More than ever, employers are experiencing higher disability and absentee rates due to factors such as an aging workforce, rising mental health claims and chronic illness.
Disability and absences can be difficult for both employees and employers and have devastating impacts, especially for a small business. You can suffer losses in productivity, resources and customer service, and satisfaction levels when employees are away from work.
To minimize the cost and impact of long term absences and disabilities, having short and long term disability insurance is important. Disability insurance replaces a portion of an employee’s income if they become disabled and are unable to earn an income. A disability can result from a number of causes, including an injury, a serious illness or a mental health issue. The duration of a disability can be either short- or long-term.
Short-term disability (STD) insurance covers a percentage of employee’s income for a short period of time if they become disabled and unable to work. This can be due to a number of factors, including illness or an accident.
If the disability continues, the person may be eligible for long-term disability (LTD) benefits. LTD benefits begin once STD benefits run out and continues to pay a percentage of their income. These benefits are usually paid for up to two years if they are unable to perform their regular occupation. After two years, employees must be disabled from performing any occupation to have the benefits continue.
When designing your benefits plan, the most important thing to do is find what options work best for you. There is no one-size-fits-all plan. In this series, we've covered four different aspects of group benefits plans and, within each, some of the different options available to create your ideal plan design.
