Disability Coverage
Disability coverage can provide income replacement when you are unable to work due to an illness or injury.
Faculty and staff who are members of the Virginia Retirement System are covered by the Virginia Sickness and Disability Program (“VSDP”), except:
- Faculty and Classified staff hired by the Commonwealth prior to July, 1999 who remain in the Traditional Sick Leave Plan, and
- Faculty hired after July, 1999 who opted-out of the VSDP within 60 days of hire.
Premiums for VSDP coverage are paid by VCU. The VSDP provides short-term disability coverage (up to 125 work days) and long-term disability coverage (for disabilities longer than 125 work days). While on an approved VSDP disability claim, an employee continues to earn service credit in the Virginia Retirement System as though they were at work. Faculty and Classified staff receive income benefits determined by the VSDP, which may be less than 100% depending upon length of service or length of disability. University and Academic Professionals receive 100% income replacement while on VSDP short-term disability for non-work related reasons, through a combination of VSDP income benefits and additional leave granted by VCU, and receive income benefits determined by the VSDP while on VSDP long-term disability. University and Academic Professionals on VSDP disability (short-term or long-term) due to an approved worker’s compensation claim for a work-related injury receive income replacement benefits determined by worker’s compensation and VSDP, which may be less than 100%.
Faculty and staff who are members of the Virginia Retirement System but continue to participate in the Traditional Sick Leave Plan (as explained above) are not covered by the VSDP. These employees may apply to purchase long-term disability coverage through VCU’s group insurance policy with The Standard. Premiums for this coverage are paid by the employee, via payroll deduction. For information about purchasing this voluntary coverage, contact VCU Human Resources, Benefits Administration. The voluntary coverage is not available to employees who are eligible for VSDP benefits or to VCU Optional Retirement Plan participants.
Faculty and University and Academic Professionals who participate in the VCU Optional Retirement Plan (instead of the Virginia Retirement System) do not participate in VSDP. Faculty members in the Optional Retirement Plan accrue traditional sick leave to use during periods of short-term disability. University and Academic Professionals in the Optional Retirement Plan do not accrue traditional sick leave but are provided by VCU with short-term disability coverage administered by The Standard, which provides 100% income replacement for non-work related disabilities after 7 calendar days of disability for up to 125 work days. Work-related disabilities must be filed under worker’s compensation and are not covered by The Standard. All Optional Retirement Plan participants (Faculty and University and Academic Professionals) are also provided with long-term disability coverage through VCU’s group insurance policy with The Standard, which provides 60% income replacement after 180 calendar days of disability. This Premiums for this long-term disability coverage are paid by VCU. The Standard makes continued Optional Retirement Plan (“ORP”) contributions while an ORP-participating employee is on an approved long-term disability claim.
To initiate a disability claim under the VSDP, contact Reed Group at 1-877-928-7021. See the VSDP Handbook for details. Non-work related disabilities are not covered by VSDP until you have been covered by the program for at least one year. University and Academic Professionals may file for non-work related short-term disability benefits under VCU’s own short-term disability program (administered by The Standard) during their first year of VSDP coverage.
Optional Retirement Plan participants, and University and Academic Professionals in the Virginia Retirement System who are still within their first year of VSDP coverage, may initiate a disability claim under VCU’s group program with The Standard by calling 1-800-378-2395.
Categories Disability