Discrimination in Short-Term Disability and Leave for Transgender Workers
This page is part of a set of resources for employers to implement transgender-inclusive health insurance coverage. See "Benefits for Transgender Employees and Dependents" for the complete set of resources.
Separate from health insurance, employers often have greater control over short-term leave and other benefits that affect a transgender employee. According to a 2007 benefits survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management, 81 percent of respondents reported that their firms offered short-term disability, 88 percent offered long-term disability and 63 percent offered a paid time off plan in which sick, vacation and personal days are managed as a single basket.[i] Whether and to what extent an employer offers such benefits to employees is determined solely by the employer; medically necessary procedures in a gender transition should be treated the same as other criteria in requesting and granting such leave.
[i] Society for Human Resource Management Foundation, 2007 Benefits Survey, (Washington, D.C.: Society for Human Resource Management Research, 49), 2007. Available at: http://www.shrm.org/hrresources/surveys_published/2007%20Benefits%20Survey%20Report.pdf.
