Employee Benefits
Short-Term Disability Plan

The County provides Short-Term Disability (STD) benefits to employees in the event of a non-work related illness or injury that requires the employee to be off work more than seven (7) consecutive days. STD benefits provide partial income replacement while the employee is off work. These benefits may be integrated with the employee's available sick leave hours. For detailed information, refer to the Short-Term Disability Plan(s):
Represented
Exempt

Eligibility
Employees must meet the eligibility requirements specified in their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Exempt Compensation Plan, contract or salary ordinance.

Coverage under the plan is automatic and this benefit replaces State Disability Insurance (SDI). However, employees who participated in SDI at any time within the eighteen (18) months immediately prior to enrollment in STD or employees who have a second job that participates in SDI may be eligible to receive SDI benefits. An employee covered under SDI must apply for SDI benefits and provide a copy SDI determination letter to Employee Benefits or your departmental payroll clerk. The STD benefit will be reduced by the amount of the SDI benefit the employee is eligible for or currently receiving. In the event that the SDI benefit amount is greater than the allowable STD benefit amount, no STD benefits will be paid.

Filing a Claim
On the fourth day of the employee's absence, the claim process may be started. Contact Employee Benefits or your payroll clerk for an STD Claim Packet. No plan benefits will be paid until all completed forms have been received by the claims administrator listed on the claim forms.

Note: Failure to furnish completed forms within the first fifteen (15) days of the disability period will result in the loss of benefits.

Benefit Payments
After you have satisfied a seven (7) consecutive calendar day waiting period, you are eligible to receive STD benefits. Generally, your Normal Weekly Benefit will be fifty-five percent (55%) of your Normal Weekly Earnings, not to exceed established amounts. Your normal weekly benefit may be reduced if you receive or are entitled to receive other disability payments.

Transitional Work
Transitional Work means temporary changes to an employee’s Regular and Customary Work in an effort to accommodate temporary restrictions placed on the employee by the treating physician and approved by the Center for Employee Health and Wellness and Employee Health and Productivity (EHaP) Program. Employees are required, as a condition of participation in this plan, to actively cooperate with the efforts of the EHaP Nurse Care Coordinators in recovering from their disability. If an employee returns to work part-time through Transitional Work and suffers a partial wage loss, plan benefits may continue up to their Normal Weekly Earnings, limited to the Normal Weekly Benefit. Under no circumstances will an employee be entitled to receive more than 100% of their Normal Weekly Earnings when their part-time weekly salary and Plan Benefit payments are added together

Intergration of Benefits
Plan benefit payments may be fully or partially integrated with other paid time including, but not limited to, sick leave, vacation leave, holiday leave, and regular work hours. Employees may not receive more than 100% of their Normal Weekly Earnings. Employees who elect to fully integrate plan benefit payments with other paid time will receive all benefits and accruals as if they were receiving full regular pay. If an employee elects not to fully integrate, or is not eligible to fully integrate, only paid time recorded will be attributable toward benefits and accruals. Employees may also elect not to integrate any other paid time with plan benefits. All benefits and accruals will be administered in accordance with the applicable MOU, contract, or salary ordinance pertaining to the employee.