Clarification on disability benefits in NJ?

mhenahan

I know there is Short Term Disability and there is Temporary Disability Insurance...does anyone know the difference? Does the state (NJ) require every employer to carry one or the other?  

I'm due in mid October and my HR person is not available to help me figure this all out.

Do any NJ Moms know exactly what is offered in terms of benefits BEFORE delivery? I thought it was 4 weeks prior to delivery but then someone had told me the standard was 2 weeks prior to delivery.

My job is very stressful and sitting at a desk all day is killing my back and at times I am so busy I can't even stop for lunch and find myself there an hour extra every day! 

Any help or advice from anyone who has gone through this is greatly appreciated! 

CMonkey515

Short term disability comes out of your paycheck each week, so everyone has that. Your employer is not required to provide temporary disability on top of that. In NJ you get 4weeks prior to your due date for a normal, uncomplicated pregnancy. You can be eligible for more if you have a legitimate complication and your OB determines you to be disabled before that time.

kat72883

I may have it wrong (still trying to figure it out myself) but I believe this is the way it goes.

The state allows you to go out and get paid through short term disability for up to 4 weeks prior to your due date with no special reason.  You may be eligible for longer if you have a medical condition. They also allow pay up to 6 weeks after birth.  If you have a c-section or some other medical issue, the doctor can try to get you more pay (supposedly up to 8 weeks for c-section).

https://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/tdi/worker/state/sp_pregnancy.html

After your baby is born, you are automatically eligible for family leave insurance, which allows another 6 weeks to bond with your baby.  This is exciting to me because it allows you the full 12 week FMLA with some sort of pay.

https://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/fli/content/fli_faq.html

In addition, your work may have something (I have additional short term disability insurance through them) but you would need to check with HR or something like that.

Like I said, I'm still trying to figure this all out, but this is what I've gathered between websites and talking with women that I work with who have given birth recently.

mhenahan

Thanks! That is how I understood it as well. I'm not sure why my employer is telling me the standard is 2 weeks before--maybe the 4 weeks is available but they try to urge you into taking 2 prior. I can't imagine doing that, I'm hoping we can work something out so that I can work from home for 2 weeks and then go on disability 2 weeks prior.