How to apply for aflac short term disability

Simply put, a short-term disability is an instance that puts you out of work temporarily, such as an injury, illness or procedure.1 When one of these incidents happens and you cannot earn an income, you may be able to qualify for benefits if you are enrolled in a short-term disability insurance plan ahead of time. That’s where Aflac comes in.

What is Short-Term Disability Insurance?

Short-term disability insurance is a plan specifically designed to help with the financial stressors that can arise when an injury negatively impacts your ability to work.

Aflac’s short-term disability insurance is only available through worksite payroll deduction, meaning your employer will need to offer it for you to be able to apply for Short-Term Disability insurance from Aflac.

Injuries, Illnesses and Conditions That Qualify as a Short-Term Disability

The fundamental qualification for a short-term disability is an event that temporarily puts you out of work. To see if you qualify for short-term disability insurance, it can be particularly beneficial to understand what commonly isn’t covered in these plans:

  • If you lose your occupational license2
  • If you are unable to work due to a war2
  • If you get injured due to active participation in a riot or protest2
  • If you inflicted the injury onto yourself2
  • If you committed a crime and are in confinement2
  • If you have a pre-existing condition3

Short-term disability qualifying conditions vary from company to company, so it’s essential to look at your options carefully.

We recommend chatting with an Aflac agent to understand our short-term disability insurance coverage better.

Benefits of Short-Term Disability Insurance

Short-term disability insurance offers a few different benefits compared to other insurance plans. At Aflac, you can select your plan depending on if you work full-time or part-time.

With Aflac Short-Term Disability Insurance, you may have the option to skip the medical exam, depending on your location and circumstances. We also offer affordable weekly premium rates, as low as the price of a movie ticket.4 Once coverage is obtained, and your covered disability claim is submitted, you can receive cash benefits that can be used as needed while you focus on healing.

Short-term disability insurance is a particular kind of insurance designed to protect a portion of your income for a short period of time, if a covered injury or illness briefly prevents you from earning a wage.1

How each short-term disability insurance plan and procedure works varies from company to company. At Aflac, you can access and apply for short-term disability insurance through your employer. Payments are deducted from your paycheck, and you may receive benefits for covered illnesses or injuries that occur on or off-the-job.

Aflac Short-Term Disability Insurance pays cash benefits for covered disabilities (subject to exclusions and limitations). Payments can be used as needed – to help with medical bills, recovery expenses or even to help you pay for rent or groceries. This may be particularly helpful if others depend on your income or if you have outstanding bills to pay.

What Does Short-Term Disability Insurance Cover?

The main qualifier for short-term disability coverage is if the incident temporarily puts you out of work. However, it can be useful to review circumstances that are not covered by short-term disability insurance:

  • If you lose your license to work2
  • If you are unable to work due to a war2
  • If you get injured due to active participation in a riot or protest2
  • If the injury is self-inflicted2
  • If you committed a crime and are in prison or jail2
  • If you have a pre-existing condition3

We recognize that understanding the qualifications of each short-term disability insurance plan is important. In addition to reviewing the limitations and exclusions in each plan, it can be helpful to consider your budget for a short-term disability insurance plan and how long you are able to stay afloat without income.

How Long Does Short-Term Disability Insurance Last?

The duration of coverage depends on how each short-term disability insurance plan works. At Aflac, we can help provide income relief for up to 24 months. If your injury or illness lasts longer than three months, you may want to consider a different kind of insurance that provides more long-term coverage. Luckily, you have many options with Aflac:

  • Cancer Insurance: This type of insurance plan is designed to help with the physical and emotional costs of a cancer diagnosis.
  • Critical Illness Insurance: This insurance can help cover costs related to a covered life-changing event, like a heart attack or stroke.
  • Hospital Insurance: Hospital insurance can help with the high costs of hospital stays.

Does Aflac have a waiting period?

Aflac will not pay benefits for an illness, disease, infection, or disorder that is diagnosed or treated by a Physician within the first 30 days after the Effective Date of coverage, unless the resulting Disability begins more than 30 days after the Effective Date of coverage.

How much does short term disability pay in Alabama?

Benefits often range from 40 to 100 percent of your gross weekly income (there may also be a cap under the insurer's maximum benefit allowed). Finally, the duration of coverage usually ranges from 4 to 26 weeks, depending on the terms of your specific policy.

What is the shortest amount of short term disability?

Short term disability can range from as short as 30 days to as long as a year. It's not federally required that employers offer short term disability insurance to their employees, but some states do.