Group Disability Insurance Bloomfield Hills Employees Can Lean On

We are CFH Insurance Consultants, an independent employee benefits consulting firm on Woodward Avenue. We have been in business since 2007, and no carrier owns us. We help employers in Bloomfield Hills, Troy, Southfield, Auburn Hills and across the whole state of Michigan protect their team’s income.

Disability Insurance

Disability insurance pays part of a person’s pay when an illness or injury keeps them from working. There are two main kinds.

• Short-term disability pays for a few weeks or months. It often covers surgery, a serious illness or recovery after childbirth.
• Long-term disability starts when short-term disability ends. It can pay for years if the person still cannot work.

Both often replace around 60% of pay, up to a monthly limit. The elimination period is the waiting time before benefits start. A shorter wait costs more.

Plan wording matters. An “own occupation” plan pays if a person cannot do their own job. An “any occupation” plan pays only if they cannot do any job they are suited for. Many long-term plans switch from one to the other after a set time. Pre-existing condition limits can also delay coverage for new members.

Who pays the premium changes the tax. If the employer pays, the benefit the employee gets is usually taxable. If the employee pays with after-tax money, the benefit is usually tax-free. Some employers pay for long-term coverage and offer short-term coverage as a voluntary choice.

As your group disability insurance Bloomfield Hills broker, we compare carriers, read the contract definitions and help keep you ERISA compliant. Open enrollment is in the fall, and most January 1 renewals arrive in October and November. That is the right time to add or change coverage.

Accident Insurance

Accident insurance pays cash to the employee after a covered injury, like a broken bone, a burn or an emergency room visit. The money goes to the employee, not the doctor. They can use it for a deductible, a ride to therapy or groceries.

It is usually voluntary, and employees pay through payroll. It pairs well with a high-deductible health plan, where one injury can mean a large bill.

Accident insurance is not a replacement for disability coverage. It pays set amounts for set events. It does not replace a share of lost pay. It works best as a low-cost add-on to the group disability insurance Bloomfield Hills employers already offer. We help you explain the difference so employees choose well.

More on Accident Insurance →

Leave & Absence Management

Leave is where disability coverage, federal law and Michigan law meet. It is also where HR teams get tripped up.

• FMLA, the Family and Medical Leave Act, applies to employers with 50 or more employees within 75 miles. It gives eligible employees job-protected leave. FMLA leave itself is unpaid.
• Michigan’s Earned Sick Time Act has been in effect since February 2025. Your sick time policy needs to match it.
• Short-term disability often pays during the same weeks an employee is on FMLA leave. The dates and the paperwork have to line up.

Many employers hand leave tracking to a leave administrator. That is a company that takes leave requests, tracks the dates and sends the required notices. We are not a TPA, or third-party administrator, and we do not run leave ourselves. We find, set up and oversee the administrator, and we hold it to its contract. We also make sure your disability carrier and your leave administrator share what they need to.

More on Leave & Absence Management →

Who’s the best group disability insurance broker near me?

When you shop for group disability insurance Bloomfield Hills businesses can count on, look for a broker who reads the contract, not just the price. Two plans with the same premium can pay very differently once you compare definitions and waiting periods.

Look for independence. A broker that no carrier owns can quote several carriers and tell you plainly how they compare. And look for a team. For proper coverage of an account we work in teams of 5: an account executive, an account manager, a plan analyst, customer service and IT. Disability claims can last months, so you need more than one person who knows your file.

Our office is at 41000 Woodward Avenue, Suite 350 East, close to Birmingham, Royal Oak and Pontiac. We are a member of the Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber.

What do I do if an employee needs time off for a serious illness?

Take it one step at a time.

1. Check FMLA. If you have 50 or more employees within 75 miles, the employee may qualify. Send the required notices on time.
2. Start the disability claim. The employee files with the carrier. You fill out the employer part, including pay and job duties.
3. Check earned sick time. Under Michigan’s Earned Sick Time Act, the employee may be able to use paid sick time.
4. Line up the dates. Keep FMLA, sick time and disability dates in one place.
5. Get advice before job decisions. Our clients get access to ERISA attorneys and CPAs through the firm for hard cases.

If you do not have group disability insurance Bloomfield Hills employees can use yet, call us before the next renewal. New coverage usually does not pay for someone who is already out on leave.