About the State Disability Insurance Program

Disability Insurance (DI) provides short-term wage replacement benefits to eligible California workers who have a loss of wages when they are unable to work due to a non-work-related illness, injury, or pregnancy.

DI does not provide job protection, only monetary benefits; however, your job may be protected through other federal or state laws such as the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or the California Family Rights Act (CFRA).

Learn More

• About DI - Overview
• Eligibility Requirements
• Types of Claims
• Work-related illness or injury: Workers’ Compensation

If you think you’re eligible for disability benefits, you’ll want to file a claim to apply.

Paid Family Leave (PFL) provides benefits to people who need to take time off work to:

• Care for a seriously ill child, parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse, or registered domestic partner.
• Bond with a new child entering the family through birth, adoption, or foster care placement.
• Participate in a qualifying event resulting from an eligible family member’s military deployment to a foreign country.

State employees are divided into 21 bargaining units. SDI covers employees in bargaining units 1, 3, 4, 11, 14, 15, 17, 20, and 21.
SDI pays part of an employee’s wages if they have to stop working due to any of the following:

• A non-work-related illness or injury.
• A pregnancy or to bond with a new child entering the family through birth, adoption, or foster care placement.
• To care for a seriously ill child, parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse, or registered domestic partner.

Nonindustrial Disability Insurance (NDI) covers employees and rank-and-file employees in bargaining units 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16, 18, and 19.