Benefits » Other Insurance » Supplemental Disability Insurance
Note: As of January 1, 2009, LANS has contracted with The Hartford to provide our Disability insurance. However, if your claim is for a disability date prior to Jan 1, 2009 your benefits may be coordinated through Liberty Mutual.
If you want to supplement your LANS-paid disability plan, you can enroll in Supplemental Disability, which pays a higher level of disability benefits for a longer period. The plan pays benefits if you are unable to work due to pregnancy/childbirth, disabling injury, or illness.
Benefits will start after your chosen waiting period (7, 30, 90, or 180 days) or after you exhaust your required sick leave, whichever occurs later. As with Short-Term Disability, you must be under a doctor's direct and continuous care.
Your cost will depend on several factors, including:
| Combined Short-Term and Supplemental Disability Benefits | |
|---|---|
| Pays | For how long? |
| 70% of your eligible earnings, ≤ $10,000/month |
≤ 12 months |
| 50% of your eligible earnings until you reach age 65 |
≥ 13 months |
Supplemental Disability is not an Open Enrollment benefit—you must enroll in this benefit during your period of initial enrollment (PIE), which starts the day you become eligible.
If you enroll after your PIE, you must submit a statement of health, which is an application that informs the insurance company about your medical history.
If you want to reduce your waiting period, you must complete a statement of health form, which provides the insurance company with information about your medical history.
To request the statement of health form, follow these steps:
For more information on Supplemental Disability insurance, contact the Lab's Benefits Office at 505-667-1806.
While on a disability-related leave, you may continue your insurance coverage by paying premiums directly to the Lab's Payroll Office.
Note: Before you take any kind of leave without pay, please contact the Lab's Benefits Office at 505-667-1806 to ensure your insurance(s) remain active.
If you decide to enroll in the Supplemental Disability plan, you will need to select a waiting period of 7, 30, 90, or 180 days. (A waiting period is the time from the day you are unable to work due to an injury, illness, or pregnancy until the day the disability benefits start. In general, you must use your accrued sick leave first, then supplement any remaining portion of the waiting period with vacation leave and/or leave without pay.)
Because you must choose a waiting period for the Supplemental plan, your waiting period for Short-Term will match it automatically. (No matter what waiting period you choose—7, 30, 90, or 180 days—your benefits are the same.)
| About the Waiting Period | ||
|---|---|---|
| If you are covered by | Disability benefits start after | During the waiting period, you must |
| Short-Term Disability | 7 days (min.) | use your accrued sick leave to cover up to the first 30 calendar days of disability (22 working days, not including paid holidays) before benefits begin.* |
| Short-Term and Supplemental Disability | your chosen waiting period: 7, 30, 90, or 180 days | |
| To increase your waiting period at any time, contact the Lab's Benefits Office at 505-667-1806 or e-mail benefits@lanl.gov. When you increase your waiting period, your disability premium will be reflected in the first paycheck of the following month (i.e., your September disability premium deduction is reflected in the October 3, 2005, paycheck). | ||
*If you have not accumulated enough sick leave, you may supplement the remainder of the required waiting period with your vacation leave and/or leave without pay. Using vacation is voluntary not mandatory.
Note: You are required to use all sick leave accrued for your disability period, up to the first 22 days, regardless of the waiting period you choose. Therefore, if you have selected a 7 day waiting period, but have accrued 30 days of sick pay, you are required to use 22 days during your disability, before any reimbursement is paid.
This is only an overview of the Supplemental Disability insurance plan. Issues associated with defining the waiting period can be confusing.
Questions? Contact the Lab's Benefits Office at 505-667-1806.
Contact payroll@lanl.gov for additional information.