When benefits start
You are eligible for short term disability benefits during a continuous period of disability up to the plan maximum limits if:
- You are unable to adequately perform the material and substantial duties of your regular occupation due to a physical or mental impairment, which is supported by contemporaneous objective medical evidence;
- You have satisfied a waiting period known as the Elimination Period, if applicable; and
- You have met all policy requirements.
If we find you to be disabled, and your disability is caused by an illness, benefits are generally paid after a three-day elimination period. If your disability is caused by an injury, benefits are paid as of the date of your disability if:
- You are treated by a physician on the day you are injured; or
- Your injury occurs on a school day, and you are treated by a physician within three days of the injury.
A word about preexisting conditions
We will not pay benefits during the first 12 months of coverage for preexisting conditions. That is, if you received medical treatment, took prescribed drugs, or consulted a physician in any manner for an illness or injury in the 12 months before becoming covered under this plan, that particular sickness or injury, or anything related to that condition, will not qualify for benefits.
Note: Most of us think of treatment as a procedure, like surgery, or a prescription for medication. But under the terms of your STD policy, treatment also includes any type of consultation with a medical practitioner, laboratory tests (e.g., a positive pregnancy test), infertility treatment, etc.
Consult this fact sheet for more information about your STD plan and preexisting conditions. |
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