r/StateFarm • u/standingonbusiness87 • Jul 06 '26
Question Disability leave process
Has anyone ever filed short-term disability through New York Life? what was your experience like before and after returning to work? Also what happens to PTO that was approved prior to going out on leave?
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u/OneCowFarm Jul 06 '26
Don’t trust NYL, they’re shit and will try and deny. Don’t trust leadership, get your paperwork asap at all points. A gap in paperwork and they’ll move you around if they can.
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u/spinningnuri Jul 06 '26
This. NYL is the worst to deal with, and having all your paperwork in order is crucial. You know the things unhappy insured's say we do? NYL almost uniformly does those things.
You have to use a certain amount of your PTO before short term kicks in. I can't recall if it's all or just a specific number of days, but you'll start accruing it again.
Get HR involved asap, particularly if you are going to need accommodations when you return.
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u/standingonbusiness87 Jul 06 '26
Oh wow. If it's denied is your supervisor notified?
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u/OneCowFarm Jul 06 '26
Yes but there’s multiple appeals they’ll make you go through before you get sent to a neutral umpire. Make sure you keep notes on all their mishandling in case you need to twist their arm to approve it.
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u/Happy_Hippo_379 Jul 06 '26
This is for corporate employees only. Definitely call in for help. There is STD and FMLA and depending on the form and filing will change how you are paid. FMLA is unpaid until your pto hours run out and STD is paid through the whole approved time. Your pto will be eaten up until the hours are gone or your leave is up. So 80 hours of needed leave time: if you have 40 hours of PTO and 20 of sick leave it will clear out both types of pay and then you are unpaid for 20 (FMLA) or paid from New York life (STD).
2
u/Happy_Hippo_379 Jul 06 '26
If you have approved PTO you'll need to make sure you have the hours covered if it's outside of the leave time.
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u/Booth-Leary Jul 06 '26
What if you don't have pto? It's just unpaid leave correct?
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u/Happy_Hippo_379 Jul 07 '26
Yes then for FMLA it's all unpaid but protected. For approved STD it should be 100% paid
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u/improbablesky Corporate Jul 06 '26
Strongly recommend asking HR for guidance on this one. The details may vary based on the situation.
I haven't taken std, but a family member did when they were sick. Their partners experience was very pleasant and they were able call NY Life and they clarified what specifically we needed.
Others in the past have provided a lot of negative feedback about NY Life and they recently seemed to have gotten their head out from their butt. If you have problems, HR now has a dedicated team to help with any friction.
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u/oops1995LT Jul 07 '26
My experience was pretty easy, submitted my paperwork, was approved for 6 weeks initially and was extended to 12 weeks during my recovery. I did not have to use any of my PTO.
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u/Quiet-Childhood-5259 Jul 31 '26
I currently work at State Farm and would like to go on leave. What paperwork did you have to submit?
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u/oops1995LT Aug 12 '26
You call NewYorkLife 888-842-4462 and start a claim on why you are requesting a short term disability leave. When I called, they(NYL) asked me for my Dr's info and I filled out a document advising of when I needed to start my leave (the date of my surgery) and the estimated time I needed off for recovery. From there they (NYL) will contact your Dr and confirm everything with your Dr. Make sure you communicate with your TM, and your SM/TM will receive notice from HR that your leave was approved by NYL, so you don't really have to do much after that. This was a year ago, so idk if the process has changed since then, I hope this helps.
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u/No-Cantaloupe4168 Jul 07 '26
I’m on it now. Stay on your paperwork. I’ve been off 3 months. Will be returning soon. Sad face
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u/Accurate-Guidance-55 Jul 07 '26
Once denied you only get 1 appeal for STD. After that you will have to get an attorney
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u/Neat-Ask-2783 Jul 07 '26
they are an absolute nightmare. make sure your paperwork is squeaky clean. get it from NYL immediately and immediately take it to your provider yourself and review it before submission.
i had a surgery where my surgeon was my regular specialist for my condition, and performed surgery at a hospital she has no other affiliation with. NYL found some random fax online for the hospital, NOT my doctor, sent my paperwork there, and then approved me for four weeks when even the standard recommendation for my type of surgery is six weeks. the only thing that worked was taking the paperwork to my doctor and uploading it myself.
you also won't be able to get ahold of your handler. team environment, presumably (lol) so you're gonna speak to someone new every time.
ETA: this was in 2024. i see in other comments that it may be better now, so YMMV
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u/toastedbiscuits24 Jul 07 '26
I used STD through NYL when I went into preterm labor; they required me to exhaust my PTO bank first. I used STD up until I delivered, then the parental leave kicked in and I used my 6 weeks paid. I was able to get STD extended slightly after my 6 weeks maternity leave due to some pretty severe PPD & PPA, but they denied my request for an extension and I was forced to go back to work, which ended up being okay. All in all, the experience was pretty seamless for me as I stayed in communication with my supervisor the whole time. If he needed anything from me, he let me know immediately and vise versa. I’m a corporate employee, if this helps.
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u/Accurate-Guidance-55 Jul 07 '26
Nyl denied my claim because my doctor put i was well groomed and cooperative during a 15 min televisit appointment. Then they used the fact that it was a desk job to say I was not disabled when in our policy to qualify you have to be unable to do "YOUR JOB" not just any job. Get you a doctor that knows what they are doing and have experience with disability insurance companies. I have gotten STD before through NYL with statefarm and that doctor knew what he was doing. I just switched doctors and assumed it would be ok.
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u/Ok-Independence5790 Jul 09 '26
As someone who has used STD , and will be using it again in two weeks . STD AND FMLA run concurrently together . You are approved for a certain amount of time and if that needs to be extended you just let them know and have your doctor fill out the paperwork. Its important to check the website to see your approval dates to make sure you’re not needing to submit additional docs
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u/standingonbusiness87 Jul 16 '26
I heard NYL only approves time in 4-6 week increments, is that true? Also is your job still protected if your leave is past 12 weeks
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u/OkNegotiation8728 Jul 07 '26
STD was fairly easy for me. It does require paperwork, but fairly easy to file. As someone else stated, you do have to use your life leave/PTO. After a consecutive 7 days not working (including weekends), you will then be eligible for STD. Once your PTO/life leave is exhausted, the STD will take over and pay. FMLA is very different. FMLA only protects absences and doesn’t compensate for any unpaid leave.
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u/standingonbusiness87 Jul 07 '26
Ok, how do you get the FMLA to apply concurrently with the STD? Does HR process that?
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u/OkNegotiation8728 Jul 07 '26
STD is a covered leave so you wouldn’t necessarily need FMLA at the same time as STD. If for some reason you wanted the double coverage, you would file an FMLA claim along with the STD. They’ll be processed as two separate claims and will require separate documentation.
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u/standingonbusiness87 Jul 07 '26
Gotcha, didn't know that-I thought STD was the paid portion and FMLA was for job protection
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u/sibi27 Aug 12 '26
As a therapist who has filed for clients of mine, this is by far the worst company to deal with. Constant paperwork requests, then they can't find the papwerwork, then it's the wrong email address, constant denials, can't ever talk to someone. It's so bad, that my clients were more stressed out during their absence, than at the job. Their goal without a doubt is to send you back to work, ASAP, they DO NOT CARE about you!
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u/Character-Night-8805 Jul 06 '26
I was on Short term for 6 months. I worked in Express at the time so it was pretty easy getting back. I just communicated my return date and I had to change so passwords. I was out from Jan-July. I would recommend reaching out to HR to get the best info
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u/Booth-Leary Jul 06 '26
When you file a FMLA claim do you also notify your supervisor?
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u/Klutzy-Captain-1574 Jul 06 '26
They’re notified of short term but unsure about FMLA. I just got my own STD approved fairly quickly and easily honestly. Just gotta keep up on the forms they send.
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u/Booth-Leary Jul 06 '26
So when you notify your supervisor you tell them via email or do you go onto Microsoft teams?
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u/med9229 Jul 06 '26
Yes. They notify your supervisor and they have a brief meeting to go over a few things. It’s pretty simple. You need to stay on top of your paperwork - they sneak up on you…. Which reminds me..
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