Statutory Benefit Programs: A Broker’s Guide to Private Plans

Why Offer State-Mandated Short-Term Disability/Paid Family Leave Private Plans to Your Clients

Employers who are required to provide Statutory Short-Term Disability and/or Paid Family and Medical Leave coverage may believe their State Plan is the only option for this insurance coverage. But what many employers may not realize is that the State Plan is not their only option, depending on the state – and that there may be extra advantages of choosing an approved private plan.

Show Private Plan advantages to your clients:
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That’s where you come in. A broker who advises their clients on the various options may add tremendous value in expertly balancing the overall benefits package with the right coverage option for their client’s specific situation – whether public or private. An approved private plan may be a great alternative to a State Plan from various perspectives as we will outline.

Before we go into detail, it’s important to know that there is more than one type of approved private plan: for example, an employer may self-insure their plan, fully-insure their plan through a private carrier like ShelterPoint, or offer a plan as part of a union welfare fund (depending on the state and their requirements). This guide will focus on the fully-insured approved private plan option from a carrier.

Fully-Insured Approved Private Plans:
A Public-Private Partnership

New York, as one of the states with a long history of state-mandated insurance (since 1949), has a strong public-private partnership – to help spur economic diversification and competitiveness in the best interest of employers and employees alike. More recently, states with newer statutory programs like Massachusetts (since 2021) and Connecticut (since 2022), have also built in a private plan option – though representing very different ways of envisioning and implementing it.

Here are the top reasons - beyond competitive pricing - that may make a private plan option the right fit for your clients:

Experience, Scalability,
Agility
Remain in
Compliance
More Resources
for Employees
Faster Claim
Turnaround

Experience, Scalability and Agility

Private carriers have built the experience, scalability, and agility to manage statutory benefits coverage and have the resources to continuously expand and enhance capabilities to provide smooth service from onboarding to claims.

Remain in Compliance

This includes helping employers remain in compliance and informed with updates on regulatory developments, annual contribution and benefit changes, and emerging lessons from claimants on best practices.

More Resources for Employees

Private carriers provide resources that may help employees understand their benefits better and be more informed about how and where to file for a claim.

Faster Claim Turnaround

From a claims perspective, insurance carriers have long-standing experience around administering and paying claims, which may result in faster claims turnaround and dedicated claims service.

Our Fully-Insured Private Plans:
A Win-Win for Both You and Your Clients!

Lean on your broker-carrier relationship: We are here to help every step of the way - from quoting through claims!

Dedicated sales & support team for brokers that go beyond a support hotline for service/assistance when it’s needed – helping you get the information you need quickly

Resources - Computer screen with brochures

Private plan resources that go beyond the application

See Examples

email alerts to help keep you informed about regulatory and statutory changes
broker guides to help you quote and bind faster
e-tools to make payments and claim processing easy***
educational resources like our “ABCs” help employers be compliant while managing their workers’ leave***

We help make it easy for your clients by assisting with administrative actions required to file for a private plan

Wood blocks stacking with lightbulb drawing

Benefit from our long-standing expertise in the statutory disability space.

Depending on the state, private plans are experience-rated – valuable at all times, but particularly in a hardening rate environment. And with our long-standing expertise in rating statutory benefit policies, you can have confidence in ShelterPoint’s rating approach for your policy
Expedient claims processing – our turnaround goals exceed state-specific requirements to provide smooth benefit payments when employees need them most

wood blocks stacking with arrows pointing up

Create a potentially new revenue stream - enables you to be paid for servicing your client for a statutory product.

Advising your clients about private plans creates an opening for a consultative sales approach, which may be a great opportunity to strengthen your client relationships
A private plan is commissionable! Contact our sales team to see our competitive commission schedule.

Broker Resources To Help You Get Started

Private Plans Brochure for Employers

This PDF outlines the benefits of a fully-insured private plan option for your clients to help you get the conversation started.

Download it now

ShelterPoint Statutory Benefits Quoting Guide

This in-depth, state-by-state comparison will help guide you on what’s needed to quote and bind ShelterPoint’s* Statutory Insurance Private Plan Coverages.

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Interactive State Comparison Guide

It’s now easier than ever to compare statutory Paid Family & Medical Leave programs across multiple states with our new comparison tool – including rates, benefits, and much more side by side. Get information tailored to your needs – instantly. Bookmark the PFML State Comparison Tool today!

Compare Now

With decades of experience in helping keep people INSURED,

rest ASSURED: you have found the specialists you can turn to.

Stay in The Know

At ShelterPoint, we stay on top of all the latest news, updates, and information about Paid Family & Medical Leave,
so we can pass it on to you. Sign-up for updates now to stay in the know!

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Choose Your State

While state-mandated Paid Family & Medical Leave, Paid Family Leave, and Short-Term Disability laws cover the same general concept, they vary by state. Benefit amounts, durations, reasons for leave, etc. differ from state to state – even down to the name of the respective program.

California

Paid Family Leave (PFL)
State Disability Insurance (SDI)

While ShelterPoint Life Insurance Company and ShelterPoint Insurance Company are not licensed in CA and don’t provide this coverage, you can
learn more on the official state site.

Colorado

Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI)
Private Option: Yes

LEARN MORE

Connecticut

Paid Family & Medical Leave (PFML)
Private Option: Yes

LEARN MORE

Delaware

Delaware Paid Leave
Private Option: Yes
Benefits begin Jan. 1, 2026

Until ShelterPoint’s Delaware content becomes available, you can learn more on the official state site.

Maine

Paid Family & Medical Leave (PFML)
Private Option: Yes
Benefits begin May 1, 2026

Until ShelterPoint’s Maine content becomes available, you can learn more on the official state site.

Maryland

Paid Family & Medical Leave (PFML)
Private Option: Yes
Benefits begin Jul. 1, 2026

Until ShelterPoint’s Maryland content becomes available, you can learn more on the official state site.

Minnesota

Minnesota Paid Leave
Private Option: Yes
Benefits begin Jan. 1, 2026

Until ShelterPoint’s Minnesota content becomes available, you can learn more on the official state site.

District of Columbia

Paid Family Leave (PFL)
Private Option: No
Benefits begin July 1, 2020

While ShelterPoint* doesn’t provide this
coverage in District of Columbia, you can
learn more on the official state site.

Hawaii

Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI)
TDI Private Option? Yes
Paid Family Leave under study

While ShelterPoint* doesn’t provide this
coverage in Hawaii, you can
learn more on the official state site.

Massachusetts

Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)
Private Option? Yes

LEARN MORE

New Jersey

Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI)
Private Option? Yes

LEARN MORE

Paid Leave Insurance (FLI)

While ShelterPoint² doesn’t provide FLI
coverage in New Jersey, you can
learn more on the official state site.

New York

Disability Benefits Law (DBL)
Paid Family Leave (PFL)
Private Option? Yes

LEARN MORE

Oregon

Paid Leave Oregon¹
Private Option: Yes

LEARN MORE

Underwritten by ShelterPoint Insurance Company, a FL-domiciled company that is licensed in Oregon.

Rhode Island

Temporary Caregiver Insurance (TCI)
Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI)
Private Option? No

While ShelterPoint* doesn’t provide this
coverage in Rhode Isalnd, you can
learn more on the official state site.

Washington

Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)
Private Option? Yes
Benefits begin Jan. 1, 2020

While ShelterPoint* doesn’t provide this
coverage in Washington, you can
learn more on the official state site.

*The ShelterPoint family of companies operates under the “ShelterPoint” name strictly as a marketing name, and no legal significance is expressed or implied. The ShelterPoint family of companies consists of ShelterPoint Life Insurance Company, a NY-domiciled carrier, and its wholly-owned subsidiary ShelterPoint Insurance Company, a FL-domiciled carrier, depending on the state. ShelterPoint is a registered service mark.

**Underwritten by: ShelterPoint Life Insurance Company (principal office in Garden City, NY).

***Availability of specific tools and ABCs vary by state

This page is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal counsel. Please consult with an appropriate professional for legal and compliance advice.

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All policies are underwritten and administered by either ShelterPoint Life Insurance Company (principal office in Garden City, NY), or ShelterPoint Insurance Company, a FL-domiciled carrier, depending on the state. Contact Underwriting for details.
Policies for Private Plans of Statutory Benefit Programs are underwritten by ShelterPoint Life Insurance Company (principal office in Garden City, NY) in NY, NJ, CT, MA, CO; and underwritten by ShelterPoint Insurance Company (a FL-domiciled carrier) in OR. Click here to view availability by state.
For information about which company is licensed in your state, please visit our Geographic & Jurisdictional Notice.

Statutory Benefits Center

A Broker's Guide to Private Plan Options

Why Offer State-Mandated Short-Term Disability/Paid Family Leave Private Plans to Your Clients

Fully-Insured Approved Private Plans:
A Public-Private Partnership