Question:
Can my short-term disability be lowered because of my weight?

I got a call today from the people who handle short-term disability benefits from the place that I work. They told me that they recieved a note from the insurance underwriters that because of my height and weight I could not qualify for %60 disability pay, they will have to cut me from $1300 a month to $800. I was going to use this to take an extra week off, but I guess it will not even be worth it now. Does anyone know about this and if this is something that happens often, and is it legal? Thanks    — WY T. (posted on March 25, 2003)

March 25, 2003
I don't know if its legal or not, but sounds like discrimination to me. I got a copy of my short term disability plan and read it before I had WLS.
   — Beth D.

March 25, 2003
Get a copy of your short term disability plan, if you do not have one already. If the plan is partially employee paid and you do not enroll right when you are eligible (usually shortly after being hired) and then you choose to sign up afterwards, there can be limits to your benefit. But, again, my best advice is to get a copy of the booklet/certificate and read it. Many times, they are not as hard to interpret as most people think. Then ask as many questions as you can of your HR dept. Good luck to you and remember, some income replacement is better than none at all. God bless.
   — Kimberly P.