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Nonindustrial Disability Insurance

Nonindustrial Disability Insurance (NDI) provides partial wage replacement to eligible State employees who have a loss of wages due to a non-work-related disability.

A disability is an illness or injury that prevents you from performing your regular work. The illness or injury can be physical or mental and can include elective surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, or other related medical conditions.

For Family Care Leave: Nonindustrial Disability Insurance - Family Care Leave (NDI-FCL) provides partial wage replacement to eligible state employees who are enrolled in the Annual Leave Program (ALP) and are excluded from bargaining or are an employee represented by a specific bargaining unit that has NDI-FCL language in their Memorandum of Understanding.

Who is covered?

NDI benefits are available to:

  • Permanent or probationary full-time or intermittent employees in “compensated employment” (in pay status and not separated by a formal leave of absence) who are members of the Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) or the State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS).
  • Employees who are excluded from collective bargaining and are full-time, permanent part-time, or intermittent officers or employees of the State Legislature, who are not civil service members.
  • California State University employees appointed half-time or more for either one year of service or one academic year or more, are also covered.

Note: Permanent part-time and intermittent employees must have the equivalent of six monthly pay periods of service in the past 18 months. These periods must come immediately before the pay period the disability begins. These employees are eligible on a prorated basis.

No employee contributions, enrollment fees, or medical examinations are required to be covered.

Eligibility Requirements

NDI covers excluded employees and rank-and-file employees in bargaining units 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16, 18, and 19. CalHR is responsible for contract administration.

For state employees in bargaining units 1, 3, 4, 11, 14, 15, 17, 20, and 21, you will be covered by State Disability Insurance (SDI).

To be eligible for NDI benefits, you must:

  • Be a State employee who is not covered by SDI.
  • Be unable to do your normal and usual work for at least eight days due to a non-work-related disability.
  • Have lost wages because of your disability.
  • Be under the care and treatment of a licensed health professional or accredited religious practitioner within the first eight days of your disability. The date your claim begins can be adjusted if it does not meet this requirement. You must remain under care and treatment to continue receiving benefits.

Forms and Publications

Connect with your employer’s personnel specialist or payroll officer to obtain the NDI claim forms DE 8501 and DE 8501F. Contact us at 1-866-758-9768 to get medical extension forms.

Filing Your Claim

Ask your employer’s personnel specialist or payroll officer for the First Claim for Nonindustrial Disability Insurance (NDI) (DE 8501) because they first must confirm you are enrolled in the Annual Leave Program and excluded from bargaining. Contact us at 1-866-758-9768 to get medical extension forms.

Your employer will complete and sign Part A - Employer Information.

You will complete and sign Part B - Claim Statement of Employee.

Things to Know About Your Claim Start Date

  • The day you became unable to work due to your disability is the date your disability begins.
  • You can file your claim after the first day your disability begins.
  • If you have any questions about your claim start date, before filing your claim contact us at 1-866-758-9768 .
  • Your claim may have a 7 or 10 day waiting period.  Check with your Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or personnel specialist for additional details about your waiting period.

Receiving Benefits

Your employer issues benefit payments of up to $250 per week for 26 weeks (182 days) with a waiting period of 7 or 10 days. The benefit amount and rules about using leave credits vary based on your employment status and bargaining unit.

If you participate in the California’s annual leave program, you are eligible to receive Enhanced NDI (ENDI) benefits of 50% of your gross pay. This can be supplemented with leave credits at 75% or 100%.

State and federal taxes will be withheld from NDI benefits. Voluntary deductions, such as health insurance premiums, credit union loans, savings accounts, bonds, and parking fees, will automatically be deducted from NDI benefits unless you cancel. If you continue to deduct your health insurance premium, your employer’s contribution will also continue.

Get a Medical Certification

Medical certifications are required for disability and caregiver claims to receive NDI or NDI-FCL benefits.

Unlike SDI, NDI is not an automated program. Paper forms still need to be filled out to begin or extend the medical portion of a claim.

Talk to your licensed health professional about their process for submitting a medical certification (not all medical offices follow the same steps or process).

Note: Your claim is not complete until your licensed health professional completes a medical certification.

You can get medical extension forms by contacting us at 1-866-758-9768.

Additional Resources

For more information about NDI, refer to:

Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave Benefits

Find DI Information for You

Additional Resources

Can’t find what you are looking for? View these DI and PFL resources for more information.