If you’re enrolled in UC’s Supplemental Disability plan and have a 7-day or 30-day waiting period, you’ll be paying a higher premium in 2015. But you can lessen the impact of rising rates by selecting a longer waiting period.
You can increase your waiting period at any time. For your convenience, you may do so this year during Open Enrollment using the Open Enrollment application. At other times, you can increase the waiting period by completing the UPAY850 form available at ucal.us/UPAY850.
Supplemental Disability works with UC-paid Short-Term Disability to replace up to 70 percent of your income (up to $15,000 per month) in the event of a pregnancy, a disabling illness or injury. Short-Term Disability alone provides only 55 percent of income up to $800 per month.
You pay the premiums for Supplemental Disability — which are based on your age, salary (as of Jan. 1, 2015) and the waiting period you choose. Premiums for the 7-day and 30-day waiting periods are increasing about 19 percent in 2015. You can calculate your 2015 premium using the Insurance Premium Calculator available on UCnet at ucal.us/premiumcalculator.
Most employees choose a short waiting period when they first enroll in Supplemental Disability because they don’t have enough sick leave to cover a longer waiting period. Many years go by and they still have a 7-day or 30-day waiting period, even though they have accumulated ample sick leave to cover a longer, and less-expensive, waiting period.
The chart below shows the number of hours of sick leave you need to cover each waiting period.
| Waiting period (calendar days) |
Minimum sick leave needed | Years of UC employment to earn needed sick leave* |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 40 hours | 0.4 |
| 30 | 176 hours | 1.8 |
| 90 | 528 hours | 5.5 |
| 180 | 1,048 hours | 10.9 |
* Calculations assume that you work 174 hours a month, earn eight hours of sick leave per month and do not use any earned sick leave.
You cannot enroll in Supplemental Disability or reduce your waiting period using the Open Enrollment application; however, you can apply for enrollment or a reduced waiting period by submitting an Evidence of Insurability (also called a statement of health) via the MyLibertyConnection website. The carrier may or may not accept your application.
For more information about Supplemental Disability and things to consider when choosing a waiting period, visit the Open Enrollment website.