Am I Eligible for Paid Family Leave Benefits?

You may be eligible for PFL benefits if you:

• Can’t do your regular work.
• Have lost wages because you need to:
  • Provide care for a seriously ill family member.
  • Bond with a new child.
  • Support a family member in the US Armed Forces deploying to a foreign country. For more information about this eligibility, visit Paid Family Leave – Military Assist.
• Are working or looking for work at the time your family leave begins.
• Earned at least $300 in your base period with State Disability Insurance withheld (shown as CASDI on your paystub). Learn more at Calculating Paid Family Leave Benefit Payment Amounts.

Note: Citizenship and immigration status do not affect eligibility.

Do you think your employer has misclassified you as an independent contractor? If yes, you should still apply for PFL and let us decide your eligibility. For more information, visit Legal Aid at Work Misclassified Workers’ Guide to Applying for California Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave. (Available in English, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese).

Complete and submit your Claim for Paid Family Leave Benefits (DE 2501F/DE 2501FC/DE 2501FP):

• No earlier than the first day your family leave begins.
• No later than 41 days after your family leave begins or you may lose benefits.

Provide supporting documentation as required:

• Proof of relationship on bonding claims.
• A signed and completed medical certificate from the care recipient's physician/practitioner on care claims.
• Proof of the qualifying event for a military assist claim.

Physician/practitioners who can certify claims are:

• Licensed medical or osteopathic physician/practitioners.
• Authorized medical officer of a U.S. Government facility.
• Chiropractor.
• Podiatrist.
• Optometrist.
• Dentist.
• Psychologist.
• Nurse practitioner or physician assistant.
• Licensed midwife, nurse-midwife, or nurse practitioner for pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum conditions consistent with the scope of their professional licensing.
• Accredited religious practitioner.

A nurse practitioner or physician assistant may certify the need for care within their scope of practice. They must perform a physical examination and consult with a physician or surgeon.

Care recipients under the care of an accredited religious practitioner: download and print the Practitioner's Certification for Paid Family Leave (PFL) Benefits (DE 2502F) (PDF).Have it completed and signed. Submit it with your claim instead of the medical certification.

A serious health condition means:

• Illness.
• Injury.
• Impairment physical or mental condition of a patient that makes a period of incapacity. That means they are unable to work or perform other regular daily activities by themselves.
• Inpatient care in a hospital, hospice, or residential medical care facility.
• Any later treatment related to the prior inpatient care.
• Continuing treatment by a physician/practitioner.

Note: We may ask for an independent medical examination of the care recipient. This means we will get a second opinion to decide your initial or continuing eligibility.

The following are not serious health conditions eligible for PFL care claims:

• Cosmetic treatments
• Common cold
• Influenza
• Earaches
• Upset stomach
• Minor ulcers
• Headaches other than migraines

Note: If a health condition was not serious but gets worse, you may qualify for benefits.

• We will notify your employer that you submitted a PFL claim. But the care recipient’s medical information is private and we will not share it with your employer.
• School employees are not eligible for PFL benefits when:
• They are receiving full wages.
• They are on a school break period unless they usually work another job during the school break  for extra income. Visit Paid Family Leave – Eligibility FAQs or Contact SDI for more information.