Voluntary Plan Claim Eligibility and Benefits
As a Voluntary Plan (VP) employer, you must give a written document to all employees covered by your VP. The document must explain their rights and benefits under your plan.
Usually, VP coverage starts on the employee’s first day of work. Some employers may have a waiting period before coverage starts. During this time, State Disability Insurance (SDI) will provide coverage for your employees.
Employees can choose to opt out of your VP and be covered under SDI instead. As the employer, you must track which employees have VP coverage and which have SDI.
To prevent delays, your employees should not apply for benefits through us. Tell them to apply through your company or your third-party administrator.
Your employees can apply for VP Disability Insurance (VPDI) if they can’t work due to:
- A non-work-related illness or injury (physical or mental).
- A non-work-related surgery (including elective surgery).
- Pregnancy.
- Recovery from childbirth or other related medical conditions.
- Residential alcohol or drug addiction recovery.
Employees covered by a VP are also covered for Voluntary Plan Family Leave (VPFL).
An employee can apply for VPFL benefits if they need to:
- Care for a seriously ill child, parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse, or registered domestic partner.
- Bond with a child entering the family through birth, adoption, or foster care placement.
- Support a family member in the US armed forces who is deploying to a foreign country (spouse, registered domestic partner, parent, or child).
More Resources
Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave Benefits
Register for myEDD
Creating an account is an important step in this process. With myEDD, you can apply for Disability Insurance and manage your claim in SDI Online.