California Short-Term Disability Insurance Benefits: Eligibility, Payments, and Application Process

California short-term disability benefits provide temporary income for employees unable to work due to medical conditions or pregnancy. Eligibility, payments, and application details ensure financial support during recovery or medical leave.

By Douglas Wade, Attorney

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Table of Contents

1. What are short-term disability benefits in California?

2. Methods Used by EDD to Establish Eligibility for Short-Term Disability Insurance

3. Claiming at the Right Time to Get the Most Out of Your Base Period for SDI

4. What Does the California SDI Program Consider a Disability?

5. Disqualification from CA SDI and What Happens to Employees

6. What Is the Short-Term Disability Payout in California?

7. What is the maximum amount of time a California resident can spend on short-term disability?

8. Disability Benefits Application Process in California

9. Additional Disability Benefits and California SDI

10. Should I hire a lawyer to help me get short-term disability benefits?

What are short-term disability benefits in California?

All California workers are obligated to contribute to the state’s SDI program—a program that covers short-term disability—through payroll deductions. Employees who are disabled and unable to work for an extended period of time can apply for and receive temporary disability benefits under the program. These payments will last until the employee is either fully recovered and able to return to work or until they are no longer eligible.

The Employment Development Department (EDD) in California is in charge of the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. You must first verify your eligibility with EDD by reviewing your earnings history and ensuring that no disqualifying events have occurred. After the EDD says you can get short-term disability insurance, they will figure out how much you will get based on how much you made during a certain time period (the “base period”).

Methods Used by EDD to Establish Eligibility for Short-Term Disability Insurance

If an employee’s base period wages were $300 or more (after SDI deductions), then the employee is qualified to receive SDI payments. The twelve months ending immediately before the last full calendar quarter before an employee submits a claim for SDI is known as the base period. Wages earned during the base period’s most lucrative three-month calendar quarter will serve as the basis for your short-term disability compensation.

Claiming at the Right Time to Get the Most Out of Your Base Period for SDI

The date you submit your claim can have an impact on the amount of benefits you receive from California, as the state relies on your highest-paid quarter of the base period to determine your weekly payment. Take advantage of this by deciding when to file so that you get the highest base period income; nevertheless, you are required to notify EDD of your inability to work within seven weeks of the date you become disabled.

What Does the California SDI Program Consider a Disability?

If a doctor says you can’t work, then you’re officially disabled and can claim it with the EDD. You need only be unable to carry out the usual and prescribed tasks associated with your employment; the inability to perform any kind of labor will suffice. Therefore, you need a doctor’s certification that you’re unable to work to qualify for short-term disability insurance in California.

Disability for Social Security Insurance purposes also includes elective surgeries and pregnancy. In most cases, you can start receiving SDI two to four weeks before your due date and continue for another four weeks after giving birth (or six weeks after a C-section). With a doctor’s certification of disability, SDI will pay for your recovery from elective or cosmetic operations.

Disqualification from CA SDI and What Happens to Employees

In some cases, workers may no longer be able to get SDI payments. Benefits for short-term disability will not be available to you if:

The EDD scheduled a doctor’s appointment for you, but you didn’t show up.
You no longer work because of a felony.
You spend time behind bars after a criminal conviction.
You are getting unemployment payments.
Your sick leave is equal to your usual income or full salary.
You’re on a paid family leave program
You’re getting more money out of workers’ comp than you would from SDI.

If you do not meet any of the criteria mentioned above, you may be eligible for short-term disability compensation in California.

What Is the Short-Term Disability Payout in California?

You should expect to get 60-70% of your average earnings from your base period’s highest-earning calendar quarter during your temporary disability leave. If you had a dual employment throughout your base period, your total earnings will be the sum of both positions.

There will be a weekly cap of $1,620 for short-term disability compensation in 2024. In 2024, the average weekly payout, according to EDD’s calculations, will be $850.

For the most part, SDI payments are not subject to taxes.

What is the maximum amount of time a California resident can spend on short-term disability?

As long as you are unable to work, you are eligible to receive up to 52 weeks of SDI payments. There is a 39-week limit on benefits for self-employed people who have paid into the SDI system.

Thirty days of SSDI compensation may be available to those undergoing treatment for alcohol use disorder. You can get an extra 60 days of SDI payments if you need to stay for more than thirty days. Your doctor can confirm that you need to continue rehab.

Some people are able to get 45 days of Supplemental Security Income payments while they are in drug rehab. You can get an extra 45 days of SDI payments if you need to stay for more than 45 days. Your doctor can confirm that you need to continue rehab.

Disability Benefits Application Process in California

Requesting short-term disability compensation must be done within 49 days of the date of disability. When the time comes to apply, you can do it in a few different ways.

1. Sign up for SDI online

Applying for disability benefits online through the EDD website is the quickest and easiest option. A valid photo ID (such as a driver’s license or state ID) and your Social Security number are two pieces of identification that you’ll need on hand. In the event that you do not possess a current California identification card or if your name has changed recently, your application must be sent through regular mail.

2. Make Your Claim Via Regular Mail

Another option is to submit your SDI claim paperwork through regular mail. Obtain a blank copy of Form DE2501, which is the claim for disability insurance benefits. An electronic version is available for request on EDD’s website. Submit the form to the following address using the pre-addressed envelope:

State of California

Employment Development Department

PO Box 989777

West Sacramento, CA 95798-9777

You can also call 800-480-3287 and choose DI Information, option 3, to ask for a written form.

3. Stop by a Disability Insurance Office

Another option for obtaining a blank Form 2501 is to visit the office that handles Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave. You can use the agency’s address finder to find your local office. If you have any questions regarding the program for short-term disability, staff members at the office can assist you.

No matter how you apply, you need to get information from your workplace and a disability certificate from your doctor and send them in. You will get a notice of eligibility, which includes your projected weekly benefit amount, once EDD receives and approves your completed claim. The usual processing time for receiving SDI benefits is two weeks.

Additional Disability Benefits and California SDI

Disability Insurance (SDI) payments may be decreased if you are already receiving another federal or state disability benefit, such as employer-paid sick time. You will also have to deduct any wages you make from any part-time jobs from your SDI.

To calculate your SDI benefit, subtract any paid sick or personal time off that you get while you are on SDI. (Your SDI payment is unaffected by pure vacation time, though.)

One option is to ask for sick pay or vacation time to be “integrated” with your SDI coverage. If your employer is on board, they’ll provide you sick days that, when added to SDI, equal your regular salary.

You can accomplish this by specifying “Integrated Benefits” as your employer’s pay type on the application. Since SDI benefits do not begin until the eighth day after becoming handicapped, you can also receive sick or personal time off during the first week.

When you apply for and receive disability benefits from the federal government, the state may deduct the amount from your SDI payout. The rule is likely to only apply to individuals who will soon reach the end of their fifty-two weeks of short-term disability, as Social Security disability is only accessible to those who aren’t “temporarily” disabled.

Should I hire a lawyer to help me get short-term disability benefits?

You should consult an employment attorney if you feel that your employer is not being cooperative with you or the EDD regarding your application for disability insurance or if you are unsure of your rights regarding leave. You will not have any rights to reinstatement or employment protection under the SDI program. There are, however, state and federal rules that may protect your job, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), California’s Family Rights Act, and the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

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