All SUNY professional (UUP and MC) employees who are full-time or are part-time and are eligible for health insurance are eligible to participate in the SUNY Long-Term Disability (LTD) insurance program, administered by The Standard. The Standard also offers the Workplace Possibilities Program, which is a service designed to keep employees healthy at work, and help employees on disability recover more swiftly so they can return to work.
There is no cost to employees for LTD coverage as all premiums are currently paid for by the University.
Enrollment in the Plan is automatic upon completion of a required one-year waiting period.
Coverage under the SUNY LTD Plan begins on the first day of the month following one year of eligible active service.
The required one-year waiting period for coverage under the SUNY LTD Plan may be waived if the employee has previously worked for an employer where they were covered by a similar LTD plan within three months of beginning eligible SUNY employment.
Employees interested in requesting a waiver should contact their previous employer and request a letter verifying the period of coverage under their Group LTD Plan and a copy of their LTD Plan's SPD or Certificate of Coverage. This information should be provided to your campus Benefits Office.
The SUNY LTD Plan is managed and directed by SUNY System Administration and is administered on the University's behalf by our currently contracted vendor and business partner, The Standard Life Insurance Company of New York.
The SUNY LTD Plan provides long-term disability benefits beginning after six months of total certified disability.
Benefits under the SUNY LTD Plan are 60% of your gross monthly Salary as of the date that you become disabled, with a maximum LTD Income benefit of $7,500 per month.
LTD Income benefits may be reduced by any benefits that you receive from other sources, such as: Social Security Disability, ERS/TRS Disability Retirement, Workers' Compensation benefits, other employer or private disability insurance benefits, and any income or earnings received while collecting benefits under the Plan.
The SUNY LTD Plan also provides a Monthly Annuity Premium Benefit (MAPB), for Optional Retirement Program (ORP) participants, which makes contributions on your behalf to help you better ensure a comfortable retirement, once your LTD and/or benefits from other sources have ended.
The MAPB will be based upon a percentage of your monthly LTD Wage Base as follows: 8% for the first seven years of Retirement System membership, 10% for the eighth through the tenth years, and 13% after ten years.
If you remain totally disabled from your own occupation for a period of two years, and continue to remain totally disabled from any occupation for which you are qualified, benefits are payable under the SUNY LTD Plan until you reach age 65, unless you were 60 or older when your disability began, in which case benefits are payable in accordance with the following schedule:
| Age When Total Disability Starts | Maximum Duration of Benefits |
|---|---|
| 61 or younger | To age 65, or 3 years 6 months, if longer |
| 62 | 3 years 6 months |
| 63 | 3 years |
| 64 | 2 years 6 months |
| 65 | 2 years |
| 66 | 1 year 9 months |
| 67 | 1 year 6 months |
| 68 | 1 year 3 months |
| 69 or older | 1 year |
If you have further questions or require assistance in filing a claim for long-term disability benefits, please contact your campus Benefits Office.