
South Carolina Human Affairs Law makes it illegal for employers with more than fifteen employees to discriminate against an individual "because of sex", or "on the basis of sex". This is further defined as "pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions. This regulation does not appear to offer any broader protections that what already exists under the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act.
The remainder of applicable statutes are made up exclusively federal regulations. The national laws apply to employers based upon employee size, while employees qualify based upon number of hours worked and other criteria. Unemployment insurance can sometimes be used during maternity leave once you are able to resume working, but your employer let you go in the interim. Consider this one silver lining of limited regulation.
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