Many ask whether long-term or short-term disability insurance covers the care of family members because of the financial hardship caused by lost income.
Unfortunately, the answer is no; you must find other financial alternatives.
Luckily, options do exist to help you cope with the situation. But you may have to patch together various programs – if you meet the qualifications and your state supports the benefit.
For instance, you might be able to find multiple ways to get paid as a family caretaker while protecting your job and health insurance benefits.
Short-Term Disability for Children
You cannot take long-term or short-term disability to care for a child when you remain physically capable of performing your job duties – the policies honor claims for the insured individual with a qualifying medical condition.
First, other alternatives offer critical benefits for general family caretaking duties (children, spouses, and elderly parents).
- State-Sponsored Paid Family Leave
- Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Caring for Sick Child
Likewise, you cannot take short-term disability to care for a sick child – even when they have a qualifying medical condition. Dependents do not work and earn an income and are not eligible for the coverage.
Filing a claim for temporary benefits will not help you replace lost income when you take off work to watch over your child with an illness. However, two alternatives might help.
- SSI can assist parents of disabled children via monthly support payments that help them offset the lost income connected to missed work due to caretaking responsibilities.
- Childcare Assistance Programs provide vouchers and subsidies to low-income households, making hiring helpers outside the home more affordable.
- Paid sick leave programs are a far better avenue when a young child has an illness. Many employers provide this benefit voluntarily, and at least thirteen states have laws requiring them to do so.
Caring for Newborn
You cannot use short-term disability to care for a newborn because the policies do not cover infants or caretaking duties. However, this question raises a critical distinction about how the coverage works differently for each new parent.
Many policies cover maternity leave for mothers while their condition prevents them from working full-time, which can happen in three phases.
- Medical complications of pregnancy before birth
- Recovery from labor and delivery
- Postpartum health problems that delay a return to work
The insurance never pays for paternity leave because fathers can perform the duties of their full-time occupation.
Short-Term Disability for Spouses
Long-term and short-term disability covers spouses only when they are the insured individual. Most private and public programs pertain to one person only. Unlike other insurance programs, you do not choose between plans covering husband/wife, single parent, or the entire family.
Caring for a Sick Spouse
You cannot take short-term disability for a spouse’s illness when you are the insured individual. All policies limit claims to the covered person, not the husband or wife.
You can file for unemployment after caretaking duties end if you lose your job before your spouse recovers. Many states define a good cause reason for quitting to include caring for a family member with a severe illness or injury. However, you must meet three universal criteria first.
- Physically able to work (recovered)
- Available for employment (not caretaking)
- Actively seeking a new job
Spouse’s Insurance
Many women wonder if they can get short-term disability through their husband’s insurance. In most cases, the answer is no because the issuing companies underwrite the policies to cover one person at a time or the entire group of employees.
Buying coverage as an individual is often better than going through your spouse’s employer. Your choices will be far superior.
If offered at his worksite, you can get income replacement through your husband’s personal accident insurance. However, the plan might only cover injuries or limit the monthly illness benefit.
