Disability Insurance

Pacific Life Disability Insurance helps employees protect a portion of their paycheck if they're unable to work because of sickness, injury, or recovery from childbirth.

Why Disability Insurance?

Income Protection: When you’re unable to work because of a sickness, injury or recovery from childbirth, disability insurance helps you meet your financial needs by replacing a portion of your paycheck.

Comprehensive Support: We offer easy claims submission, experienced claims specialists, knowledgeable clinical resources, and thorough return-to-work and accommodation support.

Benefit Highlights

Short-Term Disability

When you’re unable to work for a short period of time, benefits can include: 

  • A replacement of a portion of your income with a weekly benefit
  • A Work Incentive Benefit that allows you to receive combined benefits that may equal up to 100% of pre-disability earnings
  • A Vocational Rehabilitation Incentive Benefit that offers up to a 20% incentive benefit, helping ensure you’re able and ready to return to work
  • Waiver of Premium so you don’t need to pay premiums while on disability 
  • Other plan options that may include benefits for dependent care, a limited weekly benefit for pre-existing conditions, an employer benefit to cover workplace modifications, and more

Long-Term Disability

If your disability requires more time to recover, this is where long-term disability can be helpful. Pacific Life Long-Term Disability offers many of the same benefits as short-term plus:

  • A seamless transition from short-term disability to long-term (if necessary)
  • Access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offered through TELUS Health that includes versatile, personal, and confidential support services.
  • Optional benefits may include: 
    • Loan Assistance to help with regular loan payments
    • Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) to protect against inflation
    • Survivor Benefit that gives a one-time payment to survivors
    • Recovery Income Protection to help safeguard income for employees with commission-based or production-based jobs
    • And more, providing employers with flexibility to help meet the diverse needs of their workforce

Our Claims Commitment

From start to finish, we make claims a better experience for everyone. Our digital advantage, which includes Event-Based Claims, helps simplify the intake process, automatically generating claims across all related coverages with one event submission.  

Our experienced Claims Specialists, alongside a Clinical Review team of physicians and nurses, ensure quality support throughout. Additionally, we have a Vocational Resources team dedicated to designing effective return-to-work programs.  

At Pacific Life, we streamline the claims journey, providing you with the peace of mind of knowing your income is protected.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP), provided by TELUS Health, is included with your Pacific Life Long-Term Disability policy. It gives you versatile, personal, and confidential support at no additional cost with professional resources such as: 

  • Mental health counseling for personal or work issues; the number of sessions is determined by what's needed
  • Caregiver resources to ease the stress of caring for loved ones
  • Guidance on work-life issues like moving, grieving a loss, or navigating a new job role
  • Financial and legal matters
  • Plus, there are various ways to connect real-time, including face-to-face (in person), telephonic, First Chat (real time, online chat), and video. View your portal for details

More questions? Check out our FAQ below.

What is Pacific Life Disability Insurance?

Pacific Life Disability Insurance helps you protect a portion of your paycheck if you're unable to work because of sickness, injury, or recovery from childbirth. Common disabilities may include musculoskeletal disorders and other injuries, pregnancy and childbirth, cancer, heart attacks, and strokes. With 2 out of 3 Americans feeling as though they live paycheck-to-paycheck,3 this type of benefit can help reduce financial stress should you need to be away from work.

What are a few Pacific Life Disability Insurance plan highlights?

We give employers flexible options for when they select the plan. Our disability plans provide comprehensive benefits to assist employees during short- or long-term disability. These plans safeguard a portion of income. They might include a Work Incentive Benefit, allowing employees to receive up to 100% of pre-disability earnings through a combination of benefits and part-time earnings. Additionally, we offer a Vocational Rehabilitation Incentive which includes up to a 20% incentive benefit to help accommodate return-to-work. With our claims process, we provide a holistic experience, making sure employees feel fully supported throughout the process. You can check your Certificate of Coverage found in your portal for details. 

Why do I need disability insurance?

Disability insurance can be an important part of your financial safety net. If you find yourself unable to work due to sickness, injury, or recovery from childbirth, our disability insurance helps replace a portion of your income, allowing you to focus on your recovery without added financial stress.

Our short-term disability benefits are typically paid weekly, providing timely support, while long-term disability benefits are paid monthly, offering continued assistance during longer recovery periods.

Do I need to pay at the time of enrollment?

There is no out-of-pocket payment required for enrollment. If any portion of the plan premium is paid for by the employee, your employer will conveniently deduct the amount from your paycheck.

Will disability insurance replace my regular paycheck amount?

Your disability benefits will typically cover a portion of your paycheck to help you meet your financial needs while you are away from work. These benefits are usually paid out weekly for short-term disability and monthly for long-term disability.

Does Pacific Life offer support resources?

Our plans include many ways to support you during disability so that when you are able, you’re ready to return to work. Plan designs vary but examples of these may include work incentives, vocational rehabilitation incentives, and optional benefits to cover dependent care expenses, for example. Our long-term disability plans also include an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) by TELUS Health at no additional cost to you and provide services like confidential, free counseling and resources for mental health, work-life balance, and legal and financial matters. 

How do I access my online portal account?

Your online Pacific Life Portal gives you the ability to manage all your benefits in one convenient location. After you enroll, you’ll receive an email invitation with a link to create your account. If you need additional support, call us at (855) 810-3301. Once your account is set up, you can sign in.

How do I start a claim?

You can start a claim by calling us at (855) 810-3301. We use an innovative event-based claims approach to automatically create all applicable claims from one intake, ensuring we maximize your benefits. This saves you considerable time by eliminating the need to enter duplicate information. As you begin, it may be helpful to have certain information ready including names and contact information for doctors, treatment dates, and your last day worked.

When should I file my disability claim if I have a scheduled surgery or know my projected delivery date?

If you have a surgery planned or know when your baby is due, it’s a good idea to file your disability claim as early as possible. We suggest doing this at least 30 days before the expected date. This helps ensure everything is processed in time, so your benefits are ready when you need them.

How do I receive my disability benefit payments?

Your disability payments vary depending on the plan design. Typically, short-term disability payments are made weekly, whereas long-term disability payments are commonly made monthly. These payments may include direct deposit or check by mail.

Are my disability premium payments waived if I become disabled?

If your plan includes this benefit, Pacific Life waives your premium payments while you are on disability. This means that during the period you are receiving disability benefits, you do not need to make premium payments for your disability insurance.

Are disability benefits taxable?

Disability benefits might be taxable, depending on how the premiums are paid. If your employer paid the premiums or you paid with pre-tax dollars, the benefits are usually taxable. If you paid with post-tax dollars, the benefits are generally not taxable. Check with your employer to confirm how your premium is paid and learn more about the taxability of your benefits.

What happens to my disability coverage if I leave my company?

When you leave the company, you may be eligible to continue coverage. You can check your Certificate of Coverage found in your portal for details. If your coverage terminates, you will be notified of all options that may be available to you.

Whom can I contact if I need help?

If you have Pacific Life employee benefits insurance, you chat with us in your portal or contact us at (855) 810-3301 with any questions. We are here to help you get the most out of your Pacific Life benefits.

Explore More

LIMRA, Disability Insurance Awareness Month 2023, 5/16/2023, accessed August 2024 

2 Social Security Administration, Fact Sheet Social Security, 2024, accessed August 2024

3 Market Watch, Survey: Almost 50% of Americans Consider Themselves ‘Broke’, 8/9/2024, accessed August 2024

Some restrictions may apply to all of the above-mentioned services. Please contact Pacific Life Insurance for details. EAP services provided through an agreement with TELUS Health. TELUS Health is not a subsidiary or affiliate of Pacific Life Insurance . Information disclosed directly to TELUS Health is not disclosed to Pacific Life Insurance, and therefore is not subject to Pacific Life Insurance's privacy policy

Benefit features and availability may vary depending on the employer’s state and plan design selection. The Certificate of Coverage includes comprehensive details, including limitations and exclusions. 

Policy Form Series: ICC23 PLA DISP, ICC23 PLA STDC, and ICC23 PLA LTDC. Form numbers, provisions, and availability may vary by state. The state approved form is the governing document.

Disability plans are underwritten by Pacific Life & Annuity Company (Pacific Life).

Pacific Life refers to Pacific Life Insurance Company and its subsidiary Pacific Life & Annuity Company. Insurance products can be issued in all states, except New York, by Pacific Life Insurance Company and in all states by Pacific Life & Annuity Company. Product/material availability and features may vary by state. Each insurance company is solely responsible for the financial obligations accruing under the products it issues.

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