NY Disability Benefits Law

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Disability Benefits Law in New York

Disability Benefits Law, or DBL for short, provides NY state-mandated short-term disability insurance benefits to covered employees who can’t work due to a non-work-related injury, illness, or due to pregnancy/birth of a baby. DBL is a required benefit for NY employers, typically private sector employers with at least 1 employee.

Currently, the state of New York sets the DBL benefit level at: 50% of an employee’s salary with a maximum benefit of $170/week. Benefits are payable for a maximum of 26 weeks of disability, and there is a 7-day waiting period before benefits begin.

Learn more about this product:
You can download brochure & rate card here.

New York, as one of the states with a long history of state-mandated insurance, has a strong public-private partnership – to help spur economic diversification and competitiveness in the best interest of employers and employees alike. With that, NY employers have the choice of securing DBL coverage through the State Insurance Fund or a private insurance carrier like ShelterPoint*. In the course of almost 50 years of providing DBL, we have built deep expertise in this field. Learn more about the advantages of private coverage.

DBL has been in effect since 1949. New York’s Paid Family Leave (PFL), in effect since 2018, is a separate, required coverage in the form of a Rider to DBL. Looking for information about NY PFL?

Learn more about Paid Family Leave coverage here

Disability Benefits Law (DBL)	Paid Family Leave (PFL)
	Bonding Leave	Caregiver Leave	Military Exigency Leave
For employees own non-work-related injury, illness, or due to pregnancy/birth of a baby.	Bonding with a new child (birth, adoption, or foster-care placement)	Caring for a family member with a serious health condition To care for a military family member who is injured during active duty	For any qualifying exigency, arising out of the fact that the spouse, son, daughter or parent of the employee is on active duty, or has been notified of an impending call or order to active duty, in the armed forces

ShelterPoint’s Enriched DBL Benefits

Since the statutory DBL benefit amount has not increased since 1989, we have been setting the pace as market innovator for enhanced benefits to provide New Yorkers with more adequate benefits – up to 5 times the statutory maximum amount, depending on the benefit level you select for your employees.

DBL Benefit Level	Upgrade to this enhanced benefit level increases the Maximum benefits to:	Adding In-hospital coverage may increase the Maximum benefits to:
1.5 - times DBL	$255/week	$425/week
2 - times DBL	$340/week	$510/week
3 - times DBL	$510/week	$680/week
4 - time DBL	$680/week	$850/week
5 - times DBL	$850/week	$1,020/week

Optional Riders to ShelterPoint’s DBL

In-hospital DBL Rider - expands DBL benefits for hospitalizations

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The In-Hospital Rider pays up to $170/week while an employee is hospital-confined - even during the 7-day waiting period for regular (underlying) DBL
After the 7-day waiting period, the In-Hospital benefit continues for as long as the employee is hospitalized, and is in addition to the underlying DBL benefit
The In-Hospital benefit is tied to the mandated DBL for a maximum of 26 weeks of consecutive disability

Family receiving bad news in the hallway at the hospital

Accidental Death & Dismemberment Rider

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$50,000 death benefit
$100,000 death benefit
The AD&D Rider provides coverage for accidental death and dismemberment 24/7
The AD&D benefit amount for covered dismemberments is 50% of the death benefit
Available for groups of any size

How to Quote DBL - And How Much Does it Cost?

Group 1
Group 2

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For groups of 1-49 employees:

Simple per capita rates based on male/female tiers
No separate rate tier for proprietors and employees with voluntarily coverage
No formal quote needed. Download our rate card here (including the full suite of DBL options, in-hospital rider, and AD&D benefit) and contact your broker to apply for coverage.
Brokers can additionally create an attractive quote presentation here

For groups of 1-49 employees

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For Groups of 50+ employees:

Fully underwritten and experience rated.
The following information is needed to quote:
- Claims experience (“Loss Run” from the current DBL carrier)
- Rate History, Current/Renewal Rates, if applicable
- Employee count by gender
Quoted through insurance brokers only. Brokers can request a quote here

For Groups of 50+ employees

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How to Secure DBL Coverage

NY employers don’t have automatic coverage through the State. You have to proactively secure DBL (and PFL) coverage when you form your business in order to remain compliant with NY regulations.

How to apply for DBL coverage through ShelterPoint

Simply fill out the NY DBL Application form and have your broker send it in.

Brokers can also submit DBL applications online.

How to File a Claim

Claims Help Center

Visit our Claim Help Center for ShelterPoint customers to initiate claims for statutory NY benefits (DBL/PFL/COVID-19 Quarantine).

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Claims Checklist

Use this comprehensive checklist to get started – helpful guidance through the claims process, from submitting a claim through tracking it via our Claim Portal.
Or check out our Top 5 tips here.

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Check Your Claim Status

Employees with a DBL/PFL claim can find answers around-the-clock through our Claim Portal, to:

Find out if they are eligible for benefit payments
View their current claim status and see if they need to take any action to assure continued processing of their claim
Upload forms
See when their next check will be sent (DBL only)
Check the history of the benefit payments we’ve issued
See which forms we sent and which forms we’ve received
See important notifications regarding their claim
Sign up for alerts via email when they need to take action
Sign up to receive claim forms electronically
Easily toggle between their DBL & PFL claims
...and much more!

And check out our Mobile App which adds more functionality:

The mobile app’s Push Notifications provide reminders to submit forms, provide return-to-work information, etc.
Quickly snap a picture of your form and upload it right from your phone

GET STARTED

More NY DBL (and PFL) Resources

ABCs of DBL

New to DBL? Not sure if you are required to provide DBL to your employees? Have questions about eligibility or other questions?
Check out our Employer FAQs for a comprehensive list of answers to many DBL-related questions.

Learn more about DBL

NY Paid Family Leave (PFL)

NY PFL is a mandatory rider to the DBL policy that provides job-protected time off to eligible employees for qualified reasons.

Learn more about PFL

COVID-19-related Benefits

As COVID-19 (the illness caused by the novel Coronavirus) continues to impact our lives at fluctuating levels, visit our COVID-19 Resource Center for important updates and information – including how New York’s “Emergency COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave Law” impacts New York Disability Benefits Law (DBL) and Paid Family Leave (PFL).

Download Center

Looking for a DBL-related form, whether application or claim?

Visit our Download Center for forms such as the Disability Benefit Claim Form (DB-450) and corresponding DB-450 Guide, Return-to-Work Notice, application for Voluntary Coverage, and more.

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Learn More About ShelterPoint

Statutory benefit programs are what we do.

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Get a DBL/PFL Quote

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Submit DBL/PFL
Application

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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*ShelterPoint only offers PFL in form of a rider to DBL.

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) in: NY
ShelterPoint only offers Paid Family Leave in form of a rider to DBL.
Policy Form# SPL DB0922 F

Above rates apply to groups of 1-49 employees only.
¹ monthly per capita rates with an annual minimum premium $125
² monthly per capita rates with a quarterly minimum premium $35

Proprietors/partners and voluntary insureds (with at least one employee) may also apply for coverage at the time of initial application or on the policy anniversary at the above male/female rates.

The information in this material is not intended as an offer of coverage. It is for illustrative purposes only, providing a general overview of featured benefit highlights provided under the policy. It is not a contract. In the event of conflicting information with the policy, the policy will take precedence over what is shown in this material. Not available in all jurisdictions (Available in NY only.) Policies are subject to Underwriting approval. All coverage extends up to policy limits. Policies are reviewed annually and may be cancelled for nonpayment. Please refer to the policy for coverage details, a complete listing of covered services, policy provisions, conditions, exclusions, and terms under which the policy may be continued or cancelled. Exclusions, limitations, reduction of benefits, and terms of coverage apply as pursuant to NY State Disability Benefits Law. All benefit calculations are based on $340 covered payroll per week. Claim payment is not guaranteed; benefit amount depends on wages. Policies have a statutory 7-day waiting period.

DBL (SPL DBL1114)
Enhanced DBL Rider (SPL DB0717 E)
In-Hospital Rider (SPL DBL1114 H): The in-Hospital benefit is only payable while an employee is hospital-confined.
AD&D Rider (SPL DBL1114 D): AD&D is only available as a rider to a DBL policy. For covered dismemberments please refer to the AD&D Rider of the DBL policy. The rider described in this material provides limited accident benefits only. It DOES NOT provide basic hospital, basic medical or major medical insurance. For DBL policies with minimum premium, the AD&D premium is in addition to the minimum premium.
Paid Family Leave Rider (SPL DB0922F): Conditions, covered services, exclusions, limitations, and terms of coverage apply pursuant to Article 9 of WCB Law. For DBL policies with minimum premium, PFL premium is in addition to the DBL minimum premium. Rates as released by the New York State Department of Financial Services on 08/31/18 may be adjusted on an annual basis by September 1st of each year.

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

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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

NY Disability Benefits Law

NY DBL Benefit Increase

Disability Benefits Law in New York