The short-term disability (STD) benefit provided by CCS is a payroll practice plan providing income replacement for eligible employees unable to work due to a non-work-related illness/ injury or pregnancy and/or childbirth. STD is governed by the applicable Program Document.
Eligibility
A regular, full-time, active employee who has completed six months (180 days) of continuous employment and who is unable to work due to a covered non-work-related illness/ injury or pregnancy/childbirth is eligible. An employee receiving worker’s compensation or disability pay under any state or federal plan is ineligible for this benefit. To be eligible for the STD disability benefits, the employee must not engage in outside employment. Part-time employees are not eligible. For purposes of this benefit, regular, full-time employees are Maintenance/Environmental employees who are scheduled to be actively at work at least 40 hours a week and other administrative staff who are scheduled to be actively at work at least 35 hours each week.
Medical Certification
Employees should notify Human Resources 30 days prior to leave, if known ahead of time, or immediately upon learning of the need for leave if the need for leave is not known 30 days prior to the leave. Human Resources will provide the employee with a short-term disability application form and a medical certification form. The employee’s healthcare provider must complete the medical certification that includes the start and expected end date of the disability and other medical facts. This application and medical certification must be submitted to the third-party administrator, which will review the employee’s eligibility and the STD certification and make a determination on benefit qualification as defined in the Program Document. Exclusions and limitations are described in the Program Document and apply. Periodic medical certification may be required for the continuation of benefits. Failure to provide the requested certification will result in the discontinuation of the STD benefits.
CCS or the third-party administrator has the discretion to require an independent medical examination as a condition for receiving or continuing short-term disability benefits.
Benefit Payment
The amount of the short-term disability benefit is calculated on the employee’s base wage/salary at the time of claim initiation at the following percentage payment schedule.
Waiting period: 7th day of illness/injury (calendar days)
Employees will be required to use accrued PTO during the waiting period prior to disability benefits beginning, and should no accrued PTO be available, the waiting period will be unpaid.
| | Percent of Pay |
|---|
Length of
Employment | PTO required | 100% | 90% | 80% | 70% |
| Less than 180 days | | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 180 days to 2 years | Waiting period | n/a | n/a | 12 weeks | 13 weeks |
| 2 years to < 5 years | Waiting period | 6 weeks | n/a | 7 weeks | 12 weeks |
| 5 years or more | Waiting period | 12 weeks | 13 weeks | n/a | n/a |
The short-term disability benefit may be paid for up to a maximum of 26 weeks, which includes the waiting period. Although the claims must be submitted to the third-party administrator for review and approval, upon approval payments will be made by CCS on regularly scheduled pay dates and will be taxable income.
If an employee has a serious health condition and is eligible for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the employee may be simultaneously entitled to up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave under the FMLA and income benefits under this short-term disability plan.
Employees will continue to be maintained on CCS’s health plan while receiving STD benefits, and the employee portion of the premiums will be deducted from the employee’s STD payments.
Return to Work
The employee must return to work (with or without accommodation) as soon as permitted by his or her healthcare provider and must submit a fitness for duty clearance to the Human Resources Director prior to returning. The Human Resources office will confirm an employee’s actual return to work date with the employee and supervisor.
Should an employee’s medical condition prevent them from returning to work after 26 weeks, the employee may be eligible for income replacement benefits under the Long-Term Disability Plan.
Temporary Recovery
If an employee who has returned to work after receiving STD benefits is unable to work for the same cause(s) for which STD benefits were approved within 90 days of returning to work, this will be considered a temporary recovery. This means that the second period of disability will be considered part of the prior claim, and STD benefits will be limited to a total of 26 weeks for the successive periods of disability. Where another period of disability for the same reason occurs after the employee has been back at work for 90 days, that will be considered a new claim rather than a temporary recovery.
Please note that the STD benefits are income replacement, and the STD policy does not guarantee a job for any particular period of time. An employee’s right to job continuation is governed by CCS’s leave policies.
CCS expressly reserves the right to amend or terminate the short-term disability policy at any time in its sole discretion. This statement is a brief description of the current short-term disability benefits offered. In any instances in which this document and the program document conflict, the program document language, and not this description, will control.
