FAQS Background

What is Short-Term Disability?

Short-term disability benefits are designed to protect you if you cannot perform your regular occupation for a short period of time. Short-term disability insurance is usually purchased as an employee benefit through your employer. Many employers offer a self-funded short-term disability plan where a third party administers the plan.

Legally Reviewed By:

Trusted Content Badge Yellow Trusted Content
Jeremy Abay, employment law attorney at Pond Lehocky Giordano based in Haddonfield, NJ.
Jeremy Abay Partner
Read Bio Arrow Down Blue
Jeremy Abay is Chair of Pond Lehocky’s Employment Litigation Group, where he serves as a passionate advocate for the rights of gig workers, employees, whistleblowers, and more. He is also an adjunct professor at Rutgers Law School, where he teaches the next generation of attorneys how to navigate complex workplace litigation.
Read More About Jeremy

How long is short-term disability?

Short-term disability benefits can be from 11 weeks (about 2 and a half months) to 26 weeks (about 6 months). After your short-term disability benefits are exhausted, they can convert to long-term disability benefits if the benefits are with the same insurance company.

Most short-term disability policies will not allow you to pursue short-term disability benefits if your disability is work-related. This exclusion can be difficult when the workers’ compensation insurance company has denied that you sustained a work-related injury, because the short-term disability insurance company could still deny the short-term disability claim by saying your disability was work-related.

Please contact our office if your short-term disability insurance company has denied your benefits. We are well-prepared to file an appeal of your denial and get you the benefits you deserve.

Is short-term disability taxable?

In the instances where the employer funds the plan, the short-term disability benefits will be taxable.

Contact Pond Lehocky Giordano for more information.

If you have questions about your short- or long-term disability benefits, contact us to speak with an attorney for a free consultation.

PL attorneys
How can we help you?

Contact us now, and we’ll call you within a few hours.

Copyright © 2026 Pond Lehocky Giordano Inc. All rights reserved.