Maternity Leave?/Disability Insurance

modernfairytale8709

Hi-

 So, I was speaking to my HR rep today, asking questions about company policy on maternity leave. We get the standard 12 weeks from FMLA. My company offers disablity insurance as the only reimbursment for maternity leave.

However, HR lady tells me that the disability insurance is really a pain if you make a claim, and she suggested that instead of the insurance, I take the money that I'd pay for the premium and set it aside in a special account.

My question for you bumpies is what has your experience been with disablity insurance in relation to your maternity leave?

Lyssapee

I pay about $30 a month and had no problems with my initial claim.  HOWEVER they should have extrended it for another 3-4 weeks and denided me. 

I was given about $3k over the 6 weeks I got paid.  I would have had to work 100 months and considering the school year is less than 10 months that would have been several years...

PLUS, if you have to go out earlier or have a section they pay you for longer.

My company was prudential.

Lyssapee

actually it was over $3k, it depends on your much you get paid.

Good luck!

jellybean529

I'd pay the premium and take the disability insurance. I think I paid $1.66 per pay period for mine (through unum) and they paid 60% of my salary for five weeks.

Yeah, they do kind of make it a pain to file a claim. I had a c/s and should not have been allowed to go to work until at least 8 weeks PP but I had to go back at 7 weeks (I used 2 weeks vacation + 5 weeks disability) because, in spite of the doctor sending them confirmation, they wouldn't extend the leave. They said the doctor would have to send over my actual medical records -- and then they DID -- and even that wasn't good enough.I couldn't afford to not get paid so I went back to work.

My advice would be -- get the disability insurance AND set some money aside as well.

fiestlylil1

With my disability coverage, I pay $14 per pay period and it covered about $80% of my salary until I was cleared to go back to work.

  I chose to have a 1 4day waiting period before I would receive money (For exaample, if I made a claim today, I would get a check in 2 weeks).  That worked for me because I used the vacation days I had saved first.

It was really easy to get the 1st check, but the 2nd check they draggged their feet.  The disability Ins told me they had to "review" the claim again.  So I had to call every day for a couple weeks before they sent another check. 

  It's definitely worth it to still have income coming in when you aren't working. 

 

CamJack mom

first 2 weeks go uncovered so you have to use your vacation time. Then STD pays 8 weeks for section / 6 for vag. My company is liberty mutual, and there was only 1 peice of paper to get filled out (which pissed me off because my docs office charged me a $25 flat fee for filling out STD paperwork). STD cost only $8 a month last year but this year our company paid it for us, so it was easy and very cost effective. I am not sure what saving $8 a month will get you here LOL

 

ETA - I was paid 80% of my pay tax free because it was an insurance payment so it was pretty close to my actual pay