About the Short Term Disability Plans

Update*

We want to inform you of a recent change to our Short-Term Disability Income Coverage Benefits. Effective March 1, 2025, the claims process will transition to The Hartford. This change is effective for all claims with disabilities that began on March 1, 2025, or after. To file a claim with The Hartford, please call 1-888-563-1124.

If you need assistance with a short-term disability income coverage claim that was submitted to the National IAM Benefit Trust Fund (BTF) prior to March 1, 2025, or if your disability date began before March 1, 2025, please contact the BTF customer service team at 800-457-3481 for further instructions.

Seven Pre-priced Short-Term Disability Plans Available

The National IAM Benefit Trust Fund offers seven pre-priced short-term disability plans. Covered employees can participate in a Benefit Trust Fund short-term disability plan if they also participate in a Benefit Trust Fund medical plan.

To be eligible for coverage, the short-term disability plan, along with the medical plan, must be negotiated into a group's applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement between the IAM and an employer. Benefit Trust Fund short-term disability plans provide benefits for employees only—they do not cover a spouse or children.

Short Term Disability Benefits

Short-term disability plans provide benefits to covered employees who cannot work due to disability caused by an illness or an accident that is not work-related. Benefits are paid for up to 26 weeks.

Benefit Trust Fund Short Term Disability plans pay 70% of an employee's gross weekly wages, up to a maximum weekly benefit amount that ranges from $200 to $1,000, as specified under each plan.

All Benefit Trust Fund Short Term Disability plans have a seven-day waiting period. A waiting period is the number of unpaid leave days that must elapse before benefit payments can begin.The waiting period starts when a covered disability, as certified by a physician, results in the first day of unpaid leave. The waiting period ends after seven consecutive unpaid days. Benefits begin on the first day of unpaid leave after the waiting period, while you remain totally disabled, provided you were eligible for Short Term Disability benefits on the date the waiting period began.

Submitting a Claim

The employer must complete the employer portion of the claim form confirming employment and providing information about gross weekly wages and last dates worked and paid.

The employee must complete the employee section, also on the front page, providing personal information, work and disability dates, an explanation for the disability and any necessary details of an accident or injury, if applicable.

A physician who can provide the medical explanation for the disability and supply certification dates must complete the back of the form.

A claim cannot be processed unless all information requested on the claim form is provided. You must submit a short-term disability claim within one year of the start of disability in order for the claim to be processed.

Disability benefits are paid by the Fund Office. Mail or fax your completed claim form to:

Complete information on how to file a claim for Short Term Disability benefits is in your Summary Plan Description.