Short Term Disability ("STD") Plan Benefits
Short Term Disability (“STD”) benefits are usually paid for a period of 6 - 24 months following an unpaid period of continuous disability (“waiting period”) provided that you are covered under a STD plan and your disability prevents you from performing the important duties of the work you had when you became disabled. Frequently, the “waiting period” which may last up to several months will be waived if you attempt to return to your pre-disability work and within a short period of time you are again prevented from performing your work duties as a result of your original disabling condition.

Benefits are plan specific and they are defined in the Summary Plan Description (“SPD”) which is the benefit booklet your plan administrator, who is likely your employer, should have provided to you at the time you enrolled for benefits. Frequently, STD claims will be handled by a vendor known as a third-party administrator (“TPA”) which may be an insurance company even though your benefits may not be insured and are paid from monies your employer holds in a special account. Also, it is likely that your employer rather than the TPA will have the final authority in deciding whether to pay your STD benefits.

Bruce A. Tischler at the firm of Greene & Tischler, P.A. welcomes the opportunity to assist you with your STD benefits.


Long Term Disability ("LTD") Plan Benefits
Long Term Disability (“LTD”) benefits are usually paid after exhausting your STD benefits for a period of 24 months for psychiatric disabilities or until your normal social security retirement age for other disabling conditions provided that you are covered under a LTD plan and you remain disabled under its terms and conditions. Often, LTD plan requirements will significantly differ from those of your STD plan. Typically, during the first 24 months of the LTD period you will receive benefits if you are unable to return to the work you performed at the time you became disabled and thereafter only if you are unable to perform any work regardless of your prior employment. However, some LTD plans known as “own occupation” or “own occ” plans will provide benefits while you are unable to return to your pre-disability employment during the entire coverage period and certain LTD plans may provide benefits for psychiatric disabilities for periods greater than 24 months.

Benefits are plan specific and they are defined in the Summary Plan Description (“SPD”) which is the benefit booklet your plan administrator, who is likely your employer, should have provided to you at the time you enrolled for benefits. Frequently, LTD claims will be handled by an insurance company which also insures the plan and has the sole authority in deciding whether to pay your LTD benefits.

Bruce A. Tischler at firm of Greene & Tischler, P.A. welcomes the opportunity to assist you with your LTD benefits.