Short & Long Term Disability

I think each company has different policies.  For me, after being on disability for 24 months I was forced off the payroll and on too long term disability.  I was also required to file for SSDI at the same time.  I think my company paid about 66% of my salary.  After I was approved for disability, I still received the same amount - 66% except a portion came from SSDI and the remainder from my employer.  The company my employer has the handles long term diability does send out paperwork to my doctors every two years checking for status changings.  I will receive this amount until I am 65.  Another thing that happened, once approved for SSDI, after two years I was forced to take medicare as my primary insurance. I totally forget what short term disabilty was defined as - maybe from the first day you take off until you reach the 24 month mark.  I know I remained an employee while on short term disability. If I were you I was call my benefits manager and get a full explaination.  You do not want to make and errors or miss any important filing dates.  This is you income until you turn 65 and you need to dot all your i's and cross all of you t's. Good luck and let us know what you found out.

I was on short term disability for only a few months, and they would not let me come back to work, and the hospital I worked at did not want to put me on long term disability but the short term disability insurance company wanted me on the long term disability, and I had taken both out when I started work there! Anyway I had to fight to get on the long term disability, and soon after I was put on it, the insurance company wanted me to apply for SSD, which I did and then they hired a legal firm to represent me to get it! After a long hard struggle it was finally approved and it was back dated and all the money went to the insurance company that had been paying me the long term disability. The long term disability deducts the amount that I get from SSD from the amount that they would normally pay me per month. But since they pay more than SSD I still get a small check from them (over $250. a month) every month, along with my SSD!, They also made me take Medicare part A &B but since it was back dated I got it the same time as I got the SSD. That was back in 2002! I know my long term disability insurance company has on several occasions offered me, a lump sum settlement. I have refused it and just keep getting the monthly payments, from them.

Stella Marie it does sound like your set up is very similar to mine. although my long term disability comes directly from the insurance company and they do periodicly ( every few years) enclose paper work with my check that I have to take to my Doctor to have filled out reaffirming my medical disability status, and any medical changes. For me it has never gotten better, but has continually gotten worse! That is the scary part of it all!

White Beard