Short Term Disability Requirements in Kentucky

Short-term disability insurance is designed to cover your loss of income from a work loss that lasts a few days to a few months. Many things can happen that lead to you being temporarily disabled, such as an accident, throwing your back out, pregnancy or an extended illness. More than 60 percent of American workers are not covered by short-term disability, according to Epic Life Insurance. Other types of disability insurance, such as Social Security Disability, only cover you if you are permanently disabled.

Get Covered

• Kentucky doesn't require employers to cover employees with short-term disability, nor will it guarantee an employee's income if he or she is injured. You need to see if your employer offers short-term disability as a benefit or if you can purchase it. Talk to your company's human resources department to find out what is covered and how much you will receive if you are temporarily disabled.

One Week Waiting Period

• Short-term disability insurance usually has a one-week waiting period before it begins paying the disability benefit to the injured person. This means if you are out of work for only a few days, you won't be receiving a disability check. You will need to cover your first week of lost pay on your own. Some plans may even have a longer waiting period.

Injured On the Job

• If you don't have short-term disability insurance, then you should hope that if you are disabled, it happens while you are working. Worker's compensation will pay for your medical benefits and disability pay for injuries that happen in the workplace.

Serious Family Issue

• If you have a verifiable medical condition, you may be able to receive disability coverage under the Family and Medical Leave Act for up to 12 weeks. While this is used primarily by pregnant mothers, other employees can qualify if a doctor verifies their condition.