Financial Help For Pregnant Women: 3 Ways To Get Assistance
Having a baby is one of the best gifts in life, but its also a big change. Your career, social life, and sleep may end up taking the backseat while you focus on caring for your little one. While you can expect many firsts along the incredible road to raising a child, debt and financial stress shouldnt be on that list of new experiences.
Thankfully, there are many avenues to find financial assistance. Take a look at the main costs of pregnancy and the different resources that provide financial help for pregnant women.
What Is California’s Pregnancy Disability Leave Law
In California, employers with five or more employees are required to provide pregnancy disability leave under the state’s Pregnancy Disability Leave Act . Pregnant employees may take up to four months of leave during any period of time during which they are unable to work due to pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition. This time may be taken before or after the birth of the child and includes time off for severe morning sickness, medically necessary bed rest, childbirth, and recovery from childbirth and any pregnancy-related complications. It also includes routine prenatal or postnatal medical care.
Employer/insurance Carrier Requests Examination By A Health Care Provider
- Your employer/insurance carrier may designate a health care provider to examine you. You must submit to requested examinations under the following conditions:
- Exams may occur at intervals, but not more than once a week.
- You do not pay for the exams.
- Exams occur at a reasonable time and place.
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Pregnancy And Maternity Leave
If you are disabled due to pregnancy, you may be entitled to up to 26 weeks of disability benefits.
You will need to submit a medical report completed by a doctor or certified nurse midwife stating your disability is due to pregnancy.
- The medical report should describe specific pregnancy complications if your disability
- started more than four weeks before the anticipated birth date OR
- lasts more than four to six weeks after the actual birth date.
Note: Benefits are not payable for any period you are unable to work due to elective surgery .
Find Out About Your Benefits At Work
In addition to any short- or long-term disability benefits you may be eligible for, see if there are other types of useful insurance benefits available through work. For example, hospitalization indemnity insurance is a popular, low-cost workplace benefit that can help cover hospital stays due to delivery or complications from the pregnancy. However, items covered, and reimbursement amounts, vary greatly from plan to plan, so make sure youre familiar with your employers specific benefits before signing up.
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How Does Short Term Disability Insurance Work For Pregnancy
If you cant work due to injury or illness, short-term disability insurance pays a weekly benefit that replaces a portion of your lost income typically between 50% and 70% if you receive coverage through your employer. The amount of the benefit, the length of time you receive benefits , and whether or not a pregnancy is covered will depend on the specific terms of your policy. If you have STD coverage through work, talk to your human resources manager about what benefits are available and the correct way to submit a claim.
1 , 2016
2 Guardian Group Short Term Disability FAQs, 2020
Group insurance products are underwritten and issued by The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, New York, NY. Products are not available in all states. Policy limitations and exclusions apply. Optional riders and/or features may incur additional costs. Plan documents are the final arbiter of coverage. Disability policies provide disability income insurance only. This policy does not provide basic hospital, basic medical or major medical insurance as defined by the New York State Department of Financial Services.
Guardian, its subsidiaries, agents, and employees do not provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. Consult your tax, legal, or accounting professional regarding your individual situation.
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Paid Time Off For Antenatal Care
What is it?
Regardless of how long youve been in your job, you have a right to paid time off from work to go to your antenatal appointments.
This time off is as well as your annual leave.
Antenatal care includes:
- doctor-recommended appointments for example, relaxation or parenting classes.
Your time off should include travel time to and from each appointment.
The babys father or your partner are entitled to take unpaid time off work to go with you to two of your antenatal appointments. The maximum time is capped at six hours and 30 minutes for each appointment.
Who gets it?
Employed pregnant women.
How to claim
Tell your employer when your antenatal appointments are happening. Try to give them as much notice as you can to help with work planning.
It might be a good idea to go during quiet times at work, or outside working hours if you can.
Find out more about paid time off for antenatal care:
- In England, Wales and Scotland, on the GOV.UK website
- In Northern Ireland, on the nidirect website
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The Cost Of Prenatal Care
When baby delivery costs are so diverse, its no surprise that prenatal and postnatal care costs also run the gamut.
Leading up to the delivery of a child, its crucial to consider the cost of prenatal care. Your obstetrician could charge anywhere from $90 to $500 for each visit. Other services such as lab tests and ultrasounds are usually billed separately and can cost up to $100 each.
Qualifying For Benefits Due To Residual Function Capacity
If you dont have a pregnancy-related complication that is listed in the SSA blue book, you can still qualify for benefits by showing that your condition is long-term, impairing, and prevents you from working. Remember that disability benefits are given to those who are unable to participate in any substantial gainful activity due to a medically determinable impairment.
Complications as a result of your pregnancy can lead to long-term disabling conditions that impede your ability to work. When reviewing your application, the SSA will determine your residual functional capacity, i.e. your ability to carry out everyday tasks in a productive manner.
Pregnancy-related complications can lead to conditions such as back pain, stroke, shortness of breath, and excessive fatigue. These conditions often prevent one from carrying out routine workplace tasks such as lifting, bending and standing/walking for long periods.
If you can prove that your current medical condition prevents you from working, you can qualify for benefits as a result of your pregnancy.
Pregnancy-related disorders can be scary and unpredictable for the mother. It is therefore important to seek comfort in your support system , closely monitor you and your babys health during and after pregnancy, and find out the options that you have available in the unfortunate event that you develop a pregnancy-related disability.
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What Benefits Are Available If Im Sick And Cant Work
If you are unable to work because you are infected or suspect you are infected with COVID-19, you can file a Disability Insurance claim. You will need to provide a certification by your treating physician/practitioner or by a state or local health officer.
DI provides short-term benefit payments to eligible workers who have a full or partial loss of wages due to a non-work-related illness, injury, or pregnancy. Most California workers are covered by DI through deductions from their paychecks .
The Governors Executive Order N-25-20,signed March 12, 2020, waives the one-week unpaid waiting period for COVID-related DI claims with a start date of January 24, 2020, through September 30, 2021. You can collect DI benefits for the first week you are out of work.
Note: The Governors Executive Order N-08-21, signed June 11, 2021, returns the requirement to serve the one-week unpaid waiting period for COVID-related DI claims with a start date on or after October 1, 2021. You can collect DI benefits starting on the eighth day you are out of work.
If you are eligible, the EDD processes and issues payments within a few weeks of receiving a claim.
How Much Can I Earn In Disability Benefits
Benefit amounts are approximately 60-70 percent of wages . The EDD provides a Disability Insurance Calculator to estimate your potential benefit amount. Disability benefits are paid through the date your doctor certifies or when you exhaust your available benefits, whichever comes first within a 52-week period.
The Governors Executive Order N-25-20, signed March 12, 2020, waives the one-week unpaid waiting period for COVID-related DI claims with a start date of January 24, 2020, through September 30, 2021. You can collect DI benefits for the first week you are out of work.
Note: The Governors Executive Order N-08-21, signed June 11, 2021, returns the requirement to serve the one-week unpaid waiting period for COVID-related DI claims with a start date on or after October 1, 2021. You can collect DI benefits starting on the eighth day you are out of work.
If you are eligible, the EDD processes and issues payments within a few weeks of receiving a claim.
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How To Apply For Short
If youre wondering how to get short-term disability approved while pregnant, the process begins by talking with your human resources department to know exactly what your coverage options are.
Youll want to find out if there is a state mandate for family leave time and if FMLA is available. Benefits may also depend on whether this is your first or second birth.
You should also ask questions about any policies and restrictions for using vacation or sick time along with unpaid time. Many companies require employees to use vacation or sick time before unpaid leave kicks in. Finally, you will also want to find out who pays your premiums when you take leave. You want a clear sense of what happens to your benefits while youre on leave, regardless of whether anything changes in your employment status.
Here are some more suggestions for making your parental leave the best it possibly can be:
Remember that you want to discuss short-term disability before youre pregnant, not after delivery. The earlier you can reasonably begin planning, the better.
Who Pays My Insurance Plan When Im On Mat Leave
One key factor thats often overlooked by individuals while on maternity leave or before going off of work for a sick leave is what to do about the benefits they currently receive through their employer.
Mainly, the question is: Who is responsible for paying them?
This depends on your employer and your specific insurance provider. Some employers pay 100% of insurance plans, but this might change while youre on leave. You might have to pay a portion or the full amount in order to keep your plan in place.
I often hear that individuals arent aware of this and dont plan for it in their budget. People often only find out that their benefits are ending when they receive a notice so, they lose out on their benefits when they dont have to. Usually its just a matter of not knowing to ask about it. Be sure to contact your HR department to learn whos responsible for paying before its too late.
This advice applies to any pension programs that youre paying into, as well. You might lose out for the months youre away you may be able to contribute while youre away or make up for your lost contributions once you return to work. Always ask your employer how taking a leave will affect your contributions.
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Pregnancy Disability In California Four Months
In California, expecting employees are not only entitled to maternity leave for the childbirth itself, but they have a right to time off for disabilities related to the pregnancy.
Most employers that have five or more employees, which includes most businesses in California, are governed by California’s main pregnancy discrimination law, the Fair Employment & Housing Act .
California’s Pregnancy Disability Law is directly under the Fair Employment & Housing Act .If intermittent maternity leave is expected, employers may explore a temporary transfer to a similar position with equal pay and benefits.
Know Your Rights: Pregnancy Workplace Rights & Covid
In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, these are uncertain times. If you are pregnant and working or have had a recent change in your employment status, the crisis may add an additional layer of uncertainty and raise a host of unique questions. A Better Balance is here to help. Below are some frequently asked questions and answers that we hope will provide some guidance and clarity on your rights to paid or unpaid time off, reasonable accommodations, and the right to be free from discrimination if youre pregnant during the pandemic. We also hosted a webinar covering many of these questions, which you can access below. For health information about COVID-19 and pregnancy, visit the CDC or ACOG for more information or speak with your health care provider.
For the webinar slides, see here.*
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What Benefits Are Available If My Patient Or My Patients Care Provider Is Found Ineligible For Disability Insurance Or Paid Family Leave
If your patient is not found eligible for Disability Insurance, they are encouraged to apply for an Unemployment Insurance claim. For more information, refer them to the Coronavirus 2019 FAQs.
If your patients caregiver is not found eligible for Paid Family Leave, they are encouraged to apply for UI benefits. For more information, refer them to the Coronavirus 2019 FAQs.
Some Employers Offer Paid Family Leave
Even if your state doesnt guarantee paid maternity leave, your employer can provide PFL benefits if they choose. While employees often expect companies to provide paid sick days and vacation days, they dont always ask about maternity leave. However, a recent study by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 60% of employers give 12 weeks of maternity leave 33% give more than 12 weeks.1 It should be noted that these numbers include paid and unpaid leave.
Does your company offer these benefits? How long do they last? How do you qualify? How much will you get? Like state PFL rules, it varies from company to company but theres an easy way to find out: just contact your human resources department or manager. Finally, if you are starting a new job, you can inquire about having paid family leave benefits included as part of your compensation package. It never hurts to ask.
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Are Insurance Companies Bound By These Laws
These laws apply only to employers. It is the employer’s or union’s responsibility to buy insurance policies which comply with the law. There is no comparable obligation on insurance companies. However, an insurance company would be wise to advise an employer/union-client of the legal obligations regarding maternity benefits.
Ready To File An American Fidelity Disability Claim
If you have American Fidelity Disability Income Insurance, the fastest way to file a disability claim is through your online account, or on our app, AFmobile®.
- Download AFmobile from the App Store® or
Remember, the elimination period begins with your date of delivery so filing early may seem practical, but your delivery date needs to be confirmed.
For more details on how to file a claim, including required documentation and a step-by-step instructional video, visit our disability insurance claim page or review this article.
This blog is up to date as of July 2020 and has not been updated for changes in the law, administration or current events.
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Can I Get Ei Maternity Benefits And Disability Benefits Like Ei Sickness At The Same Time
EI has regular and special benefits sickness, maternity, and parental benefits all fall under the special umbrella. You can receive both EI sickness and another special benefit during the same benefit period. This includes maternity and parental leave.
You shouldnt wait to receive the benefits after one another rather, you should apply for both as soon as you qualify for both. You can only typically receive 50 weeks of a benefit in a 52-week benefit period. But, the maximum number of weeks may increase to 102 when you combine sickness and maternity.
Be sure to review the criteria and gather the appropriate medical documentation for each of your applications. This is because you must qualify for each plan independently.
Where To Get Help And Support
You should get advice on benefits as soon as you find out you’re pregnant. Benefits have to be claimed on different forms, from different offices, depending on what you’re claiming.
There are lots of voluntary organisations that are happy to help. Ask them for advice or get an opinion.
- Some local authorities have welfare rights officers phone your social services department and ask.
- Some voluntary organisations give information and advice on benefits and rights at work try Gingerbread and Working Families.
- For advice on your rights at work, call ACAS on 0300 123 1100.
- If you’re 19 or under, you can get advice on work from the National Careers Service on 0800 100 900.
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