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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.

Discussing with a client

Show Private Plan advantages to your clients:
Download brochure  

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!

 

Support - agent talking on a phone

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


  • 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***

 

client relaxing on a chair

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  

 

The Private Options Guide Cover

Broker's Quote Guide on a desk

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.

Get Your Copy Here 

 


Paid Leave Programs Information by State

More state-specific information, including step-by-step instructions for how to apply for a private plan in each state.

Choose the state to
get started

image
Family bonding
Learn More About ShelterPoint

Statutory benefit programs are what we do.

We have built the experience, scalability, and agility to expertly manage this type of coverage and continuously expand our own capabilities to provide our clients with smooth service from onboarding to claims.
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!

Sign-Up for Updates

 

*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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