Protect Yourself, Family with Disability Programs
Special enrollment period for benefit runs July 1 to 24
Monday, June 22, 2009
Durham, NC -- Before joining Duke in September, John Solms needed emergency surgery to remove his appendix. That left him on short-term disability at his former company with the potential for being out of work much longer than a couple months.
When it was time to enroll for benefits at Duke, Solms made sure he signed up for the university’s short- and long-term disability benefits. He wanted to be covered if something were to happen again that forced him to miss work for an extended period.
“It was nice to know that I had coverage in the past, and I wanted to make sure to repeat it,” said Solms, a senior consultant with the Office of Information Technology. “It should be a pretty standard thing to do.”
Duke employees can follow Solms’ lead during a special enrollment period July 1 to 24 for voluntary short- and long-term disability income programs. The programs are offered and insured by The Hartford.
Disability income protection pays a portion of your income in the event of illness or accident. The voluntary short-term disability program can replace part of weekly pay if an employee uses all of his or her accrued time off before becoming eligible for long-term disability. Long-term disability is provided by Duke at no cost to employees who work 30 or more hours per week and have three years of service. Full-time employees who do not meet eligibility requirements for Duke’s long-term disability coverage can sign up for the long-term disability plan through The Hartford.
“In these tough financial times when one member of the family may be out of work, it’s all the more important to insure the income of the remaining income-earner,” said Jane Walbrun, health plan manager for benefits. “People who use disability coverage encompass the entire age range. Sickness and accidental injury can happen to anyone and continuing to have a source of income is vital.”
University and health system staff who work at least 30 hours a week are eligible to sign up, including clinical and consulting associates. Click here for a full list of eligibility requirements and information. Rates and coverage vary. The short and long term disability income programs cover 60 percent of an employee’s base pay while they are unable to work.
The Hartford has scheduled webinars throughout the enrollment period. A schedule of meeting dates and times can be found here.
To apply for coverage, an enrollment application must be submitted no later than July 24. New coverage will be effective October 1 or the first of the month following the date a form is approved.
For more information, contact The Hartford Service Center at (877) 426-6483.
The voluntary disability plans are part of the Duke Flex Benefits program, which offers a range of options for faculty, staff and family members.