What is an elimination period for short term disability

Your eyes glaze over and that stops you from proceeding. Or, you briefly discuss it, and then you have a wrong impression of how it works.

Then, you will have a major misstep down the road if you ever file a claim.

In this article, we discuss the disability insurance elimination period, but more importantly, why it is important for you to understand. (Note: we use the words “elimination period” and “waiting period” interchangeably as they mean the same thing.)

If you understand how the elimination period works with disability insurance, I guarantee you will likely save money.

At a minimum, however, you will have a better understanding to make an educated decision on the right plan structure for you.

Here are the section links for easy navigation:

• What Is The Elimination Period?
• Reason #1 Why It Is Important To Understand
• Reason #2 Why It Is Important To Understand
• Common Elimination Periods
• Now You Know Why The Elimination Period Is Important To Understand

Let’s jump in and clearly define the elimination period.

The disability insurance elimination period, or waiting period, is simply the timeframe you wait before you are eligible for your disability benefit.

That is it.

Be aware. Many websites and other agencies state that the disability insurance elimination period is the time you wait before you receive disability benefits.

See the difference?

This is not true and misinformation, which leads us to our first reason.

Reason #1 Why It’s Important To Understand The Disability Insurance Elimination Period – Very Easy To Make A Mistake

This is the first reason. We’ve spoken to many people about disability insurance. When I ask them to tell me what the waiting period is (so I know they understand), they usually say this: it’s the amount of time you wait before the policy takes effect.

With most insurances, that is generally right. For example, some hospital indemnity plans, for instance, have a 30 day or 60 day waiting period upon policy issue. Or, a pre-existing condition waiting period of 12 months. This waiting period eliminates the concept of adverse selection: those who need the insurance (let’s say a recent cancer diagnosis) get it. Then, these same people might cancel shortly thereafter once they receive benefits. This then drives up the premiums for current policyholders.

But, that’s not the waiting period in this case with disability insurance.

It is the time you wait, from the date of disability, before you become eligible for disability benefits.

As I mentioned earlier, there are other websites and agencies that state it is the time you wait before you receive disability benefits.

And, unfortunately, that is not true.

Why is it important you understand the disability insurance elimination period? So, you know how your plan works. How awful would it be if you filed a claim and thought you’d receive benefits the next day?

Moreover, you can make a better, informed decision when selecting the right plan for you.

Let’s give an example of how the elimination period works.

Example Of The Disability Insurance Waiting Period 

Let’s say you have a 60 day waiting period. You are an auto mechanic. On weekends, you like to work on your lawn and garden. Neighbors say you have the best curb appeal on the block!

One day you are walking in your yard, examining your grass. Unexpectedly, you step into a hole and turn your knee awkwardly. There’s shooting pain, but then the pain goes away. You get up and walk it off. You have some pain throughout the day, but you take ibuprofen and don’t think much about it.

Until the next morning.

You are in pain. You can’t move your leg. Your wife drives you to urgent care when they take an MRI. You tore your MCL and ACL. The doctor is surprised you didn’t have much more pain.

You can’t work. You wonder what you will do. Then, you remember the disability insurance policy you have. It will pay $3,000 per month. Your primary doctor fills out the disability paperwork and you submit the claim.

The carrier approves your claim. Here is what the timeline looks like:

So, What Is Going On Here?

So, let’s discuss what is going on with our example. First, is your elimination period begins with the date of your disability. Most often, that is when you are diagnosed with an illness or when you hurt yourself.

Do you see all the steps above? You file the claim. Then, it is approved. Additionally, it is retroactive to the date of your injury or illness.

But, you still have to wait. You have to wait, in this case, 60 days. Again, on the 61st day of disability, you become eligible for disability benefits. In about 30 days, you will receive your first disability payment.

This is how the claims timeline works. With long-term disability insurance, you will receive your first payment about 30 days after eligibility. In other words, if you have a 30 day waiting period, expect your first payment on or around day 60 of disability. A 60 day waiting period, then is 90 days. A 90 day elimination period is 120 days. And, so on.

You also need to know how the carrier defines the elimination period definition. That is another, major misstep. We discuss this next.

Not All Disability Insurance Waiting Periods Are Created Equal

Another source of confusion is that the elimination periods on disability insurance are all the same. They are not, and they vary by carrier.

Tell me. All things being equal, which carrier would you want?

Or.

Would you select this one below?

Do you see the difference?

All things being equal, you want the first one. Why? Because the carrier counts a partial disability towards your elimination period. However, the second carrier does not.

This distinction is important as many disabilities start out as partial, which means you can work, but not full-time.

How disappointed would you be if you developed carpal tunnel, a back problem, or a debilitating illness like multiple sclerosis? You could still work, but only a few days per week. The first carrier will pay a partial benefit (after you meet the waiting period) for your disability. However, the second carrier won’t until you are totally disabled, which could be months or years away depending on your circumstances.

(Also, see how the carriers state you are eligible to receive benefits…)

Contact us if you would like to learn more. This underscores, again, why it is important to understand the disability insurance elimination period.

Reason #2 Why It’s Important To Understand The Disability Insurance Elimination Period – You Can Save Money

If you understand the disability insurance waiting period, you can save money.

How?

Think of the elimination period and the premiums as a see-saw. The lower the waiting period, the higher the premium, and vice-versa. All things being equal. See below for an illustration.

All things being equal, the lower or shorter the waiting period, the higher or more expensive the premiums. Why? Because you are receiving your benefit quicker.

With most carriers, the most economical price-point is a 90-day waiting period.

But, John. I need a lower waiting period. I need my money fast.

Is a lower elimination period right for you? Well, that depends. And, it depends on how much money you have saved.

You see, if you have a disability in the short-term, ideally that disability should be covered by your savings.

Families run into serious financial trouble after 3 or 4 months of no income. That is why long-term disability insurance makes sense.

However, short-term disability insurance – which typically has a 3 or 6-month benefit period – does not. It can be incredibly expensive, which is why we believe short-term disability insurance is a waste of money.  (Note: plans through your employer may be worth the cost. Not only are they typically cheaper, but also they usually cover maternity leave for women.)

If an agent or agency is telling you that you need short-term disability insurance, you have to question why. What you really need to do is buckle down on your spending and save that money.

Here’s an example of comparing the premium costs on a long-term disability insurance policy with different waiting periods. You’ll see what I mean.

Savings Example Of Disability Insurance Waiting Period

If you want to see how much short-term disability insurance costs, just review our disability insurance guide for truck drivers or dental hygienists. We include examples there.

Below are two example premiums for a disability insurance plan with a 30-day elimination period and a 90-day elimination period.

I assume a 30-year-old woman, accountant, in good health, making $100,000. Here is a 30-day elimination period:

You can see a 5-year benefit period costs almost $150 per month.

What about a 90-day elimination period?

Wow. The same 5-year benefit period on a 90-day-waiting period costs $77.40 per month. Almost half!

So, you have to determine if it is worth spending an extra $72.55 per month to get your money 60 days sooner.

Look at it this way. In 35 years, she will have spent an extra $30,000 or so for the 30-day-elimination period.

That is no big deal, John,you say.

What if I told you, that if you invested that same $72.55 each month, over 35 years, you will have potentially saved $170,000 by age 65?

That’s the point I am making. I wouldn’t recommend a waiting period of greater than 90 days, unless you have significant savings. However, you are giving up a lot of potential savings if you want a 30-day waiting period.

This also underscores the point about short-term disability insurance. You really don’t need it. You need to have 3 months of household expenses covered through an adequate emergency savings fund.

Common Disability Insurance Elimination Periods

Here are some common disability insurance elimination periods you will see with short-term disability insurance and long-term disability insurance.

As we said, we believe short-term disability insurance isn’t worth the money. But, we address its elimination periods here should you decide to purchase a plan yourself or through your employer, if available.

Common Short-Term Disability Insurance Waiting Periods

Here are the most common short-term disability insurance elimination periods:

• 0/7 – the “0” refers to the waiting period on an accident and the “7” means the waiting period on an illness. In other words, you will have an immediate benefit upon a disability via an accident and eligibility on the 8th day due to an illness.
• 0/14 – 14 day waiting period on illness
• 14/14
• 30 days

The “see-saw” example applies here as well. The lower the waiting periods, the higher the premiums, all things being equal.

With short-term disability insurance, you typically receive the benefits weekly.

Common Long-Term Disability Insurance Elimination Periods

With long-term disability insurance, the waiting periods are (subject to state law):

• 30 days
• 60 days
• 90 days
• 180 days
• 365 days
• 730 days

As mentioned before, I generally don’t recommend a 30-day waiting period. Moreover, I usually don’t recommend a 180, 365, or 730-day waiting period, either. While the “see-saw” example holds true, the savings (generally speaking) by going from a 90-day waiting period to 180, 365, or 730 are immaterial (usually).

Now You Know Why The Disability Insurance Elimination Period Is Important To Understand

We hope you learned what the disability insurance elimination period is and why it is important to understand. To recap:

• Most people mix up the definition with waiting periods on other types of insurance. The waiting period on disability insurance is completely different compared to other types of insurance.
• Carriers have different definitions themselves.
• You can save money if you know how the disability insurance elimination period works.

Would you like our assistance or have questions? Feel free to contact us or use the form below. We are happy to review any policies you have or discuss your situation.

Unlike other agencies, we have your best interests first. There is no risk of contacting us. If we can’t help you, we will point you in the right direction as best we can.

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