Anonymous wrote:

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

DP. That may not retroactively extend the benefits.

I'm not sure if disability works like true health insurance and prevents penalties for preexisting conditions.

You are correct; enrolling at the time of the baby’s birth will do nothing for OP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

In Canada, you get a year. What you're describing is bad and the US should offer more.

It is ridiculous you would have to save for years given how easily and quickly people are laid off in the US.

But is it a year at 100% pay? I think most American think other countries are getting 6m or a year at full pay and the employee didn't have to pay into anything.

"In Canada, birth mothers are eligible for 15 weeks of EI maternity benefits at 55% of earnings (up to a max of $729/week in 2026). This is typically followed by parental leave (up to 40-69 weeks). Parental Leave: Can be shared between both parents to care for the child, with options for standard (55% pay) or extended (33% pay)."

Whereas I had 12 weeks paid at my salary (175k), which is more than that. I could have then taken extra leave LWOP and still come out ahead of the Canadian leave. I'm not saying Canada's is bad, it's just that it's not what most Americans think. Paying into STD is cheaper than paying higher taxes to get paid leave. My maternity leave was from saving my annual and sick leave btw, not from my employer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:is it either STD *or* maternity leave? Will you not be eligible for ML at all as a contractor? I'm having a truly hard time understanding.

While I understand that some people impeccably plan expanding their families, other people just "turn up pregnant." When the time comes, they have maternity leave or create something from leave / unpaid/ whatever.

Has no contractor at your company ever been pregnant? Is there anyone you can ask about their experience? I hope you get it all sorted.

I WFH on a specific assignment for a large company, so I have no colleagues to consult with, however, I’m trying to work with my HR now. My contract was only supposed to be 3 months but now it’s going on two years.

When I enrolled/started in July 2024 I wasn’t even dating my fiance, we had just been friends for many years. Given my age (34 at the time I first enrolled), the short duration of my contract, single with 0 prospects, and no desire for a relationship because of grief I didn’t even
think getting pregnant was a possibility… Heck I didn’t even see the point in enrolling period because I thought I wouldn’t be there long

I get it. However, pregnancy is not the only reason to pay into short term disability. Consider that things in life could change at any moment and then plan accordingly.

Right. That’s why I said because my contract was only supposed to be 3 months I didn’t see the need.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:is it either STD *or* maternity leave? Will you not be eligible for ML at all as a contractor? I'm having a truly hard time understanding.

While I understand that some people impeccably plan expanding their families, other people just "turn up pregnant." When the time comes, they have maternity leave or create something from leave / unpaid/ whatever.

Has no contractor at your company ever been pregnant? Is there anyone you can ask about their experience? I hope you get it all sorted.

I WFH on a specific assignment for a large company, so I have no colleagues to consult with, however, I’m trying to work with my HR now. My contract was only supposed to be 3 months but now it’s going on two years.

When I enrolled/started in July 2024 I wasn’t even dating my fiance, we had just been friends for many years. Given my age (34 at the time I first enrolled), the short duration of my contract, single with 0 prospects, and no desire for a relationship because of grief I didn’t even
think getting pregnant was a possibility… Heck I didn’t even see the point in enrolling period because I thought I wouldn’t be there long

I get it. However, pregnancy is not the only reason to pay into short term disability. Consider that things in life could change at any moment and then plan accordingly.

Anonymous wrote:is it either STD *or* maternity leave? Will you not be eligible for ML at all as a contractor? I'm having a truly hard time understanding.

While I understand that some people impeccably plan expanding their families, other people just "turn up pregnant." When the time comes, they have maternity leave or create something from leave / unpaid/ whatever.

Has no contractor at your company ever been pregnant? Is there anyone you can ask about their experience? I hope you get it all sorted.

I WFH on a specific assignment for a large company, so I have no colleagues to consult with, however, I’m trying to work with my HR now. My contract was only supposed to be 3 months but now it’s going on two years.

When I enrolled/started in July 2024 I wasn’t even dating my fiance, we had just been friends for many years. Given my age (34 at the time I first enrolled), the short duration of my contract, single with 0 prospects, and no desire for a relationship because of grief I didn’t even
think getting pregnant was a possibility… Heck I didn’t even see the point in enrolling period because I thought I wouldn’t be there long

same post here:

https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/got-denied-short-term-disability-because-my-last-period-was-days-prior-to-open-enrollment-i%E2%80%99m-livid.6094462/

Anonymous wrote:In the US, I had zero days of leave because I worked for a company smaller than twenty people.

The owner did give me four weeks, I think. Then, I took another four weeks off.

That is when I understood that GOP “family values” were all BS.

My vagina had not even healed completely when I had to return to work.
So, I consider this a barbaric country.

This. I was only going to get 6 weeks, and that is absolutely nothing given that we need at least that much time to heal. Maternity care here is horrid.

is it either STD *or* maternity leave? Will you not be eligible for ML at all as a contractor? I'm having a truly hard time understanding.

While I understand that some people impeccably plan expanding their families, other people just "turn up pregnant." When the time comes, they have maternity leave or create something from leave / unpaid/ whatever.

Has no contractor at your company ever been pregnant? Is there anyone you can ask about their experience? I hope you get it all sorted.

Anonymous wrote:I really wish jobs forced you to pay into std. But to be fair to your employer, you should have had this. For my first two pregnancies I saved annual and sick leave until I had the amounts I wanted and then we got pregnant.

There should be “no fair to your employer”. It’s an archaic and discriminatory policy.

Anonymous wrote: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.

In Canada, you get a year. What you're describing is bad and the US should offer more.

It is ridiculous you would have to save for years given how easily and quickly people are laid off in the US.

In the US, I had zero days of leave because I worked for a company smaller than twenty people.

The owner did give me four weeks, I think. Then, I took another four weeks off.

That is when I understood that GOP “family values” were all BS.

My vagina had not even healed completely when I had to return to work.
So, I consider this a barbaric country.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

This seems rather gender discriminatory. Are there any pre-existing condition exclusions in their fine print? If not, I would make an eloquent fuss about this.

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

DP. That may not retroactively extend the benefits.

I'm not sure if disability works like true health insurance and prevents penalties for preexisting conditions.

I really wish jobs forced you to pay into std. But to be fair to your employer, you should have had this. For my first two pregnancies I saved annual and sick leave until I had the amounts I wanted and then we got pregnant.

Anonymous wrote: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.

She’s a contractor. PTO doesn’t apply.