Short Term Disability Insurance


There are two kinds of short-term disability insurance available to eligible employees who work for the Episcopal Church in New York State.

 


New York State short-term disability insurance
The NYS short-term disability program replaces up to $170 per week in wages for 26 weeks after a one-week elimination period. Employers are required to carry this insurance on some employees. However, coverage is optional for "professional Church employees," by which the law means clergy, musicians and sextons. If you are on the Diocesan Payroll Service, we have taken care of this coverage through our umbrella policy.

 

Income Replacement Plan through Church Life
The NYS disability program is clearly inadequate. The Church Life Insurance Corporation offers a 12-month short-term disability insurance program called the Income Replacement Plan (IRP). The IRP will replace 70% of income to a maximum of $1,000 per week for up to 12 months after a one-month elimination period. IRP benefits will be reduced by the amount of any benefits under the NYS program.

 

Since January 1, 2004 the Church Pension Fund provides IRP coverage for all active clergy for whom pension assessments are being paid.

 

Lay employees can enroll in the IRP ONLY when they are first employed, within 30 days of hire date. There are NO annual open enrollment periods to add IRP coverage.

 

This information is not intended to be complete. Please visit the Church Pension Group website for important information on the Income Replacement Plan. Then review our recommendations, and contact us if you have questions.

 

Our recommendation on short-term disability insurance

 

 Clergy employees

  • Since IRP coverage will be provided by the Pension Fund, we recommend that clergy employees be exempted from the NYS short-term program.

 

 

Lay employees

  • If the law requires that a lay employee be enrolled in the NYS program, of course the employee should be enrolled.
  • Given that the NYS disability payments are not adequate to replace needed income, lay employees should also consider the IRP. If a lay employee is a "professional Church employee," we recommend that the employee be enrolled in the IRP and exempted from the NYS program.
  • The IRP premium may be paid by the employer as a fringe benefit or by the employee with after-tax income. If the employee pays the premium, all benefits will be non-taxable. If the employer pays the premium, benefits will be taxable. Therefore, we also recommend that employees consider paying the premium.

 

  

Disability Premium rates, effective January 1, 2013

 

Short-term Disability for Lay Employees

There will be no change to the short-term disability plan premium for lay employees.

 

Salary Ranges       Monthly Premium

Less than $25,000                        $ 8.00

$25,000-$44,999                         $17.50

$45,000 and above                          $32.00

 

Employer-provided Long-Term Disability Plan

There will be no change to the Employer-provided Long Term Disability benefit premium for 2010.  Premium rates will continue to be $.67 per $100 of monthly covered payroll.

 

Voluntary Long-Term Disability Plan

There will be no change to the Voluntary Long Term Disability plan premium for 2010. The monthly premium rates are noted below.

 

                                               

Lay Employees                                    Clergy

 

 

Lay Employees

   Clergy

 

Long-Term Disability

Long Term Disability

Salary Ranges

25% Option   50% Option

25% Option           50% Option

Less than $25,000

$12                $18

$14                         $23

$25,000 to $44,999

$22                $37

$26                         $44

$45,000 and above

$43                $72

$50                         $86

                                                                                                       

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