Short answer: They should meet, with no gap and no overlap. STD that pays for 13 weeks usually pairs with a 90-day LTD elimination period, and STD that pays for 26 weeks pairs with 180 days.
The elimination period is the number of days a person must be disabled before benefits begin. It works like a deductible measured in days, and a longer one lowers the premium.
Design checks for an employer:
- Sick leave to STD. Does the employer’s sick leave or PTO cover the STD elimination period, which is often shorter for an accident than for an illness?
- STD to LTD. Does the STD benefit period end when the LTD elimination period ends? A 26-week STD with a 90-day LTD overlaps, and 13 weeks of STD with a 180-day LTD leaves a gap of about three months.
- No STD at all. A 90-day or 180-day LTD wait with no STD means the employee carries those months alone.
Elimination and benefit periods vary by carrier and are chosen when the plan is set up. Read both certificates side by side. If the absence is FMLA leave, the paid and unpaid stretches also affect whether PTO can be required (29 CFR 825.207).