Short-Term Disability

Johnson School
Cornell University

Disability, Short-Term

Short-Term Disability provides income protection (up to a maximum of 26 weeks) in the event of a short-term disability, where the injury or illness is not work-related. To be eligible, you must:

Be employed for at least four weeks.
Be absent from work for five consecutive work days.
Provide proper medical certification of disability from a licensed NY medical provider.

On the eighth day of absence, including the weekend, a Sick Leave Report must be filed. The Administrative Service Center should be notified by the Supervisor of the employee's absence and provided the following information:

First date of absence;
Doctor's name;
Type of disability: Maternity, accident, or sickness; and
Doctor's excuse.

Following the submission of the Sick Leave Report by the Administrative Service Center, the employee will be contacted directly by Benefit Services, 130 Day Hall. Benefit Services will send the necessary claim forms to be filed by the employee to their home address and provide them with instructions to initiate the Short-Term Disability benefit. The Family Medical Leave will run concurrently with Short-Term Disability.

When a nonacademic employee is on a paid leave other than vacation (e.g., Sick Leave, Short-Term Disability, Workers' Compensation) for more than 20 consecutive calendar days, Vacation and Sick Leave cease to accrue. The 20 consecutive calendar days are counted from the first date of absence.

Time Away From Work: While the nonexempt (OPE) employee is on Short-term Disability, time in COLTS II should be recorded, as follows:

The first five work days of the absence should be recorded as Sick Leave, assuming the employee has accrued Sick Leave; otherwise, the time must be taken as Vacation (if the employee has completed one year of service at Cornell) or without pay.
Beginning on the eighth day of the absence, the employee, whose standard work hours are 39 per week, should record 3.9 hours each day as Short-Term Disability (on the Leave Tab press the Select Button and choose this option), resulting in the employee receiving 50% of his/her base salary. If the employee works less than 39 hours a week, the hours recorded as Short-Term Disability must be prorated as well. The employee, rather than having to deal with Bear Access while recovering, can designate a Supervisor or colleague to record hours on their behalf. However, it is incumbent that someone access COLTS and record and approve the hours, as well as notify the Approver that this has been done.

While on Short-Term Disability, you will receive half pay. Short-Term Disability may be supplemented by accrued Sick Leave and/or Vacation. If the employee chooses to supplement disability pay, the remaining 3.9 hours each day should be recorded in COLTS as either Sick Leave or Vacation (at the choice of the employee) until the employee returns to work or the balances are expended.

The employee must notify the Administrative Service Center in writing or by e-mail if he/she wishes to supplement Short-Term Disability with accrued Sick Leave and/or Vacation so that the necessary paperwork can be filed to implement the employee's wishes to use down these balances and supplement their pay.

Disability is a fifty per cent (50%) benefit. If you are unable to work at all, one-half your regular hours will be picked up by NYS Disability; the remaining time is unpaid leave or, if you have accrued Sick or Vacation Leave, you may supplement the unpaid leave. For example, if you normally work 39/hrs. a week, 19.5/hrs. will be charged to Short-Term Disability. The remaining 19.5 will be unpaid leave; unless you have accrued balances to supplement the time. If you go to the University's web site, the criteria for eligibility include an ambiguous statement:

"if your supervisor, your medical provider and you agree, you may return to work part-time for up to 20 hours per week at full pay, and receive 50% pay for the time not worked. Leave accruals may still be used to supplement this partial disability time."

Understand, what this is saying is that if you go out on partial disability, you will receive 50% pay for the time not worked; not 50% of your regular hours. Here's an example: The same 39/hr. a week employee, opts to work 10/hrs. He/she will receive regular pay for the 10/hrs. worked; NYS Disability will pick up only 14.5/hrs.pay (50% of 29/hrs.) and the employee will need to supplement the remaining 14.5/hrs. with accrued Sick or Vacation Leave; not 9.5 as one would imagine. Once again, pay particular attention to this example. If you opt to work part-time while you are on Disability, what NYS Disability pays is prorated accordingly.

While on Short-Term Disability

While on Short-Term Disability nothing changes regarding how you receive your pay. If you have Direct Deposit, funds will continue to be automatically deposited. If you do not, you need to authorize someone to pick up your check for you from the Administrative Service Center.

Returning to Work: When the employee returns to work, he/she must submit a release form from his/her doctor to the Administrative Service Center certifying that he/she may return to work.