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Short-term Disability Insurance - CA

Employees working in California

As an employer in the State of California, we are required through payroll deductions to participate in a short term disability plan for all California employees. Since 1980, IES has participated in a state approved third party administrator plan through Sedgwick. As an employee, the benefits of participating in the voluntary disability insurance (VDI) plan include higher wage benefits to you, without the hassles and red tape of reporting through the State of California.

Within your first week of employment, you should review the Notice to Employees and the Short Term Disability Plan Document.

Filing a Claim

If you have a disability to report, you may do so by either calling Sedgwick at 1-800-666-7956 or visiting their website and reporting online at www.vpainc.com.

To file your short-term disability claim online: Use Sedgwick's self-service online claim form at www.vpainc.com. Once your claim is entered into their system, you will receive an email with your VDI claim number. To file your claim by telephone: Call Sedgwick toll-free at 1-800-666-7956. A customer service representative will take your claim information over the phone, and provide you with additional information. Be sure to note the VPA claim number provided to you.

After you have filed your claim online or by telephone, you need to take the following 4 steps to ensure the fastest possible processing of your claim:

1. If you have not already done so, notify us of your disability by calling 858-715-5100 or by emailing human resources at HR@innovative-es.com.
2. Have your doctor's office call Sedgewick to certify your disability. This is very important, since they cannot process your claim until your doctor has contacted them. (Remind them that when they call Sedgwick, they will need your medical file and social security number available.) Should your doctor require a "release" from you before they will contact VPA, you can download the Release of Information Form on Sedgewick's website. Complete it, and fax it to your physician.
   
   If your doctor prefers to mail or fax the certification to Sedgwick(we don't recommend this, since it may delay your claim), you may download the Certification Form for Initial Certification of Disability on Sedgwick's website. Fill out and sign the top portion, then forward the entire form to your doctor's office. Once they complete the remainder of the form and send or fax it to Sedgwick, they can begin working on your claim. (If your medical provider is KAISER, contact Sedgwick for specific instructions.)
   
   We suggest that you follow up with your doctor's office until you are assured that Sedgewick has received the medical certification. Once they have your physician and employer information, short-term disability claim processing usually takes just 4 days.
3. Complete and return the forms sent to you. Sedgwick will be sending you a Release of Information Form and a Right of Reimbursement Form in the mail. Please verify that the information is correct, sign and date the forms, and immediately return them to Sedgwick by fax or mail. Sedgwick's general fax number is (818) 591-7664. (They need you to fill out these forms, even if you already did so in step #2)
4. Continue to follow up on the status of your claim on a regular basis. You can check the status of your claim anytime on our website www.VPAweb.com (you'll need to register first using your VPA claim #). You can also obtain claim status on Sedgwick's Automated Telephone Voice Response System at 1-800-666-7956. Customer service representatives are available between the hours of 6:00 A.M. and 4:45 P.M., Monday through Friday, Pacific Time for email and phone call inquiries.

PLEASE NOTE:

Filing a claim for disability does not guarantee that you will receive benefits. You must first meet the medical criteria and provisions of IES's company plan. Please read the summary plan document.