Often working in tandem with LTD insurance, short-term disability (STD) coverage is intended to provide more immediate income replacement if an employee cannot work. STD plans are most commonly six months of coverage and have a short exclusion period before benefits begin (typically seven days). Premiums for STD plans can be employee-paid, employer-paid, or split between the two. Employers offering STD and LTD should coordinate the coverage of the two plans (for instance, if the long-term disability plan has a six-month waiting period, the short-term disability offering should cover six months). Employers can work with their employee benefits service to decide whether employees can collect paid leave or vacation time alongside their STD benefits or whether they must have exhausted their paid leave before plan benefits begin. Disability coverage represents an inexpensive offering that can add a great deal of value to a company’s benefits package.