How Does Short-Term Disability Work?

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.

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What Does Short-Term Disability Insurance Cover?

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:

How to Get Short-Term Disability Insurance

The process for applying for short-term disability insurance coverage with Aflac is easy to understand.

If your employer does not currently offer short-term disability insurance, but you think it would benefit you and your coworkers, we recommend starting the conversation today. If you are an employer and don’t have this plan accessible, offering short-term disability coverage can be a great way to help your employees feel better protected.

Aflac Offers Short-Term Disability Insurance

Every short-term disability plan is different. The duration of coverage, the cash benefits offered, and the limitations and exclusions vary from company to company. We recommend exploring all your options before deciding.

Depending on your location and condition, Aflac offers guaranteed-issue options for short-term disability insurance, meaning you may be able to skip the medical exam and still receive coverage. Begin exploring your short-term disability coverage options today with our affordable and flexible insurance plans.

Still have questions?

Explore your short-term disability insurance options.

Short Term Disability insurance is only available through your employer.

However, we do offer these products on an individual basis:

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Accident Insurance

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Cancer Insurance

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Critical Illness Insurance

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Life
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To speak with a sales agent, please call:
(855) 910-9153.

1 Investopedia - Best Short-Term Disability Insurance. Updated January 2, 2024. Accessed January 26, 2024. https://www.investopedia.com/best-short-term-disability-insurance-5072040.

2 Best Short-Term Disability Insurance Companies. Updated March 31, 2023. Accessed January 26, 2024. https://www.verywellhealth.com/best-short-term-disability-insurance-5092516#toc-faqs.

Coverage underwritten by American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus. In New York, coverage is underwritten by American Family Life Assurance Company of New York.

Short-Term Disability: In Delaware, Policies A57600DE & A57600LB. In Idaho, Policy A57600IDR. In Oklahoma, Policies A57600OK & A57600LBOK. In Virginia, Policies A57600VA & A57600LBVA. Cancer/Specified-Disease: In Delaware, Policies B70100DE, B70200DE & B70300DE. Policy A72200. In Idaho, Policies B70100ID, B70200ID, B70300ID, B7010EPID, B7020EPID. Policy A72200ID. In Oklahoma, Policies B70100OK, B70200OK, B70300OK, B7010EPOK, B7020EPOK. Policy A72200OK. In Virginia, policies A75100VA–A75300VA. Accident: In Delaware, Policies A36100DE—A36400DE, & A363OFDE. Policy A371AA & A371BA. In Idaho, Policies A36100ID–A36400ID, & A363OFID. Policy A37000ID. In Oklahoma, Policies A36100OK– A36400OK, & A363OFOK. Policy A37000OK. In Virginia, Policies A36100VA – A36400VA, & A363OFVA. Policies A371AAVA & A371BAVA. Critical Illness: In Delaware, Policies A74100DE, A74200DE, A74300DE. Policies B71100, B71200, B7130H & B7140H. Policies A71100DE & A71200DE. In Idaho, Policies A74100ID, A74200ID, A74300ID. In Oklahoma, Policies A74100OK, A74200OK, A74300OK. Policies A73100OK & A7310HOK. Policies B71100OK & B7110HOK. Policies A71100OK & A71200OK. In Virginia, Policies A74100VA, A74200VA, A74300VA. Policy A73100VA. Policies A71100VA & A71200VA.

Coverage underwritten by Tier One Insurance Company.

Cancer/Specified-Disease: In Delaware, Policy T70000. In Idaho, Policy T70000ID. In Oklahoma, Policy T70000OK. In Virginia, policies T70000VA & T70000GVA. Accident: In Delaware, Policy T37000. In Idaho, Policies T37100ID, T37200ID, & T37300ID. In Oklahoma, Policy T37000OK. Critical Illness: In Delaware, Policy T71000. In Oklahoma, Policy T71000OK. In Virginia, Policy T71100VA. Critical Illness: In Delaware, Policy T71000. In Oklahoma, Policy T71000OK. In Virginia, Policy T71100VA. Cancer/Specified-Disease: In Delaware, Policy T70000. In Idaho, Policy T70000ID. In Oklahoma, Policy T70000OK. In Virginia, policies T70000VA & T70000GVA.

Content within this article is provided for general informational purposes and is not provided as tax, legal, health, or financial advice for any person or for any specific situation. Employers, employees, and other individuals should contact their own advisers about their situations. For complete details, including availability and costs of Aflac insurance, please contact your local Aflac agent. Coverage may not be available in all states, including but not limited to DE, ID, NJ, NM, NY or VA. Benefits/premium rates may vary based on state and plan levels. Optional riders may be available at an additional cost. Policies and riders may also contain a waiting period. Refer to the exact policy and rider forms for benefit details, definitions, limitations and exclusions.

Aflac WWHQ | Tier One Insurance Company | 1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus, GA 31999