• Oklahoma short term disability laws can protect you and your job.handicapped sign image by sonya etchison from Fotolia.com
  
  Short term disability laws are not in effect in all states; however, Oklahoma does recognize short term disability laws that you may need to utilize at some point during your career. Understanding your rights and eligibility, as an employee, is important in the event of an unavoidable situation that causes you to miss work.
  
  

FMLA

• Oklahoma short term disability laws are part of the 1992 Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) which gives job protection to employees who need medical attention due to an injury or illness, or need to care for a family member. The act states that employers cannot terminate or retaliate against employees who need this kind of assistance. FMLA does not guarantee full salary but does protect employees who need to take time off work to care for spouses or children. Employees are entitled to maintain their full medical benefits.
  
  

Eligibility

• Oklahoma short term disability laws state that an employee must have worked for a company for at least 12 months and 1,250 work clock hours (or more) in order to be eligible for short term disability. Oklahoma law states that an employee must not be considered a "key" employee to be eligible for short term disability. Generally, this means a primary managerial position or other vital support staff who cannot be reasonably replaced by other employees or temporary workers.
  
  

Reasonable Accommodations

• Under Oklahoma's short term disability laws, an individual is entitled to receive reasonable accommodation for any illness or injury that may interfere with work. This can include, but is not limited to, anything that the employee or the employee's doctor deems necessary in order to protect the health and wellness of the employee. For example, if you experienced a back injury, you may request a new ergonomic office chair to alleviate pain or discomfort during the workday as long as the chair is within a reasonable price range for your employer.
  
  

Benefits and Compensation

• Oklahoma's short term disability laws state that an individual may receive benefits and compensation for a short period of time if he is unable to work due to injury or illness. Under some circumstances, an individual may only receive 50 percent of his full salary; these considerations should be discussed with a worker's compensation expert. Depending upon your injury or illness, you may qualify for temporary total disability, which is the most common type and pays between 75 and 80 percent of the employee's net pay, or temporary partial disability, where an individual receives 100 percent of his net pay until the condition or injury is deemed healed by a doctor.