Short Term Disability Policies

Bellina12200

Does anyone have their own STD policy coverage outside of what it offered to them by their employer?  I am looking to get my own policy to have coverage for when the time comes that I need leave for having a baby.  I know some policies require having the policy in place for a certain amount of time before you can use it for pregnancy disability.  We don't have any Aflac offerings at work here, so I need to look on my own and find something.  Anyone do this too and have any recommendations for good companies with reasonable prices?

 TIA!

Jezzabella08

I did a lot of research on this, as I was looking into it for the same reasons as you. I couldn't find any policies that would cover me as an individual without my workplace offering it and having a minimum of three employees enrolled. I even tried to see if I could be covered as a spouse if my husband signed up for Aflac through his employer since they offer it, but the short term disability option is not available as spousal coverage. Let me know if you find anything different.

Augustbride

I don't have experience with this but I know it's asked on the MM board. Their advice just save it up. STD only pays part of your salary most of the time. You have to pay for the policy at least a year in general before you can claim on it. The pay out is only 6 or 8 weeks. So if you make 2500 a pay check the overall payout is 7500 for 6 weeks. to save that in one year is 625 a month. Lets say that you have to pay 100 per month for you policy and you have it for 2 years before you claim that is 2400 already.  Check with your insurance company as some of them offer it. I don't know what they cost.

ELF4321

Sorry, but they really don't exist on an individual basis.  Because it's far more likely to be used than long-term policies, it isn't cost effective for most insurers to offer it on an individual basis. 

When one of my coworkers at my last company was pg, she went around and lobbied everyone else to try to get the minimum number of people to get an Aflac policy available through the office. 

Bellina12200

Thanks for your input ladies.  It may be a lost cause. = (

navybride06

I have Aflac for everything thru DH and then did disability separately for myself after having Jack.  Policy started 12/1 and baby will be here end of August.  Policy is worthless to me now.  

Everything else we had with Alfac has rocked and paid itself off.