Benefits » Other Insurance » Supplemental Disability Insurance
Policy Number: GRH-395155
The Hartford: 1-800-741-4306
The Hartford is the carrier for the LANS Supplemental Disability Insurance Plan.
Supplemental disability insurance pays a higher level of disability benefits for a longer period if you are unable to work due to pregnancy/childbirth, disabling injury, or illness. Supplemental disability insurance is offered as a supplement to short-term disability coverage.
Benefits will start after your chosen waiting period (7, 30, 90, or 180 days) or after you exhaust your required sick leave, whichever occurs later. As with Short-Term Disability, you must be under a doctor's direct and continuous care.
Eligibility is based on type of appointment for employment; different appointments have different eligibility criteria to meet. In general, you are eligible for supplemental disability if you are a BELI 1 full-time employee. Please review the LANS Summary Plan Description (pdf), for details regarding eligibility for supplemental disability insurance.
You may enroll in supplemental disability coverage within 31 days of your period of initial eligibility (PIE) which starts the day you first become eligible for coverage. If you choose to enroll after your PIE, you must complete a statement of health (see statement of health information below).
Your period of initial enrollment (PIE) starts the day your qualified life event occurs and ends 31 days later. You may not enroll family members in this plan, nor is it available to retirees. You may increase your waiting period or cancel your supplemental disability at any time.
You may enroll within 31 days of initial eligibility, increase your waiting period, or cancel your supplemental disability insurance coverage by submitting an enrollment form to the Benefits Office. Please see applicable Statement of Health requirements below for enrolling beyond your PIE or decreasing your waiting period.
Statement of Health:
If you miss your PIE, or you wish to decrease your waiting period, you may submit a statement of health to The Hartford. A statement of health is an application that informs the insurance company about your medical history. The insurance company may or may not accept your request for coverage based on the statement of health.
To request a statement of health, email a request to the Benefits Office Rapid Response Desk at rr-desk@lanl.gov. In your request please state what you would like a statement of health for (i.e., supplemental disability coverage), and indicate the waiting period you are requesting. If your statement of health is approved, you have 31 days from the approval date on your letter to submit an enrollment form to the Benefits Office (a copy of the letter stating approval must be received with your form).
Supplemental disability insurance pays a weekly benefit of the lower of 70% of your eligible earnings reduced by other income benefits. Your supplemental disability insurance benefit pays in combination with short-term disability for the first six months.
You must be under a doctor's direct and continuous care to be eligible for coverage when using short-term disability.
The LANS Defined Benefit Retirement Plan (TCP1) offers Permanent Disability benefits if your disability is permanent or expected to last 12 consecutive months or longer.
The cost for supplemental disability insurance will depend on the waiting period you choose, your age as of January 1 of current year, and your salary rate as of January 1 of current year. You may calculate your cost by using the rates and calculations available on the Life and Supplemental Disability Insurance Premiums page.
Increase in salary
If your salary increases during the calendar year, supplemental disability insurance coverage will not automatically increase to reflect a higher salary until the following January 1.
Full-time to part-time
If you change from full-time to part-time, your supplemental disability insurance coverage is based on the full-time salary rate for your position as of January 1 of the current year, even if you work part time. Coverage will not automatically be reduced if your full-time salary rate is reduced.
If you decide to enroll in the supplemental disability insurance plan, you will need to select a waiting period of 7, 30, 90, or 180 days. A waiting period is the time from the day you are unable to work due to an injury, illness, or pregnancy until the day the disability benefits start.
Because you must choose a waiting period for the supplemental disability plan, your waiting period for short-term disability will automatically change to match your supplemental disability. (No matter what waiting period you choose—7, 30, 90, or 180 days—your benefits are the same.)
You are required to use any sick leave you have accrued to meet your waiting period. If you have sick leave available beyond your waiting period you are required to use a minimum of 22 working days (176 hours) of accrued sick time before disability benefits will begin. For example, if you have selected a 7 day waiting period, but have accrued 30 days of sick pay, you are required to use 22 days during your disability, before any reimbursement is paid. If you have not accumulated enough sick leave to meet your waiting period, you may supplement the remainder of the required waiting period with your vacation leave and/or leave without pay. Using vacation is voluntary not mandatory.
This is only an overview of the supplemental disability insurance plan. For more information please review The Hartford Supplemental Disability Insurance plan summary (pdf).
Questions? Contact the Lab's Benefits Office at 505-667-1203.
