Long Term Disability Insurance

When you suffer an illness, injury or disabling condition that prevents you from working for more than 3 months, the University offers Long Term Disability Insurance (LTD) to provide supplemental income to allow you to focus on your recovery.  LTD picks up where Short Term Disability leaves off, providing you with continuity in your income replacement.

You can choose from the base plan or the optional plan.

Who is Eligible

Benefits-eligible employees with 3 or more months of employment with the University may obtain benefits through the plan. For certain Union members participation in the plan is mandatory. 

• Staff: For instructions on how to apply for Long term Disability benefits, see Disability - Staff.

• Faculty: For instructions on how to apply for Long term Disability benefits, see Disability - Academic.

For more information on eligibility, payment amounts, and usage guidelines, please refer to Personnel Policy 514.

Please note: employees represented by a union are governed by the applicable collective bargaining agreement.

Key Features

LTD provides 60% of your regular salary that you received before you became disabled. LTD is administered by an insurance company, VOYA, which makes payments directly to you.

You may choose from the following plans:

• Base Plan

Under the Base Plan, you receive 60% of your monthly base salary, up to a maximum monthly benefit of $10,000, less any benefits you receive from other sources, such as Social Security. Under this Plan, during the first 24 months, disability is defined as being unable to perform the material and substantial duties of your regular occupation or if you have a 20% or more loss in your monthly earnings; and are under the regular care of a doctor. After 24 months, disability is defined as being unable to perform the duties of any gainful occupation for which you are reasonably fitted by education, training or experience; and you are under the regular care of a doctor.

• Optional Plan

Under the Optional Plan, you receive 60% of your monthly base salary, up to a maximum monthly benefit of $20,000, less any benefits you receive from other sources, such as Social Security. Under this plan, disability is defined as being unable to perform the material and substantial duties of your regular occupation or you have a 20% or more loss in your monthly earnings; and under the regular care of a doctor.

How to calculate your monthly LTD rate

Step 1: Subtract the amount of coverage that the University pays ($14,000 for full-time employees and $7,000 for part-time employees) from your annual salary.

Step 2: Multiply that amount by the appropriate factor:

• 0.00232 if you elect coverage under the Base Plan.

• 0.00333 if you elect coverage under the Optional Plan.

Step 3: Divide the result by 12. This gives you your monthly LTD contribution rate.

Example: Joe is a full-time employee with an annual salary of $50,000. Here is how he calculates his contributions under the two plans:

Enroll in the Plan

Benefits-Eligible Employees are eligible for coverage under the LTD Plan. Participation is voluntary and you may waive coverage.

• Within the first 31 days of your employment or benefits eligibility, you will be defaulted into the election for Basic LTD coverage and by visiting Workday@UChicago, you have the option to waive this coverage or to instead elect coverage in the Optional LTD plan.

No evidence of insurability is required for the Basic or Optional LTD coverage if elected during this 31-day period.

• If you apply for coverage under the Basic or Optional LTD Plan after the 31-day period, you must complete the VOYA evidence of insurability process.  Coverage is not automatic – VOYA must approve your application for coverage. If approved, the coverage goes into effect as of the date stated by VOYA in its approval letter.

In both cases, you must be actively working on the date coverage begins. If you are not, coverage will begin once you are actively working as determined by VOYA.

If you are a benefits-eligible member of Local 743 or are otherwise classified as a confidential clerical employee, and do not elect coverage under the Basic or Optional LTD Plan, you will automatically be covered under the Basic LTD Plan as of the date you have completed 90 days of continuous employment. 

For questions regarding your Long Term Disability coverage, please contact VOYA directly at 877.236.7564.

Long Term Disability Leave

The following section details how your benefits may be impacted should you go on Long Term Disability (LTD) leave.

Medical, Dental, Group Life Insurance and/or Personal Accident Insurance

Your benefits will continue at the active employee contribution rates and you will be billed monthly for the benefits. You must inform Benefits as soon as possible if you do not wish to continue these benefits.

Contribution Rates

Your contribution rates will be equal to the rate you were paying prior to your disability. These rates are subject to change in accordance with changes to active employees' rates.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAS)

Participation in the Flexible Spending Accounts end on the first day of your Long Term Disability Leave.

You must submit all claims by June 30 of the following calendar year.

Contact HealthEquity (WageWorks) online or by phone at 877.924.3967 to request a claim form.

Along with the claim form, submit a copy of your itemized bill or an insurance form for health care expenses (submit a copy of your dependent care expenses for dependent care reimbursements).

Qualified Transportation Program

Participation in the Qualified Transportation Program ends the first day of your Long term Disability leave.

Retirement Benefits

The University continues to make contributions (both yours and the University's match) to your mandatory Retirement Income Plan for Employees (ERIP) or Contributory Retirement Plan (CRP), if the participant is totally and permanently disabled and is receiving benefits under the University's LTD Plan. These contributions are based on your pre-disability qualified earnings.

For purposes of the University’s ERIP and CRP, a participant will be considered totally and permanently disabled if they have been determined to be disabled for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits purposes and their approval for SSDI benefits has been certified to the Plan Administrator. Accordingly, to receive ERIP or CRP contributions, you must present evidence of approval for, or receipt of, SSDI benefits from the Social Security Administration to the Plan Administrator, in the form of an award letter (indicating you have been approved for SSDI) or a benefit verification letter (indicating you are currently receiving SSDI). The University will not make contributions without such verification.

Your contributions to the Supplemental Retirement Program (SRP) are discontinued while you are fully disabled and receiving LTD benefits, regardless of whether or not you meet the definition of fully and totally disable under SSDI. Special rules apply for persons on partial disability. Please contact Benefits for more information.

Vacation Benefits

If you accrued vacation benefits while actively at work, you are not entitled to this benefit while on Long Term Disability leave. Any vacation accrual balance that you have at the start of your LTD leave will be paid out to you in a lump sum payment.

Educational Assistance

Please review the Educational Assistance Program (EAP) for information about eligibility for educational assistance benefits during LTD.

Child Care Referral, Elder Care Consultation and Referral, Staff and Faculty Assistance

You may continue to participate in these other benefits when you are on Long Term Disability leave.