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Thanks to the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) of 1978, all GROUP disability insurance policies for employers with at least 15 employees must treat pregnancy as if it were an injury or illness, subject to the other terms of the policy (in other words, pre-existing condition exclusions, waiting periods, elimination periods, the contract's particular definition of "disability", and proof of loss provisions all still apply). It does not matter who pays the premiums as long as it is a group contract. Furthermore, it has become the industry standard for group disability policies for employers with less than 15 employees is to also treat pregnancies as illnesses.

On the other hand, individual (non-group) disability policies, even those purchased through payroll deduction and "sponsored" by an employer (but are individually "owned" by the employee) typically exclude benefits for disabilities caused by routine pregnancy and deliveries. This may vary from contract to contract and is subject to state insurance laws.

It should be noted that disability benefits due to pregnancy are UNRELATED to whatever MATERNITY LEAVE an employee may be entitled to: Maternity Leave is a type of Family and Medical Leave which allows employees to miss work for a certain amount of time without fear of loosing his or her job, but it is typically unpaid (which employees then supplement with unused vacation time, sick pay, or their own personal savings). This is usually available also for adoptions or for the fathers (called PATERNITY LEAVE). Disability Benefits, when applicable, are only payable for the period of time the mother is physically or mentally unable to work due to the pregnancy and/or delivery (e.g. 6-weeks postpartum for a normal delivery). The amount of maternity leave and the duration of disability benefits available to a new mother are unrelated to each other and should not be confused.

Therefore, it is possible for an employee to have leave available without disability benefits; disability benefits without leave available (for example when leave has been exhausted earlier in the year and/or when FMLA or State leave laws do not apply); or both leave and disability benefits of differing durations.

So for example, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 (for larger employers) as well as state FMLA-like laws may allow an employee to miss work for twelve weeks, while the disability benefit may only be through the sixth week postpartum. This leaves the employee without any pay for the "extra" time off when she would be physically and mentally able to work following her recovery from the delivery but has chosen not to return to work to spend more time with the baby.

When preparing for a leave from work due to pregnancy, the employee should always discuss both maternity leave AND any disability benefits available with their employer to avoid any surprises once the leave/disability begin.

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yes

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Disability insurance is mandatory in five states: California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.

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Short term disability has a defined benefit that ends at a specified time. For example your policy may have a 3 month, 6 month, 12 month, or 24 month benefit period.

If you are disabled for maternity leave you may be able to extend your benefit if your doctor provides a medical reason for why you can't work. The typical maternity benefit is six weeks for vaginal birth, and eight weeks for a c-section delivery. This leaves room for you to extend the benefits before you reach the benefit period limit.

If you remain disabled beyond your policy's benefit period you will not be able to extend the benefits.

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Notice to Readers: It may appear to you that I wrote the first answer to this question. I did not. I wrote only the section entitled "Another View".

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This type of coverage can be had in either the form of life insurance or disability insurance. A life insurance policy can be of a type that has progressively lower indemnity benefits that roughly correlate with the balance owing on the mortgage.

A disability policy compensates for lost income due to a covered disability--an inability to work. Those benefits may ve used to make mortgage payments, or for any other purpose.

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If you qualify for a DI payment under the terms of the contract, you should not have to sue. You just should have to simply file a claim with the claims department. Unfortunately not all valid claims are approved. If you obtained your disability insurance on your own, i.e. if it is an individual policy, then if all else fails to may sue the insurance company in state court, based on the laws of the state where you live. You should consult with a lwyer in your state about that since state laws do vary.

If you obtained your disability insurance through your employment, your claim is not subject to state law, but to federal law, under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). There are limited exceptions to this, such as if your employer is a church of a governmental entiry, but generally any employment-based coverage is governed by ERISA. Unfortunately ERISA is a very unfair law when it comes to enforcing insurance contracts, and you will find the deck is stacked against you in court (for further information see http:/problemiserisa.blogspot.com). You should still consult with an attorney, but you should make sure the attorney is well-versed in ERISA law, because it is highly complex and arcane and an inexperienced practitioner would have a difficult time getting up to speed.

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You would have to review your policy and see if it requires that you are under an MD's care.

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There are 2 ways to look at this question. If you are employee of the State of GA, your benefit plan doubtless includes short term disability insurance.

If you are employed privately, or have your own business, there are many companies that write short term disability insurance. Your starting point would be to go to a licensed life and health insurance agent (as these kinds of agents also deal with disability insurance). The agent must be licensed in GA is the policy is to be issued there and the insurer must be authorized to issue those kinds of policies. If you have any doubt, contact the GA Dept. of Insurance to confirm the licensure of the agent and the authority of the insurer to issue those kinds of policies.

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I will get from travel Agent OR Nigeria Embassy

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Many life and health insurance agents have markets for disability insurance, but it is a specialty area and you should determine the agent's expertise with disability policies.

It is also important to make sure that the agent with whom you work is licensed in the State in which he/she does business, and is "appointed" by the insurer for whom he/she is taking the application. An "appointment" means that the agent is authorized to represent the insurer in presenting the coverage to prospective insureds and to submit applications to the company. Certain legal liabilities and responsibilities arise from that relationship. For the most part, licensure and appointment can be determined through the State insurance regulator, and sometimes it is available online.

It is also vital that the insurer is itself "authorized" to transact business in your State, meaning that it is authorized to conduct insurance business there. Many consumer protections arise when an insurer is authorized in the State, including, that the insurer is subject to financial oversight. Many of those consumer protections do not apply when the insurer is not authorized. In fact, a big area of financial wrongdoing involves the operation of fake insurance companies that are established as frauds to take in premium dollars, but never have the intention of paying claims.

The agent does not him/herself "design" the policy. Instead, the insurer may have various essentially standard form policies that have been approved to sell by agents in the State. There are several options from which you may select, and those selections are made in your transaction with the agent. One common option is the duration of the "elimination period". This is the period of time that you must be disabled (according to the policy definition of disability) before benefits become payable. It can be analogized to the deductible that you select for the collision or comprehensive coverage on your car.

Because the length of the elimination period has a bearing upon how soon, and therefore, how much, the disability insurer has to pay for a covered claim, it also has a bearing upon the amount of the premium that you will be charged. For example, all other things being equal, a disability policy with a 30-day elimination period will be more costly than one with a 90-day elimination period. The agent does not set the premiums, but should be able to advise you, based upon your circumstances, which elimination period (or other options that affect premium) is most suitable.

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In the US, California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island impose mandatory state disability insurance programs for employees. The purpose of the programs is to provide some protection against wage loss caused by short-term non-work-related disabilities. The insurance premium is submitted to the insurer by the employer but paid either jointly by the employer and the employee, or entirely by the employer, depending on the employer's good will. There are some limits to what the employee may be required to contribute by the employer. This insurance is in addition to two well-known government disability programs: Worker's Compensation and Social Security. Employees' contributions are federal tax-deductible.

Simple answer: No. Group Disability Insurance is not like Group Health Insurance -- and all the ERISA regulations that control how this employee benefit works. With Group Disability Insurance, an employer can "carve out" a select group of employees -- meaning the employer can create a "plan for just one employee (himself!)".

An employer can also offer a contributory insurance plan, in which case the employee will contribute a certain percentage of premium. Or the employer can choose to offer a voluntary plan, where the employees enroll on their own accord and pay full premium.

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If Long Term Disabilty is denying you because on the date of the claim you were in the pre-x period then it would be forever. When the pre-x time is over - then it would cover a NEW claim. Not a pending one. Check YOUR actual policy for exact details. For more information www.SteveShorr.com/disability.htm

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Apply for medicaid and when applying ask about any programs in your area that may also assist with dental coverage.

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Sure, I am an insurance broker, appointed by multiple companies. If I were exclusive like a state farm agent, that's all I could sell is state farm.

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To collect unemployment you have to be available for work. So, you would probably NOT be considered disabled to collect under your Disability Policy.

For more info check out the State DI and Social Security DI programs.

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The answer depends on when your coverage became effective. Most plans are effective after a time frame (ex: the 1st month following your date of hire, etc.). In order to be eligible your coverage would have to be effective while you are still working and prior to going out. Secondly, it would also depend if your plan has a pre-existing condition limitation. If the answer is yes, your claim would be denied because your condition obviously occured during the pre-ex period. Chances are, there will not be a pre-existing condition limitation in the policy - these are rare in Short Term Disability policies.

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No one can stop you from going on vacation while on disability but it may cause suspicion or even lead to an investigation in your case. The question your adjuster may ask is "If you are so disabled that you are unable to work, why are you able to take a vacation?" Basically it depends on your disability. If for example, you have a limitation on mobility and you go on vacation, it may draw suspicion. If you tell the adjuster, "I work because I can't walk" and then go Disney World...red flag. If you have a limitation on something like a hand or arm, maybe not so much unless you go on vacation to a place in which physical activity is performed and the use of that hand or arm.

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Check your policy for specific details. Some policies will require that you be unable to perform one or more "activities of daily living". Others will require that your doctor indicate that you can't perform the duties of your full time occupation, others any occupation.

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That would depend if you live in a state that provides disability insurance.

The type of disability insurance would also depend on the seriousness of the surgery, i.e. is it short-term, work injury related (workers comp); longer term, permanent (SSDI); private insurance (depends on the insurance policy). The Related Link below is an excellent source for information on the above.