Anyone ever taken short term disability for depression? Anyone know anybody who has? I’m trying to research it for an employee, I know there are state specific forms I must fill out, but I’m not sure about the personal side of it.
Any anedotal information - not specifics, this isn’t the forum - for someone taking short term disability for depression. Does it usually require a standard start and stop date? How much disclosure needs to be given to higher-ups?
Any info would be appreciated.
Could you be a little more specific about what you mean? Is this a private insurance policy that will pay short-term disability benefits? Or is she looking to take Family and Medical Leave Act time?
Well I suppose both, she is on our insurance here and I am not an HR person - though I have HR responsibilities - is this something that FMLA should take care of or a private insurance? I don’t know the answer to that question. Is hort term disability covered under FMLA? I always thought that was between the individual and their insurance.
FMLA is a law that gives the right to a set period of unpaid leave from work. Usually 12 weeks, but I have been told it varies. You can definitely take FMLA leave for major depression.
For answers about whether she is entitled to benefits under your insurance policy, you will have to check the policy. She could possibly get benefits while taking FMLA leave, if the policy allows for it.
As for who needs to know: when I took FMLA leave, the only people who knew were my immediate supervisors and the HR person.
As far as I know from co-workers who’ve been out on disability, all it requires is a doctor to fill out regular disability forms. If the PCP or specialist says the person needs to be absent from work, they should be okay. I’m not sure about depression specifically, but I’ve had a couple co-workers who’ve been out for vague stress issues (we aren’t told the specifics, naturally).
StG
THANK YOU! Being discreet is of the utmost importance here, I’ve got a call in to the right folks now. Thanks again.
I think FMLA or any other other agreed ‘unpaid leave’ is fine as far as leave from work responsibilities goes. (I’ve had both due to strange, undiagnosed illness that lasted beyond length of FMLA )
Income for the employee while on leave is a separate issue. I hope that your company has disability insurance. There can be exclusion periods, waiting periods, all the regular tricks that other insurance companies get away with. But after getting through those hurdles, mostly what is takes is having an MD say the person is unable to work due to illness.
Psychiatric illness is a little harder on the employee, because the insurance company may require records from the MD - and I myself think that psychiatric stuff is personal. Then MD needs to send in a note (usually an insurance company form) saying that employee is still unable to work, at some interval determined by the insurance company. Employee must remain “under the care of” the MD, however they decide that between themselves.
And then poor employee can go home and take care of herself/himself.
And if HR doesn’t say so, you need to enforce this: NO WORK while on leave. No little projects, no catching up on reading, nothing, nada.
(Explaining the how and why of how I know this would make this post a major hijack. Send me an email if you want to know. )
Pleasant phone calls from actual friends (friends seen outside of work hours) are fine, but discussion of work during those calls should be minimal or gossipy/fun. Really, Leave means getting away from work.
Good luck, and my best to your employee!
Going on advice given here, might cost you a lot of money. I can see a couple things mentioned that might leave you in court too. I won’t point them out, because I’m not a lawyer. You need to spend a little money now, with an expert advising you on legal implementation of this. They should be utilized to provide a procedure for your company to follow in cases like this. It will save you money in the long term. You don’t want the company going to court for years and spending lots of money on lawyers.
The FMLA requires a set length of time you must give the employee leave. It doesn’t require pay, and they can’t be fired for taking the leave. I had to use it, and I wasn’t able to go back when it ran out.
I have taken short term disability in conjunction with FMLA for depression. As I was attending an outpatient program during my leave, I had no trouble obtaining approval from an MD. My company contracts out the administration of both programs, so technically I didn’t have to tell anyone I work with why I was out. I kept in touch with my supervisors, first to let them know I wasn’t really sure when I’d be back, and later when I had an expected return date. I followed the procedures dictated by the company and except for the expected stupid bureaucratic nonsense you get with that sort of thing, it wasn’t too bad.
My wife was out for two months on mental stress related FMLA. It required a bit of paperwork, and the reimbursement check came just as she was returning to work, but it worked out well for everybody involved. My wife got the help she needed, and the office got an instantly trained employee when she returned. The manager she had wasn’t sympathetic to her plight and the manager ABOVE that got asked to retire. There was a lot of sick programmers in that shop that were being overworked, my wife was just the one that ‘came undone’ before it got resolved.