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ver the last few years, 雇主们一直在扩大他们的自愿福利，以此来满足员工的需求，并提高整体吸引力和留住员工的努力. 由于创纪录的高通胀和COVID-19大流行的持续影响，员工正在应对挑战和不断增加的财务压力，而自愿福利对员工来说变得越来越重要, knowing what benefits to offer can be difficult. 了解各种类型的残疾福利以及员工重视这些福利的原因，可以帮助雇主决定是否将其纳入自愿福利.

本文解释了残疾福利的重要性，并概述了不同类型的残疾福利.

What Are Disability Benefits?

残疾津贴为因严重疾病或受伤而无法工作的雇员提供收入保障或工作保护. The illness or injury can be either temporary or permanent, and it does not need to be work-related to qualify for disability benefits. 慢性疾病、怀孕、焦虑和抑郁是美国人致残的一些常见原因.S. workers.

残疾福利对于残疾的员工来说是至关重要的，它通常提供了一个急需的安全网, allowing employees to pay bills and provide for their families when they’re unable to work. The most common disability benefits are short- (STD) and long-term disability (LTD) insurance; however, workers’ compensation insurance, paid leave programs and long-term care insurance are also forms of disability benefits. While disability benefits are often voluntary, employers may be required to participate in federal or state-mandated disability benefits programs.

The Value of Disability Benefits

One in 4 working adults will become disabled before reaching retirement age, according to data from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Unfortunately, many workers are unprepared to lose their income or unable to afford unexpected medical expenses. Income or job loss due to an illness or injury can be devastating for employees and their families.

提供残疾人福利对雇主的整体福利战略很重要，有助于吸引和留住他们. It also allows employers to demonstrate their commitment to their workers’ well-being. 员工重视残疾福利，因为当疾病或受伤使他们无法工作时，他们会提供经济支持. 因此，它们对于保护员工未来的收入和内心的平静至关重要.

Rising medical costs related to treating chronic conditions, disabilities and serious injuries make disability insurance more critical than ever. Additionally, they’re relatively inexpensive for employers. 性病和有限责任公司保险的成本大约是一个组织的总补偿成本的1%,400 private industry employers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). 将健康和残疾福利结合起来的雇主可以通过协调员工的护理来改善员工的整体健康状况, allowing earlier interventions and decreasing workplace absenteeism.

Types of Disability Benefits

Disability benefits can take many forms. While STD and LTD insurance are the most common, long-term care insurance, critical illness insurance and paid leave programs are also types of disability benefits. 了解不同类型的残疾福利可以帮助雇主评估和决定为员工提供哪些福利.

Short-term Disability Insurance

STD insurance replaces all or a portion of an employee’s income due to a temporary disability. Under STD plans, employees receive a percentage of their income, typically 40% to 70% of their base pay, 但雇主可以允许员工在性病福利之外加上带薪病假或其他福利. An STD insurance policy is paid either fully or partially by the employer, and the median length of STD insurance coverage is 26 weeks, according to the BLS.

To qualify for STD insurance, an employee files a claim under their insurance policy. The employee must prove their illness or injury qualifies as a disability under the plan’s terms. STD insurance generally requires employees to wait for a short time period—on average, 在他们开始领取福利之前的七天，以防止滥用，因为许多雇主的带薪休假福利涵盖了比性病保险覆盖的更短的缺勤时间. While STD insurance plans do not guarantee job protection, employees may be entitled to it through their employers’ policies or under state and federal laws, such as the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

雇主提供性病保险，因为它可以帮助员工在生病或受伤后恢复时保持经济稳定, allowing them to stay productive and focused when they’re physically able to return to work. Since the income employees receive under STD insurance is paid by insurance companies, 雇主拥有财政资源和灵活性，可以雇佣临时工或合同工来填补劳动力缺口，而不会经历高昂的劳动力成本. In states that don’t require employers to participate in disability income plans, employers can offer fully, partially or noncontributor STD insurance plans.

Long-term Disability Insurance

LTD insurance provides employees with income for long-term illnesses and injuries. Employees generally receive 60% to 80% of their base pay; however, some employers’ LTD plans offer more limited income replacement benefits. Similar to STD, 员工在能够重返工作岗位或耗尽政策限制之前会获得收入福利. 有限责任公司的福利要求往往比性病更为严格，因为工人需要证明他们无法胜任任何工作, not just the job they were working prior to the illness or injury.

These plans often work together with STD, so when an employee exhausts their STD benefits, LTD benefits continue to provide the employee with income. As with STD benefits, LTD does not provide workers with job protection. 成为永久残疾的员工可以继续领取有限公司的福利，直到他们退休之日或直到他们有资格领取社会保障残疾福利.

Long-term Care Insurance

长期护理保险为雇员提供在个人无法自理时在医院外治疗慢性病和残疾的保险. These policies cover services such as home health care, nursing home care, hospice care, assisted living facilities care and respite care. Long-term care insurance can help employees safeguard their financial futures. Employers tend to offer this benefit to help their aging workforce.

Critical Illness Insurance

重大疾病保险在员工被诊断出患有保单承保的疾病后，会给他们一笔固定的一次性付款. These policies may cover conditions such as kidney disease, stroke, heart attack and cancer. Payments are made directly to the employee and can be used to cover deductibles, co-payments, household expenses and other costs. Critical illness insurance premiums are typically paid by employees.

State and Federal Disability Benefits

In some instances, employees may be entitled to disability benefits under state or federal law. For example, the FMLA provides eligible employees of covered employers with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for certain family and medical reasons. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, employers must consider providing disabled employees with reasonable accommodations. 只要休假是合理的，并且不会给雇主带来不必要的困难，那么休假可能是一种照顾. 因工作而受伤和患病导致残疾的雇员可能有权获得工人补偿福利. 这种福利在大多数州都是强制性的，为雇员提供工资替代和医疗福利. Additionally, SSA为残疾工人提供残疾津贴，只要他们的残疾持续至少12个月.

Several states have enacted their own leave-related laws, many of which provide injured or disabled workers with job-protected leave. 雇主应咨询当地法律顾问，讨论任何州特有的残疾或休假要求.

Summary

残疾福利可以为生病和受伤的工人提供经济稳定和无法工作时的安心. 了解不同类型的残疾福利及其价值，可以帮助雇主决定员工需要和渴望的福利. 提供这些好处是一个强大的工具，可以提高组织的吸引力和保留努力.

Reach out to Sanford & Tatum, An Alera Group Company for more information on voluntary benefits.

本福利洞察并非详尽无遗，任何讨论或意见也不应被视为专业建议. © 2023 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved.