Short-Term Disability
Policy
The University recognizes that an employee’s serious medical condition may require an extended leave of absence because they are unable to perform the duties of their regular position. To accommodate this circumstance, the University provides a
Short-Term Disability Program for regular full-time benefit-eligible employees who become eligible to participate on the first (1st) day of the month following completion of six (6) months of continuous full time active service. Any illness or impairment of health verified by a certified doctor’s written statement, that requires an employee to be absent from work for more than three (3) continuous working days, qualifies an employee for consideration of benefits under the Short-Term Disability Program.
Purpose
The University provides all benefit-eligible employees with the opportunity to maintain part or all of their pay lasting up to six (6) or three (3) months (depending on employee’s classification) while unable to work due to an employee’s own serious health condition, non-work related injury, or pregnancy. If an employee is unable to work due to short-term disability that lasts longer than 180 days/six (6) months or 90 consecutive days/three (3) months (depending on the employee’s classification), they may be entitled to benefits under the University’s Long-Term Disability (LTD) Plan.
Eligibility
Faculty
A regular full-time benefit-eligible faculty member of Loyola University Chicago (LUC), who has been awarded or granted a Faculty appointment (tenured, tenure-track, or
non-tenure track).
Administrative Department Head and Above
A non-faculty employee of Loyola University Chicago (LUC), who is in a full-time regular, non-temporary position and is scheduled to work 0.80 FTE (full-time equivalent) or greater in job classifications of Administrative Department Head and above.
All Other Staff
A non-faculty benefit-eligible employee of Loyola University Chicago (LUC), who is in a full-time regular, non-temporary position, and who is scheduled to work 0.80 FTE (full-time equivalent) or greater, and in a job classification below Administrative Department Head.
Information
The amount of leave varies according to the employee classification:
Faculty or Administrative Department Head and Above
Upon completion of the six (6) months of continuous employment, employees in job classifications of Faculty or Administrative Department Head and above receive
short-term disability benefits according to the following schedule:
- For weeks 1–14 of your Short-Term Disability, you will be paid 100% of regular contract or annual salary.
- For weeks 15–26 of your Short-Term Disability, you will be paid 80% of regular contract or annual salary.
All Other Staff Employees
Upon completion of six (6) months of continuous employment, employees in a classification as regular Exempt or Non-Exempt are eligible to receive Short-Term Disability. Your Short-term Disability benefits begin after ten days of continuous disability. For the first ten days of your disability, your pay will continue from your accrued vacation and/or sick time. If you do not have any accrued vacation or sick time, the first 10 days of your disability will be without pay. Short-Term Disability benefits are determined according to the following schedule:
- For weeks 3–12 of your Short-term Disability, you will be paid 100% of your salary.
- Faculty members or 10 month employees, who become disabled while on a scheduled break in the academic schedule, will not be considered as disabled until the date regular work activities are scheduled to resume.
Your covered Short-term Disability income is exclusive of any additional compensation (such as overtime).
Benefits and Compensation
An employee may keep their benefit elections while on a paid leave of absence. Sick and vacation time will not accrue while receiving Short-Term Disability benefits. During a paid leave of absence, the University’s contribution to the Defined Contribution Retirement Plan (DCRP) will continue to be made for an employee on the basis of the compensation being paid by the University. In addition, any pay increases due to an employee during an approved Short-Term Disability will be delayed until the employee returns to work.
Notification of Absence
Loyola University Chicago has partnered with MetLife to administer Faculty and Staff requests for leave of absences.
- If you expect to be out of work for more than three (3) consecutive scheduled workdays, you must report your leave to the leave administrator to initiate your request for a leave of absence.
- Please review our Family and Medical Leave of Absence policy by visiting https://www.luc.edu/hr/policies/policy_loafmla.shtml.
It is an employee’s responsibility to contact the leave administrator to file a claim. Payment for Short-Term Disability benefits is authorized by Human Resources; benefits are available only to an employee who is under a certified physician’s care. A physician’s verification of the employee's illness will be requested by the leave administrator. If false claims for Short-Term Disability benefits are discovered at any time, or an employee fails to report to work on the first regularly scheduled workday following an absence under the Short-Term Disability Program, they will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.
Reoccurring Disabilities
If an employee returns to work as an Active Employee, after a period of disability, and becomes disabled again within thirty (30) consecutive working days due to the earlier disability, the second period of disability will be considered an extension of the earlier period of disability and the balance of the remaining STD benefits from the earlier disability shall be payable.
- If an employee returns to work after a period of disability and again becomes disabled again after thirty (30) working days of their return to work due to a medical condition unrelated to the earlier disability, the second period of disability will be considered a new period of disability.
Returning To Work
If you return to work, but not your full-duties before your benefits run out, your benefits will be reduced by the amount you are receiving in salary. In no instance will your total Short-Term Disability benefits, due to full and/or partial disability, exceed the maximum benefit available.
Coordination with the Family Medical Leave Act
If you are eligible for federal Family and Medical Leave and your disability qualifies as a serious medical condition under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), your absence from work will be counted toward your available FMLA time (up to twelve (12) weeks).
Revised: 1/30/14, 12/31/16, 6/8/18, 5/1/19, 1/2/24, 2/23/24
Policy
The University recognizes that an employee’s serious medical condition may require an extended leave of absence because they are unable to perform the duties of their regular position. To accommodate this circumstance, the University provides a
Short-Term Disability Program for regular full-time benefit-eligible employees who become eligible to participate on the first (1st) day of the month following completion of six (6) months of continuous full time active service. Any illness or impairment of health verified by a certified doctor’s written statement, that requires an employee to be absent from work for more than three (3) continuous working days, qualifies an employee for consideration of benefits under the Short-Term Disability Program.
Purpose
The University provides all benefit-eligible employees with the opportunity to maintain part or all of their pay lasting up to six (6) or three (3) months (depending on employee’s classification) while unable to work due to an employee’s own serious health condition, non-work related injury, or pregnancy. If an employee is unable to work due to short-term disability that lasts longer than 180 days/six (6) months or 90 consecutive days/three (3) months (depending on the employee’s classification), they may be entitled to benefits under the University’s Long-Term Disability (LTD) Plan.
Eligibility
Faculty
A regular full-time benefit-eligible faculty member of Loyola University Chicago (LUC), who has been awarded or granted a Faculty appointment (tenured, tenure-track, or
non-tenure track).
Administrative Department Head and Above
A non-faculty employee of Loyola University Chicago (LUC), who is in a full-time regular, non-temporary position and is scheduled to work 0.80 FTE (full-time equivalent) or greater in job classifications of Administrative Department Head and above.
All Other Staff
A non-faculty benefit-eligible employee of Loyola University Chicago (LUC), who is in a full-time regular, non-temporary position, and who is scheduled to work 0.80 FTE (full-time equivalent) or greater, and in a job classification below Administrative Department Head.
Information
The amount of leave varies according to the employee classification:
Faculty or Administrative Department Head and Above
Upon completion of the six (6) months of continuous employment, employees in job classifications of Faculty or Administrative Department Head and above receive
short-term disability benefits according to the following schedule:
- For weeks 1–14 of your Short-Term Disability, you will be paid 100% of regular contract or annual salary.
- For weeks 15–26 of your Short-Term Disability, you will be paid 80% of regular contract or annual salary.
All Other Staff Employees
Upon completion of six (6) months of continuous employment, employees in a classification as regular Exempt or Non-Exempt are eligible to receive Short-Term Disability. Your Short-term Disability benefits begin after ten days of continuous disability. For the first ten days of your disability, your pay will continue from your accrued vacation and/or sick time. If you do not have any accrued vacation or sick time, the first 10 days of your disability will be without pay. Short-Term Disability benefits are determined according to the following schedule:
- For weeks 3–12 of your Short-term Disability, you will be paid 100% of your salary.
- Faculty members or 10 month employees, who become disabled while on a scheduled break in the academic schedule, will not be considered as disabled until the date regular work activities are scheduled to resume.
Your covered Short-term Disability income is exclusive of any additional compensation (such as overtime).
Benefits and Compensation
An employee may keep their benefit elections while on a paid leave of absence. Sick and vacation time will not accrue while receiving Short-Term Disability benefits. During a paid leave of absence, the University’s contribution to the Defined Contribution Retirement Plan (DCRP) will continue to be made for an employee on the basis of the compensation being paid by the University. In addition, any pay increases due to an employee during an approved Short-Term Disability will be delayed until the employee returns to work.
Notification of Absence
Loyola University Chicago has partnered with MetLife to administer Faculty and Staff requests for leave of absences.
- If you expect to be out of work for more than three (3) consecutive scheduled workdays, you must report your leave to the leave administrator to initiate your request for a leave of absence.
- Please review our Family and Medical Leave of Absence policy by visiting https://www.luc.edu/hr/policies/policy_loafmla.shtml.
It is an employee’s responsibility to contact the leave administrator to file a claim. Payment for Short-Term Disability benefits is authorized by Human Resources; benefits are available only to an employee who is under a certified physician’s care. A physician’s verification of the employee's illness will be requested by the leave administrator. If false claims for Short-Term Disability benefits are discovered at any time, or an employee fails to report to work on the first regularly scheduled workday following an absence under the Short-Term Disability Program, they will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.
Reoccurring Disabilities
If an employee returns to work as an Active Employee, after a period of disability, and becomes disabled again within thirty (30) consecutive working days due to the earlier disability, the second period of disability will be considered an extension of the earlier period of disability and the balance of the remaining STD benefits from the earlier disability shall be payable.
- If an employee returns to work after a period of disability and again becomes disabled again after thirty (30) working days of their return to work due to a medical condition unrelated to the earlier disability, the second period of disability will be considered a new period of disability.
Returning To Work
If you return to work, but not your full-duties before your benefits run out, your benefits will be reduced by the amount you are receiving in salary. In no instance will your total Short-Term Disability benefits, due to full and/or partial disability, exceed the maximum benefit available.
Coordination with the Family Medical Leave Act
If you are eligible for federal Family and Medical Leave and your disability qualifies as a serious medical condition under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), your absence from work will be counted toward your available FMLA time (up to twelve (12) weeks).
Revised: 1/30/14, 12/31/16, 6/8/18, 5/1/19, 1/2/24, 2/23/24