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The Cornell Short-Term Disability (STD) Plan provides benefits and partial compensation when you are unable to work for qualified health reasons unrelated to workers compensation.
You typically use health and personal leave to cover your lost wages for the first 7 calendar days of a disability-related absence. After the7 calendar day waiting period, you receive 50% of your base pay for the time you are medically approved as disabled from work, up to a maximum of 26 weeks in any 52 weeks period(or approximately six (6) months) and your job will be heldin accordance with Cornell’s job hold policy provisions.
If you qualify, you may use health and personal leave and vacation time to supplement the other 50% pay. You will also receive holiday pay for any holiday that falls during a period of approved disability. Your time off is not used on a university holiday.
You may choose to use these days together or return to work up to half-time, and receive 50% pay for the time not worked with agreement from you, your physician, and your supervisor. Leave accruals may still be used to supplement this partial disability time. If you exhaust all of your STD benefits, you may be approved for long-term disability.
To be eligible for this benefit, you must:
Employees working outside New York State:
Employees working in other states with state-provided paid family and/or medical leave benefits will be covered under the terms of their respective state's policies. If you are unsure whether your state provides its own paid family or medical leave benefit you may contact Medical Leaves Administration (MLA) at 607-255-1177, and MLA can direct you to the appropriate state agency which would receive your request for paid leave.
Temporary and Cooperative Extension Employees
First talk to your supervisor and your local human resources representative. You’ll be asked to do the following:
Once your disability has ended, you must be medically certified to return to your job. This will require you to present a medical note from your physician to your supervisor that you are able to resume your job. This note must be presented either before your return or on the day you return. Cornell may seek independent medical verification of your ability to return to work.
If you become disabled as a result of the same illness or accident within three months of your return to work, disability benefits under this program will begin immediately.