Pregnancy FAQ's

The types of benefits available to you during pregnancy/childbirth can differ based on your specific needs. The amount of time for your STD benefits will depend on your employer’s plan. Generally, for an uncomplicated pregnancy and delivery, most plans allow you to take 6 weeks (8 weeks if you have a Cesarean section) starting on the date of delivery. If you work in a state with state-mandated disability or paid medical leave benefits (“State Benefits”),¹ these benefits may run at the same time and you should carefully consider whether to enroll for this disability coverage.

Could I be entitled to any other benefits or programs? If you have complications performing your work due to your pregnancy, you may have reasonable accommodations under the Pregnancy Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or a state pregnancy and/or accommodation law. Ask your HR representative about FMLA and the Pregnancy Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) should you need intermittent leave, time for appointments or accommodations. If you start to miss work due to (1) complications to pregnancy or (2) when you are ready for childbirth, or (3) if you need leave in intermittent or short periods of time such as extra doctor’s visits, you may be entitled to paid and unpaid benefits such as:

• Short-term disability (STD) benefits when you will be away from work continually for 3 days or more, and • State benefits—Laws in these states provide state disability, and/or paid family and medical leave (PFML),
  •  If you work in CA, CO, CT, DC, HI, MA, NH, NJ, NY, OR, PR, RI, and WA, you may qualify for paid leave and/or job protections when you need intermittent and continuous leaves.
  • If you work in CA, CO, CT, DC, NH, MA, NJ, NY, OR, RI, and WA, State benefits can also provide extra paid family leave (PFL) benefits to bond with your child.
  •  Four additional states have passed Paid Family and Medical Leave laws, but benefits will not be available until future years. (DE, MD, ME, and MN—benefits will be available in 2026).
• And you may also be entitled to unpaid federal job protections under Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). MetLife will coordinate your employer paid benefits with state provided paid benefits, if MetLife administers the state leave. We recommend that you discuss your leave plan with your employer and your leave administrator.

Childbirth and child bonding are separate benefits under FMLA and/or similar state paid and unpaid leave laws. You may be eligible to take additional time off, and, in the states listed above, have paid leave benefits to bond with your baby. Make sure you communicate with your employer and/or leave administrator if you plan to take additional time off to bond with your baby and to understand which benefits are paid and which are unpaid.

Ideally, you should notify your manager as soon as you are comfortable sharing the information so that they can begin to make plans to balance the workload among your coworkers during your leave. Certain jurisdictions with mandated disability or paid medical leave benefits required at least 30-days’ advance notice.

You should initiate a claim when you need leave from work for any complications that happen during your pregnancy or for childbirth. We may notify your physician and request medical information to evaluate your claim(s). Once the medical information is received and evaluated, MetLife will make a claim decision.

Typically, you should file your claim within 30 days of your first absence or your last day worked. Consider reaching out to your HR representative or refer to your employer’s plan for more information.

MetLife offers claim filing through MetLife’s employee website “MyBenefits,” telephone, or paper. Please refer to your employer’s plan documents for which particular method(s) may be available to you. Your HR representative can provide you with the details to file a claim with MetLife and/or any state administrator.

A MetLife case manager will call you and provide a letter outlining the claim decision. If your employer’s plan provides access to our MyBenefits website, you can also find updated claim information, status of your claim, important benefit information and other details on this website 24/7.

You will need to provide dates (due date/delivery date) and advise if there are any additional circumstances that the case manager should be aware of to assist with handling of your disability claim such as complications that may prevent you from working before or after birth.

Generally, a claimant is allowed an 8-week recovery period for an uncomplicated cesarean delivery or 6 weeks for an uncomplicated vaginal delivery based on a universal medical standard. The duration of your leave is contingent upon the medical information provided by your physician, your employer’s disability plan, and state benefits if applicable.

When your benefits begin will depend on your employer’s Short Term Disability/salary continuance plan or state plan if applicable. Many plans have a benefit Elimination Period after the date of disability before benefits can be paid to eligible employees. See your employer’s plan or the Plan Summary description for more information.

Special Considerations: If you work in a state with state-mandated disability or paid medical leave benefits (“State Benefits”)1, you should carefully consider whether to enroll for this coverage. If you are eligible for State Benefits, you must apply if required by state law. If permitted, your STD benefit will be reduced by State Benefits or other government benefits that apply. Depending on your compensation, the amount of the State Benefit, and other factors, you may only receive the minimum weekly benefit. Please consider, based on your individual circumstances, whether you need additional coverage beyond the State Benefit.