How to Deal With Aetna for Short-Term Disability Payments

Short-term disability coverage with Aetna provides a portion of your salary if you're temporarily disabled, either through sickness or injury. While injuries that happen at work are covered by worker's compensation, short-term disability care ensures that you don't lose all of your income during a non-job-related convalescence. The amount of money you get from Aetna's short-term disability plan depends on your salary, how long you're disabled and the level of coverage you've purchased. Be prompt with requested paperwork when requesting short-term disability benefits through Aetna.

Instructions

• 1

  Request the claim forms for short-term disability from your human resources office. If your insurance is private and not supported by your employer, you can call Aetna with the phone number on your ID card.

  You will not be able to get benefits until after your elimination period. Aetna will have specified this time frame, during which you have to use company leave or sick time for pay.

• 2

  Ask your doctor to write a letter describing your illness or injury. He should also say that he believes you need to be out of work for a specified amount of time.

• 3

  Write your own claim describing your illness or injury, and how it occurred. You must specify the first day you missed work and how long it will take you to recover.

• 4

  Return your claim and any supporting medical evidence to your human resources office. They're the liaisons with Aetna. If you have private insurance that isn't purchased through your employer, you'll have to return the paperwork to Aetna yourself.

• 5

  Send required medical updates to continue receiving your payments. Depending on your injury type, Aetna may require bi-weekly, monthly or bi-monthly reports on your health so they can determine if you still need the coverage. Missing an update can cause your payments to stop immediately.