Short-Term Disability (STD)
Short-term disability benefits pay 50% of your eligible earnings if you can’t work for several weeks due to a covered injury or illness.
In compliance with New York State law and acknowledging that employees may face illnesses or injuries requiring extended absences, Adelphi University provides paid short-term disability leave to eligible employees (excluding faculty). This benefit covers non-occupational illnesses or injuries that extend beyond the elimination period of five consecutive working days, and offers up to 26 weeks of paid leave at 50% of your eligible earnings.
Eligibility
- All nonunion and public safety employees: Eligible after four consecutive weeks of employment or 20 days of employment. Coverage continues for four consecutive weeks after termination of employment.
- Union employees: Covered under the applicable collective bargaining agreements.
What Qualifies as a Short-Term Disability?
A short-term disability exists when an employee is:
- Absent from work for five (5) consecutive working days or more due to illness or injury
- Under the care of a physician
Eligible employees are entitled to receive 50% salary for a maximum period of up to 26 weeks with proper medical evidence of such illness or injury.
How Will Your Salary Be Affected?
- Full salary is paid for the first five days using available sick time.
- Starting from the sixth consecutive day, 50% disability pay is provided.
- Sick, personal, or accrued vacation time may be used to supplement the remaining 50%.
- Once all time is exhausted, only 50% disability pay will be issued.
Filing a Claim
- Notify the Office of Human Resources as soon as possible: As soon as you know you will be absent for five or more consecutive working days due to illness or injury, contact Human Resources to initiate the claim process.
- Contact New York Life: After notifying Human Resources, call New York Life at 888.842.4462 to set up your short-term disability claim.
- Coordination with New York Life:
- New York Life will immediately notify Adelphi of your claim.
- They will contact your physician to obtain the necessary medical information, which will determine the duration of your disability and your return-to-work options.
- Decision and Payment:
- Once New York Life has gathered the required medical information and approves your claim, they will notify Adelphi University of the claim’s duration.
- Your short-term disability payments will then be processed through Adelphi’s payroll.
If eligible, Adelphi will send a Family Medical Leave letter to inform you that, upon approval of the disability claim, the leave will also be designated as Family Medical Leave.
Required Forms
To facilitate your claim, please complete and return the following forms to the Office of Human Resources:
- FMLA – Notice of Employees Rights and Obligations: Sign and return this form to the Office of Human Resources.
- FMLA – Request for Family and Medical Leave of Absence: Have your manager sign this form, then sign it yourself, and return it to the Office of Human Resources.
- FMLA – Certification of Health Care Provider: Have your doctor complete this form and return it to the Office of Human Resources.
Short-Term Disability FAQs
Short-term disability payments are paid through Adelphi University’s payroll once the claim is approved by New York Life. All taxes, benefits and 403(b) contributions will continue to be deducted.
Short-term disability payments will be 50% of your regular earnings. You are required to use any of your accrued sick, personal and vacation time to supplement the other 50% of your pay while out on disability allowing you to receive full pay. Once the accrued time is exhausted you will be paid 50% of your pay.
To ensure your short-term disability payments will continue, you will need to make sure New York Life receives updated medical notes from your physician’s office after each visit. If required medical information is not received, New York Life will consider the disability period has ended and will close the claim.
Vacation time is accrued monthly, meaning you earn approximately 1.67 days per month (20 vacation days a year divided by 12 months). The amount of vacation days you have available while on leave depends on when you started your leave.
- Accrual While on Leave: Employees do not accrue vacation time during their leave. To earn vacation for a given month, you must work on or after the 15th of that month. When you return to work, you must return on or before the 14th of the month to accrue vacation for that month.
- Starting Leave: If you start your leave on or after the 15th of the month, you will be eligible to accrue vacation for that month.
- Returning from Leave: If you return from leave on or after the 15th of the month, you will not be eligible to accrue vacation for that month.
Once you are on a disability leave, you are not eligible for holiday or inclement weather days. Your short-term disability payments, including any accrued time payments, will continue on any day Adelphi may be closed.
An eligible employee who has been employed for at least 12 months and who has worked 1,250 hours during the 12-month period prior to the start of a leave period will qualify for Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) job protection. An eligible employee will be allowed to take 12 weeks of leave during any 12-month period.
We will send a Family Medical Leave letter to notify you (if eligible) that, upon approval of the short-term disability claim, the leave will be designated as a Family Medical Leave as well.
New York State Mandated Paid Family Leave does not cover your own serious health condition. As such, you may not receive both disability benefits (your own serious health condition) and NY PFL benefits for the same period. If taken separately, both cannot exceed 26 weeks during the same year.
You must supplement NY PFL with unused personal and unused accrued vacation days.
If you are eligible for FMLA, it will run concurrently with NY PFL. If you decline NY PFL payments while using FMLA, the leave will still be counted against your NY PFL benefit time.
NY PFL payments will begin (if eligible) after short-term disability payments end.
If you become disabled again due to the same condition within 90 consecutive days, short-term disability payments will continue under the original claim. You will not be required to satisfy a new elimination period which is five (5) consecutive working days.
If you become disabled after 90 consecutive days a new claim and elimination period, which is five (5) consecutive working days, will be required.
Adelphi University’s short-term disability policy does not provide for partial disability benefits. You must be able to return to work with no restrictions.
Subject to your supervisor’s approval and the needs of your department, a modified work schedule may be arranged on a short-term basis, i.e. two weeks.
Additional Resources
Union Employees
Union employees are covered under the applicable collective bargaining agreements.
Full-time faculty can learn more about parental and maternity leave provided through the applicable collective bargaining agreements.
Adjunct Faculty
What Qualifies as a Short-Term Disability?
A short-term disability exists when an employee is absent from work due to illness/injury and is under the care of a physician.
There is a seven-day waiting period for which no benefits are paid. Benefits begin on the eighth consecutive day of disability. A “day of disability” is a day on which you were prevented from performing work because of disability. You are ineligible for disability benefits if you perform any type of work for which you receive wages or profit, even if performed at home.
Eligibility and STD Coverage for Adjuncts
- Requirement: Current employment as Adjunct Faculty for at least 30 days
- Benefit Amount: 50% of current weekly wages up to a maximum of $600 per week
- Maximum Benefit Period: Thirteen (13) weeks
- Waiting Period: Seven (7) consecutive days
Filing a Claim as an Adjunct
- Notify the Office of Human Resources as soon as possible: As soon as you know you will be absent for five or more consecutive working days due to illness or injury, contact Human Resources to initiate the claim process.
- Notify your department (Chair or Dean): Advise them of your leave and to be paid any accrued sick time for the elimination period—the seven (7) scheduled working calendar days following the start of disability.
- Contact Sun Life: After notifying Human Resources, you will need to initiate a claim by creating one online at your Sun Life Account or by calling 800.247.6875.
- Coordination with Sun Life:
- Once it is established that a claim for disability exists, Sun Life will contact your physician to get the appropriate medical information. This discussion determines the length of the disability and the return-to-work options.
- Once approved, Sun Life pays the adjunct faculty member directly and removes them from Adelphi University’s payroll.
- Payment Process: Once the claim is approved, Sun Life will pay the adjunct faculty member directly and remove them from Adelphi University’s payroll.