Disability Insurance

Pacific University provides disability benefits to help support you and your family if sickness or an accident prevents you from working. Disability benefits include both short-term disability and long-term disability.

Short-Term Disability

Benefit-eligible employees receive short-term disability insurance (pdf) paid by the university. This coverage protects employees from income loss due to an extended illness, accidental injury or other medical condition (including child birth) that requires ongoing physician care. 

There is a 14-day waiting period to receive short-term disability payments. On the 15th day, short-term disability begins paying at a rate of 60 percent of the eligible employee's salary, with a maximum of $1,500 per week. Short-term disability benefits are payable for a maximum of 22 weeks, following the 14-day waiting period.

Staff members may use accrued sick leave and vacation leave to keep their pay whole during the 14-day waiting period and to cover the remaining 40 percent of their normal income during the short-term disability payout period.

The university will pay the entirety of faculty members' salary during the 14-day waiting period, as well as the remaining 40 percent of their normal income during the short-term disability period.

Application Procedure

When you need to report a Short-Term Disability leave of absence, Pacific University has partnered with The Standard to guide you through the steps needed to ensure a smooth absence. A step-by-step Frequently Asked Questions guide was developed to help you report an absence with Standard Insurance Company. Please be aware that the leave process through Standard MUST be initiated in a specific way. You must call the Absence Management Service Center at 866.756.8116 or login at www.standard.com/absence. Review the FAQ guide before contacting Standard Insurance Company.

Follow the steps outlined in the guide if you become disabled or need to file for a leave of absence from work. Once you initiate a leave of absence case with The Standard, you’ll be able to access the Absence Management Service Center online or via telephone.

Long-Term Disability

Pacific University provides long-term disability insurance (pdf) through The Standard Insurance for all benefited employees. If you are disabled for a period of 180 days or longer, you may apply for long-term disability with our insurance carrier. Once approved, the benefit provides for 60 percent of an employee's income.