Short Term Disability
Salary Continuation or Short Term Disability is used to compensate you while you are out on certain FMLA-approved leaves of absence. These include a mother’s medical leave for the birth of a child, for adoptions, leave due to your own serious health condition, and family leave such as bonding for maternity and paternity.
Short Term Disability is not for minor injuries or minor temporary illness, nor is it for other short term absences. Short Term Disability is only available for absences of more than two continuous weeks in duration. Short Term Disability is not designed to compensate you for extended periods of time away from work due to major illness or prolonged debilitating injury. Long Term Disability will take effect after a period of 180 days or about 26 weeks. Except for bonding leave, there is a 2-week elimination period. Banked sick leave is intended to bridge the elimination period. Vacation and/or regular sick leave is intended to bridge the elimination period for adoption leave. Therefore, the maximum amount of time you may be considered on Short Term Disability is 24 weeks.
Employees must use the time keeping system of record to record time according to the policy and must make his or her manager, EDENS Payroll and Benefits Specialist and HR aware of the need for leave as soon as possible.
Eligibility
All regularly scheduled full time, 30 hour or more employees who are approved for FMLA leave and who have worked for 12 consecutive months and at least 1,250 hours are eligible for Short Term Disability benefits. Short Term Disability eligibility begins the day of your one-year anniversary. You cannot use more than 24 weeks of Short Term Disability in a 12 month period.
Short Term Disability is entirely employer funded, there is no additional cost to you, with the exception of the 2 week elimination period, if applicable.
How the STD is used and scheduled
When you go out on disability, there is an automatic waiting period, known as an elimination period, during which the merit of the disability claim is judged. The duration of the elimination period is 2 weeks long. During those two weeks you are responsible for providing adequate substantiation of disability or other requested documentation to the company’s third-party claims administrator. The company’s third-party claims administrator makes all decisions related to the leave determination and approval. During that initial 2-week period, you may use available banked sick leave, vacation and/or sick time to compensate for time off from work or choose unpaid leave. In the case of adoption leave, vacation and/or regular sick leave is intended to bridge the elimination period. If employee decides to use unpaid leave during the elimination period, no vacation or sick leave will be accrued, the employee is responsible for paying for all enrolled benefits, and in addition, is not allowed to contribute to the 401(k). It is strongly recommended that you save 10 leave days so that you do not experience a loss of income during your elimination period. After the disability claim is verified, and the elimination period is exhausted, the benefits begin to compensate you based on your rate of pay and length of service with the company. For any given length of service, you will receive 100% or 60% of your weekly salary. The longer your length of service, the longer you will receive 100% of your weekly salary while out on disability.
Any accrued and unused paid leave provided by EDENS will run concurrently with and supplement any state-provided PFL benefits, provided that the total amount of PFL and accrued paid leave does not exceed 100% of the employee’s regular pay.
How long my salary will continue
Short Term Disability is earned on an annual basis. Length of service determines the rate at which you will accrue Short Term Disability. You become eligible for the new higher rate on the day of your anniversary date..
| Years of Service | Elimination Period | Weeks Paid at 100% of Salary |
Weeks Paid at 60% of Salary |
| One to < Three years | 2 weeks | 4 | 20 |
| Three to < Five years | 2 weeks | 10 | 14 |
| Five to < Seven years | 2 weeks | 15 | 9 |
| Seven years & above | 2 weeks | 24 | 0 |
Provisions of STD
Once you’ve used your 24 weeks of Short Term Disability in a 12-month period, you will not be eligible to qualify for Short Term Disability benefits again until one year after your original Short Term Disability date. Should you not utilize all 24 weeks of Short Term Disability in a given year and require Short Term Disability a second time within that same year, the balance of Short Term Disability weeks not originally used will be available to you, not to exceed 24 weeks. You will not be allowed more than 24 weeks of Short Term Disability in any one-year time span. However, you may also be entitled to paid Family Leave benefits under you state or local laws. Please call Human Resources for assistance.
If a period of disability is extended by a new cause while benefits are payable, benefits will continue while you remain disabled. However, benefits will not continue beyond the end of the original maximum benefit period of 24 weeks..
Using STD for Maternity Leave
All regularly scheduled full time, 30 hour or more employee who are approved for FMLA leave related to the birth of a child and have worked for 12 consecutive months and at least 1,250 hours are eligible for up to eight (8) weeks of paid leave. This benefit can be stacked with bonding leave, noted below.
| Years of Service | Elimination Period | Weeks Paid at 100% of Salary |
Weeks Paid at 60% of Salary |
Bonding Leave used in conjunction with childbirth |
| One to < Three years | 2 weeks | 4 | 4 | 2 weeks at 60% |
| > Three years | 2 weeks | 8 | 0 | 2 weeks at 100% |
Adoption Leave
All regularly scheduled full time, 30 hour or more employees, who are approved for FMLA leave for purposes of adopting a child under the age of 18, are the primary caregiver, who have worked for 12 consecutive months and at least 1,250 hours are eligible for up to eight (8) weeks of paid leave. Pay during leave under this policy will commence the date the employee takes custody of the adopted child and must be taken in one continuous period of time. This benefit can be stacked with bonding leave, noted below.
NOTE: Adoption Leave does not technically fall under the Short Term Disability plan because it does not involve employee’s medical condition. The benefit remains in this tab because it corresponds to our Family Leave Program, of which Maternity Leave is a part.
| Years of Service | Elimination Period
(In the case of adoption leave, vacation and/or regular sick leave is intended to bridge the elimination period) |
Weeks Paid at 100% of Salary |
Weeks Paid at 60% of Salary |
Bonding Leave used in conjunction with childbirth |
| One to < Three years | 2 weeks | 4 | 4 | 2 weeks at 60% |
| > Three years | 2 weeks | 8 | 0 | 2 weeks at 100% |
Bonding Leave
Except as noted above for child birth and adoption, all regularly scheduled full time, 30 hour or more employees, who are approved for FMLA leave, whose spouse gives birth or who is not the primary adoptive caregiver and who have worked for 12 consecutive months and at least 1,250 hours are eligible for up to two (2) weeks of paid leave. Those employees who take leave for child birth or primary caregiver adoption leave may take bonding leave under this provision after their primary leave expires.
NOTE: Bonding Leave does not technically fall under the Short Term Disability plan because it does not involve employee’s medical condition. The benefit remains in this tab because it corresponds to our Family Leave Program, of which Maternity Leave is a part.
| Years of Service | Elimination Period | Weeks Paid at 100% of Salary |
Weeks pain at 60% of Salary |
| One to < Three years | none | 1 | 1 |
| > Three years | none | 2 | 0 |
CA Paid Family Leave
Paid Family Leave (PFL) is funded by employees’ contributions and provides partial wage replacement benefits to eligible Californians who need time off work to care for seriously ill child, parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse, or registered domestic partner. Benefits are also available to parents who need time off work to bond with a new child entering the family by birth, adoption, or foster care placement. Any accrued and unused paid leave provided by EDENS will run concurrently with and supplement PFL benefits, provided that the total amount of PFL and accrued paid leave does not exceed 100% of the employee’s regular pay. For more information, please review the notice below.
CO Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI)
Beginning January 1, 2024, FAMLI will start providing benefits to employees. The FAMLI program will ensure all Colorado workers have access to paid leave in order to take care of themselves or their family during life circumstances that pull them away from their jobs — like growing their family or taking care of a loved one with a serious health condition. Eligible employees will receive up to twelve weeks of leave. Paid parental leave (and FMLA leave) must run concurrently with FAMLI. Any accrued and unused paid leave provided by EDENS will run concurrently with and supplement FAMIL benefits, provided that the total amount of FAMIL and accrued paid leave does not exceed 100% of the employee’s regular pay. For more information, please review the notice below.
CT Family Leave
Beginning on January 1, 2022, EDENS will begin providing paid family and medical leave benefits to eligible employees in Connecticut. Family and medical leave benefits provide employees with a partial wage replacement when an employee is unable to work because of family, medical and/or parental needs. Contributions are funded through employee payroll deductions. On January 1, 2021, EDENS will begin making deductions for the employee’s share of contributions. Any accrued and unused paid leave provided by EDENS will run concurrently with and supplement PFL benefits, provided that the total amount of PFL and accrued paid leave does not exceed 100% of the employee’s regular pay. For more information, please review the notice below.
DC Paid Family Leave
Beginning on July 1, 2020, employees working in the District of Columbia are eligible for paid parental leave to bond with a new child, paid family leave to care for an ill family member with a serious health condition, and paid medical leave to care for his or her own serious health condition under the Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act of 2016 (PFL). Employees must apply for PFL and payments will be issued to eligible employees directly from the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services. Any accrued and unused paid leave provided by EDENS will run concurrently with and supplement PFL benefits, provided that the total amount of PFL and accrued paid leave does not exceed 100% of the employee’s regular pay.
DC Paid Family Leave Information
DC Paid Family Leave: Prenatal Leave Information
MA Paid Family and Medical Leave
On January 1, 2021, EDENS will begin providing paid family and medical leave benefits to eligible employees in Massachusetts. Family and medical leave benefits provide employees with a partial wage replacement when an employee is unable to work because of family, medical and/or parental needs. Contributions are funded through employee payroll deductions. Beginning October 1, 2019, EDENS will begin making deductions for the employee’s share of family leave benefit premiums. Any accrued and unused paid leave provided by EDENS will run concurrently with and supplement PFL benefits, provided that the total amount of PFL and accrued paid leave does not exceed 100% of the employee’s regular pay. For more information, please review the information and notice below.
2025 MA Paid Family and Medical Leave Workplace Poster
MA Paid Family and Medical Leave Information
NJ Family Leave
Consistent with the Family Leave Act and Family Leave Insurance Program, EDENS provides job-protected family leave to its New Jersey employees. These benefits provide employees with a partial wage replacement when an employee is unable to work because of family, medical and/or parental needs. Contributions are funded through employee payroll deductions. Any accrued and unused paid leave provided by EDENS will run concurrently with and supplement these benefits, provided that the total amount of FLA and accrued paid leave does not exceed 100% of the employee’s regular pay. For more information, please review the notice below.
NY Family Leave
Consistent with the New York Paid Family Leave Law, EDENS provides job-protected family leave to its New York employees. These benefits provide employees with a partial wage replacement when an employee is unable to work because of family, medical and/or parental needs. Contributions are funded through employee payroll deductions. Any accrued and unused paid leave provided by EDENS will run concurrently with and supplement these benefits, provided that the total amount of FLL and accrued paid leave does not exceed 100% of the employee’s regular pay. For more information, please review the notice below.
2025 NY Family Leave Information
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After you have been on Short Term Disability for 180 days, your active employee benefits with EDENS will terminate. At that time you will be given the opportunity to enroll in COBRA to continue certain benefits including your medical, dental, and vision coverage. If you are approved for the company’s Long Term Disability plan you may qualify for help with your medical premiums. Information about this can be found on the Long Term Disability page.
Pregnancy Accommodation
EDENS provides reasonable accommodations to employees related to pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, to the extent the accommodation can be made without imposing an undue hardship on the business.
EDENS does not discriminate or retaliate against an employee because the employee requests or uses a reasonable accommodation relating to pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition. When an employee requests a reasonable accommodation, EDENS will explore with the employee the possible means of providing the reasonable accommodation, which may include, but are not limited to:
- acquisition or modification of equipment for sitting;
- more frequent or longer breaks;
- periodic rest;
- modifying work hours/schedules;
- assistance with manual labor;
- job restructuring;
- light duty assignments;
- modified work schedules;
- temporary transfers to less strenuous or hazardous work;
- time off to recover from childbirth; or
- break time and appropriate facilities for expressing milk.
EDENS may require the employee to provide medical certification from the employee’s physician to determine an appropriate accommodation. While an employee may be granted a reasonable leave of absence due to a pregnancy-related disability, such leave will not be required if another reasonable accommodation can be provided to the employee without imposing an undue hardship on the Company. If leave is provided as a reasonable accommodation, such leave may run concurrently with other leave where permitted by state and federal law.
EDENS will provide new employees with a notice of rights in accordance with this policy upon commencement of their employment and will provide the same notice to any employee within ten days of the employee notifying EDENS that she is pregnant. For more information, or if you require an accommodation, please contact your supervisor or Human Resources.
Contact Information:
Guardian at 888-262-5670
Short Term Disability Claim Form
Authorization for Medical Records for Short Term Disability
Note: The simplified benefit summaries contained herein are designed to be concise, simplified highlights of each benefit plan. As such, they are not comprehensive or authoritative. For complete details, please refer to the applicable benefit plan booklet provided by the insurer or your employer. In matters of tax or legal interpretation, seek the services of a qualified professional.