In-service UFT members employed by the Department of Education have the protection of a short-term disability plan that can provide valuable income when personal illness renders them temporarily unable to work. (This benefit does not provide coverage for injuries in the line of duty or no-fault claims, which have their own benefits.)
Teachers and other pedagogues approved for this benefit receive $475 a week for up to 52 weeks, while paraprofessionals and other groups in the same salary range receive $375 per week for up to 52 weeks.
Eligibility criteria
To qualify for the disability benefit, UFT members must have exhausted their sick bank (Cumulative Absence Reserve, or CAR) and have been removed from the city Department of Education payroll.
After a member has used up their CAR (and any borrowed sick days), an unpaid waiting period of 28 consecutive calendar days for pedagogues and 14 consecutive calendar days for nonpedagogues and paraprofessionals must be satisfied before payment can begin through the disability plan.
Eligible pedagogues can apply for a DOE grace period that runs concurrently with the Welfare Fund’s 28-day unpaid waiting period and provides some compensation during that time.
To qualify for short-term disability benefits, a member must be on an authorized leave of absence without pay under a restoration of health leave or a Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave for health restoration.
Application process
When you become temporarily disabled and have exhausted your CAR, you should speak with your payroll secretary before applying for a leave of absence without pay (either a Restoration of Health leave or a FMLA leave). Contact the DOE’s HR Connect at 718-935-4000 for specific filing instructions.
To begin the process of applying for disability benefits, members should call the UFT Welfare Fund Disability Unit at 212-539-0500 to request a disability claim form (DBL1 Initial Application). You will need to attach a copy of the DOE’s approval of your medical leave to the completed claim form.
Upon receipt of your claim form, the Welfare Fund will assign you a disability representative who can answer any questions you might have. Your application will be reviewed by the Welfare Fund’s medical adviser, who will determine if you are disabled and, if so, the length of the disability period.
Benefit payments will begin after the medical adviser approves your claim and the Welfare Fund has received all required information and documentation.
Maternity-related disability
A paid parental leave benefit negotiated by the union in 2018 provides up to six weeks at full salary for maternity, paternity, adoption and foster care leave. To claim that benefit, you must apply through the DOE’s Self-Service Online Leave Application System (SOLAS).
In addition to that new benefit, birth mothers may also qualify for short-term disability benefits for routine pregnancies for a maximum of six weeks after vaginal deliveries and eight weeks after Caesarean sections. The same eligibility rules for other disability leaves (for example, no more days in your CAR, unpaid waiting period) apply to maternity-related disability benefits.
The combination of the two benefits allows mothers to take up to 12 or 14 weeks of paid leave after giving birth. For more information, read the union’s Q&A.
For complicated pregnancies, a member may be entitled to up to 52 weeks of disability benefits, as determined by the Welfare Fund’s medical adviser.