My Disability Benefits

Enrollment in the Concordia Disability and Survivor Plan (CDSP) is available for full time workers who work more than 20 hours per week and more than five consecutive months a year.

If you are enrolled in short-term disability benefits and are not able to perform essential duties of your job for at least seven consecutive calendar days due to medical reasons, you can apply for disability benefits. 

Disabling conditions can include recovering from a scheduled surgery, a serious injury or an illness. You can apply for disability benefits for your maternity leave up to 30 days prior to the delivery of your baby.

CDSP benefits are provided by your employer at no additional cost to you.

The CDSP provides lost income replacement equal to a percentage of your salary while you remain disabled.  

However, your benefits may be reduced by compensation earned while disabled, any state mandated benefits, Social Security disability benefits and other forms of income, including salary continuation provided from the employer after six months of disability.

If your short-term disability claim is approved, your Concordia Retirement Plan (CRP), Concordia Disability and Survivor Plan (CDSP), and, if applicable, Concordia Health Plan (CHP) will continue. This means you will continue to accrue age and service credit toward your retirement plan vesting, maintain your Basic Life Insurance and, if enrolled in the CHP, your health plan coverage will remain.

Effective the fourth calendar month following the start of your disability benefits, the CDSP takes over for your employer and pays the CRP and CHP contributions and waives your specific contribution to the CDSP. The duration of the waiver will be explained at the point you qualify for the provision. If your disability lasts more than four months, the CDSP will help with the cost of your medical coverage:

• Beginning with the fourth month of disability, your Concordia Health Plan costs are paid for by the CDSP.
• If your disability continues for more than seven months, on the first of January following your seventh month of disability you will be offered a monthly stipend of $1,500 to help with the cost of your healthcare coverage which will continue up to 30 months. You will receive free assistance to help transition to other healthcare coverage.
• After 30 months of disability, you will receive free assistance to help you transition to Medicare coverage.