Nonindustrial Disability Insurance for State Employees

A disability is an illness or injury that stops you from doing your regular work. The illness or injury can be physical or mental and includes:

• Elective surgery.
• Pregnancy.
• Childbirth or other related medical conditions.
• Alcohol or drug addiction recovery.

NDI benefits are available to:

• Permanent or probationary full-time employees. They must be working and not on formal leave of absence. Their period of service does not matter, but they must be members of CalPERS or CalSTRS.
• Employees of the State Legislature. They can be permanent full-time, part-time or intermittent officers or employees and not a civil service member.
• California State University employees. They must be working half-time or more for either one year of service or one academic year or more.

Permanent Part-time and Intermittent Employees

You must have six monthly pay periods of service in the past 18 months before the disability begins. Eligibility is on a prorated basis.

Coverage does not require employee contributions, enrollment fees, or medical examinations.

Note: State Disability Insurance (SDI) covers employees in bargaining units 1, 3, 4, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 20, and 21.

To be eligible for NDI benefits, you must be:

• An active state employee not covered by SDI.
• Unable to do your regular work for at least eight days due to a non-work-related disability.
• Losing wages due to your disability.
• Under the care of a physician/practitioner or accredited religious practitioner. Care must start within the first eight days and continue through your disability. This affects your claim start date.

Unlike State Disability Insurance (SDI), NDI is not automated. You must fill out paper forms to start your claim or extend the medical part of a claim.

To start your claim:

Ask your personnel specialist or payroll officer for the First Claim for Nonindustrial Disability Insurance (NDI) (DE 8501) form. They must confirm your job status and complete Part A before giving the form to you.

• Your employer will complete and sign Part A - Employer Information.
• You will complete and sign Part B - Claim Statement of Employee.

Claim Start Date:

• Your disability begins the first day you are unable to work due to your disability.
• You can file your claim after your disability begins.
• Your claim may have a 7 or 10 day waiting period based on your job status and bargaining unit.

Questions about your claim start date?  Contact us at 1-866-758-9768, before filing your claim.

NDI requires a medical certification for your disability claim to approve benefits. Your physician/practitioner must fill out Part C - Physician/Practitioner Certificate of the claim form. Check with them about their medical certification process; different offices have different procedures.  

Note: Your claim is not complete until we receive the signed medical certification with your application, mailed to the NDI office. We send incomplete claims back to you. If we don’t get both parts together, you may delay your claim.

After your initial claim approval, if you have not recovered and need to continue benefits, you must submit a medical extension. If you have not exhausted your claim benefits, we will send out a Physician’s Supplementary Certificate (DE 8500B) extension form.

Your physician/practitioner must complete and sign this form. Either you or your physician/practitioner can mail this form back to us to review.

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

Contact your personnel specialist or payroll officer to get NDI claim forms.

For medical extension forms, call 1-866-758-9768.

• (DE 8501) - First Claim for Nonindustrial Disability Insurance (NDI) (PDF)
• (DE 8501F) - Claim for Nonindustrial Disability Insurance - Family Care Leave (NDI-FCL) (PDF)
• (DE 8502) - Nonindustrial Disability Insurance Provisions (PDF)
• (DE 8502F) - Nonindustrial Disability Insurance - Family Care Leave Provisions (PDF)
• (DE 8502FD) - Nonindustrial Disability Insurance - Family Care Leave Provisions (PDF) English digital version

Your employer approves the weekly benefit amount.

• Payments are available for up to 26 weeks (182 days.)
• There is a 7 or 10 day waiting period based on your bargaining unit.
• We may waive the waiting period under certain conditions.
• Your NDI/ENDI benefits are taxable.

Weekly Benefit Amounts:

• $125 - $135 depending on your bargaining unit.
• $125 - $250 CSU employees depending on bargaining unit.

If you’re part of the Annual Leave Program (ALP), you’re eligible for ENDI benefits. ENDI pays 50% of your regular gross pay. You may combine this with leave credits to get 75% or 100% of your regular wages. 

Note: California State University employees are not eligible for the Annual Leave Program and may only receive standard NDI benefits.

State and federal taxes will be withheld from NDI benefits. Voluntary deductions will be automatically taken from NDI benefits unless you cancel.

Examples include:

• Health insurance premiums
• Credit union loans
• Savings accounts
• Bonds
• Parking fees

If you keep your health insurance premium deductions, your employer’s contribution will also continue.