Expecting and I just found out I don't qualify for short term disability. America is not pro-life/pro-birth

[Anonymous]

I am so angry.

I am a contractor with benefits, or so I thought. I've been with my job for two years - I started in July 2024. My mom unexpectedly passed a month later, and I had a really, really hard time. I wish I could've had longer than the week I was out to grieve; my mental health took an extreme nose dive for months. So, this year I decided I was going to enroll in short-term disability. Open enrollment was from 10/27/25 - 11/7/25. I had a doctor's appointment and found out I was pregnant 11/23/25. I was discussing my leave with HR, and because short-term disability is based on the last missed period or conception (just found this out today), I don't qualify. Since I'm a contractor, I don't get maternity leave, only short-term disability, so I have absolutely nothing.

I can't believe this. I am so angry that they don't go by medical confirmation. Meanwhile, my fiancé gets 8 weeks, and my brother-in-law is getting SIX months of paid leave, while his wife only gets 2 weeks. We had planned to sign a lease for a much larger place this week (we currently live in a 1-bedroom condo with two dogs), but because of this, we will now need to stay put. I'm glad we still have a place to live, but since I won't have any income for at least 6 weeks, we'll have to be even more cramped here.

I know there's more than one reason why the fertility rates are so low here, but sheesh, if we were more pro-birth, maybe people would be inclined to have children.

[Anonymous]

That is terrible and so much depends on your employer when it shouldn't.

[Anonymous]

So how far along were you on November 23?

[Anonymous]

^^ no one finds out they are pregnant at their doctors appointment. It sounds like you knew you were pregnant, signed up for a short-term disability, delayed your doctors appointment a few weeks and are trying to get sympathy for attempting to game the system. You knew your company did not offer short-term disability. And you got pregnant knowing this and thought you could just sign up before it came to light. I mean it stinks for sure but I also understand the insurance company’s point of view

[Anonymous]

That is rotten OP. I totally agree that policies like these are so unfair to you and make things like children so much harder to deal with. At my job I did get 8 weeks of leave, though that was a recent change, and that was only if I had a medically complex delivery, otherwise it was 6. I also had to get a doctor's note and was supposed to notify all my clients why i would be out. DH works for the same organization and no doctor's note needed for same leave (actually 8 weeks no matter what type of delivery or birth) and didn't have to do anything at work. The whole thing is so outrageously stupid. I hope there is an avenue to appeal and also suggest you write your legislators with exactly this story. I'm so sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So how far along were you on November 23?

8 weeks. I took a pregnancy test on 11/1, but because they go off missed period (October 25) or time of conception (October 10-11), I don't qualify.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^ no one finds out they are pregnant at their doctors appointment. It sounds like you knew you were pregnant, signed up for a short-term disability, delayed your doctors appointment a few weeks and are trying to get sympathy for attempting to game the system. You knew your company did not offer short-term disability. And you got pregnant knowing this and thought you could just sign up before it came to light. I mean it stinks for sure but I also understand the insurance company’s point of view

8 weeks. I took a pregnancy test on 11/1, but because they go off missed period (October 25) or time of conception (October 10-11), I don't qualify/

You clearly know nothing about prenatal care. They won't even see you until you're at least 8 weeks to confirm if you're pregnant, so no, I didn't hold off until then. I'm due July 4th, so both my missed period AND conception were a few days to a few weeks before open enrollment.

There was no way for me to know I was going to be pregnant around the time of open enrollment. Unless open enrollment had been in September, there was no way for me to qualify for short-term disability.

[Anonymous]

If that timing is true, and I would encourage you to write a justification and ask your doctor to send it to the short-term disability insurance company. If what you’re saying is true then there is no way you could have known you were pregnant until the enrollment window began.

[Anonymous]

Appeal to the disability company and work it through the ombudsman. If no satisfaction, call CEO office or tweet about it. Might work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If that timing is true, and I would encourage you to write a justification and ask your doctor to send it to the short-term disability insurance company. If what you’re saying is true then there is no way you could have known you were pregnant until the enrollment window began.

You think that will make a difference since they go based on conception or the last missed period? I'll still try, though, because as you said, I didn't know I was pregnant until open enrollment started.

[Anonymous]

Are you in DC? Could you be eligible for paid family leave?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you in DC? Could you be eligible for paid family leave?

VA :/

Paid family doesn’t go into effect until 2029

[Anonymous]

The birth of the child will be a qualifying life event and you should be able to enroll then.

[Anonymous]

I’m sorry OP- others have given practical advice to follow. I’m all for a good process but I’m guessing some people have never been on the receiving end of organizations that use minuscule rules to deny basic benefits. I have an impoverished and developmentally struggling family member whose employer keeps him just under the number of work hours required to provide health insurance.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand. Most jobs don't offer maternity leave, and you need to save your PTO, annual leave, and sick leave. I had to save mine up for years to get enough.