Short Term Disability Before Delivery

shocked77

For those of you who have short term disability through work i have questions.  My company doesn't offer paid maternity leave.  The paid leave i get is through short term disability.  Technically you can go out anytime before delivery if there is a medical reason and your doctor "calls" you out.  After delivery its 6 weeks for vaginal or 8 weeks for c-section.

For anyone else  who has this scenario are you planning to stop working before you due date?  If so how are you going to do it?  Do you just convince your doctor to take you out a few weeks before your date?

People at work keep asking me when my last day is going to be.  I think most of them don't understand how it works since technically there is no way to plan it.  The intent is that you go out on short term disability because you are physically unable to work. 

 I know lots of people do this, i just can't quite figure out how it works

 

diddlenation

Your doctor just needs to fill out the form.  You can get it from your HR department or whoever services your companies short term disability, most likely.  Most Doc's will write you out of work 2 weeks prior to your due date without much question.  I went out 2 weeks prior to my due date with my first and he was born less than a week later.  This time I am working up to the bitter end because our benefits changed slightly when the company I work for was bought out.  I only get 8 weeks total paid either before and after the baby is born and I would just rather have the time after.  

VTFutureMrs

I want to save all my time for after LO gets here so I am just going out whenever the doc tells me I have to or whenever I go into labor. I just tell people it will be around the beginning of November. I have the paperwork for the doctor to fill out in case I need it anytime soon, but I am hoping to work up until I go into labor.

Augustbride

In my company any time out of work starts to count against your FMLA time. Not sure if you were going to take it. However if I had to go out of work 10 weeks early I would need to return to work right after the doctor released my back to work. Just something else to consider.

Eriksgal

I stopped working sept 2 nd and am on STD. I had to file the claim and give them my dr info. They approved it no problem but my situation is different than most. If you have high BP or some other complication it shouldn't be an issue getting it approved. it's also up to your Dr though too. If I was having a singleton I would definitely be working up until delivery barring any issues.

authorofdreamz

It shouldn't be a problem getting your doctor to write you off work a couple of weeks before your EDD. I doubt any doctor would force a pregnant woman to work up until labor.

L&J08

Ask your dr. to write you out for "maternal exhaustion".  I'm due Nov 3 and I asked them to put me out on Oct 28th.  It's not too far ahead but the 28th is a Friday so I figure I can close out the week and be done.  Of course, all of this could go out the window if I go into labor early.  They wrote estimated return dates of 6 (vag delivery) or 8 (c section) weeks from my due date.  All of the rules of STD in conjunction with FMLA are so confusing!

 

Lotte134

Ditto the PP who said that any time off prior to delivering will still count against your 12 weeks of FMLA so consider that if you're planning to take it.  And honestly if you don't have a medical reason for not working it would be insurance fraud to claim one so it might not be as easy as you think to have your doctor write you out.

shocked77

Thanks for the response.  From what i have been told by HR my STD is separate from FMLA.  Its all sooo confusing thought.  We have private STD insrance which is full pay for up to 25 weeks due to a medical disability  that we pay a portion for from our paycheck. Its treated like another medical benefit.

So as I understand it time before delivery is STD due to medical disability due to pregnancy.  Time after the birth on STD is medical disability due to birth.  FMLA is unpaid and garuntees a job.  STD for us is 100% of your pay and is because of the mother being medically unable to work.  Can't go against FMLA if there is no child yet.

Its been  very confusing to get straight and HR seems to sort of know it but not great.  The other piece that is hard is there is what HR says and then there is what people actually do....like going out on STD for maternal exhaustion minimum 2 weeks before.

Thanks for the great advice.  Gives me a much better idea.

diddlenation

This is exactly how my company use to be and what I did with my first child.  Anytime prior to birth was STD and covered 100% up to a certain number of weeks and did not interfere at all with the number of weeks I got post delivery.  My doctor wrote me out 2 weeks prior to my due date.  And most docs will do that.  Now that my company has been bought I only get 7 weeks of std at 100% pay total in a year regardless if i take some before or after the baby is born.  It then goes down to 65% percent pay for another 15 or 16 weeks.  None of this is FMLA.  That is in addition to the STD plan and something I could add on after all my std is used up.

I think you would be fine asking your doctor his/her policy on writing patients out of work.  They will probably be more than willing to do it if you ask.  Of course being realistic.  I wouldn't ask them to write you out 8 weeks prior to due date or anything.  

GinaP

My company is the same way, only we are so small that FMLA isn't offered.

I tried getting my doctor to write me out, but she won't do it. My feet have been swollen and painful, and between my aching body and visious heartburn/indigestion I can't get any sleep. As uncomfortable, cranky and tired as I am, I'm told it's normal and not a reason for me to not work. So as far as I know I'm going to be working until the bitter end...