• You become eligible after three months of full-time employment. This plan is meant to replace benefits provided by Employment Insurance. Due to the level of benefit provided by this plan, if approved, you will not be eligible for disability benefits with Employment Insurance.
• You may apply for this benefit when you have a personal medical condition that requires more than seven consecutive calendar days off.
• Branch Office Administrators and Home-office Associates may use unused sick or personal days or earned vacation days during the seven-day waiting period to prevent wage loss.
• Financial advisors will be unpaid during the seven-day waiting period.

• The amount and length of your benefit depends on your role and length of full-time service with Edward Jones.

Associates should open a leave of absence request in the Time, Absence and Leave management system as early as possible when illness or injury prevents them from coming to work for seven or more consecutive calendar days. Once your case manager is made aware of your need for leave, they will inform your leader of the pending leave request.

Absence in excess of seven consecutive calendar days must be supported by documentation from a treating physician. Such documentation must support impairment, which prevents the performance of basic work duties. This documentation should be sent to the Leave of Absence team within 15-days of requesting the short-term disability (STD) leave.

Your case manager will send the associate the required STD forms from SunLife to complete and return. Forms should be completed and returned within 15-days of receipt to ensure timely review of your STD claim and if approved, payment of benefits.

• Sun Life who, in coordination with medical specialists, will evaluate the STD claim, determine whether or not benefits are payable, and provide assistance in managing the associate’s recovery and return to work. SunLife reserves the right to require medical evidence supporting the disability. If a claim for STD benefits is unwarranted, payment for the absence will not be made.

• The SunLife Case Manager will act as a liaison between the associate and Edward Jones.

Examples of required medical documentation which may be requested, but not limited to, are as follows:

• Doctor’s note including diagnosis, treatment, functional limitations, secondary issues and expected recovery/return to work date

• Short term disability claim form

• Medical narrative from a licensed physician/specialist

• Telephone interview with treating physician/specialist

• Further medical documentation may be requested at intervals deemed appropriate by the Case Manager, in order to support any ongoing or prolonged absence.

1. If you are returning, you must notify Sun Life of your return date.  Prior to your return, ensure you receive a doctor's note or approval from Sun Life for your return. 

• You will need to upload your return to work documentation in the Time, Absence and Leave management system so your Leave of Absence Case Manager can process prior to returning.  Instructions on how to use the system, including uploading documentation to the system, can be found using the job aids in the Resources box above.  
• Please be sure to confirm your actual return date one week prior to your return to work by contacting your Case Manager.

      2. Failure to report to work at the end of your leave or the date you indicated you would return from the leave will be  considered a voluntary resignation.

The short term disability period is considered to be at an end either:

• Upon return to work or
• 119 days after the associate is absent from work

Associates who exhaust their entire short term disability benefit period are eligible to apply for long term disability benefits.