State Disability Insurance Programs

Which States Have State Disability Insurance?

State disability insurance is a short-term benefit run or required by a state. It replaces part of your pay when a health problem that isn’t caused by your job keeps you from working for a few weeks or months. Workers usually pay for it through a payroll deduction.

Six places have a temporary disability insurance program: California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico. They differ in who pays the claim, how much they pay and how long they last.

State	Program	Maximum weekly benefit	Maximum weeks	State page
California	State Disability Insurance (DI)	$1,765 for claims beginning on or after January 1, 2026	52	California disability help
Hawaii	Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI)	$871 in 2026	26	Hawaii disability help
New Jersey	Temporary Disability Insurance	$1,119 in 2026	26	New Jersey disability help
New York	Disability Benefits (DBL)	Currently $170	26	New York disability help
Rhode Island	Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI)	$1,150 for benefit years beginning 7/1/26 or later	30	Rhode Island disability help
Puerto Rico	SINOT	$113 in the industrial sector, $55 in agriculture	26 in any 52 weeks	Puerto Rico disability help

Each program pays a share of your past wages up to that cap:

• California pays about 70 to 90 percent of the wages you earned 5 to 18 months before your claim, depending on income, from $50 a week up to the maximum. Read the full rules on the California SDI guide.
• New Jersey pays 85% of your average weekly wage, up to the maximum. To qualify in 2026 you need 20 weeks earning at least $310 a week, or $15,500 in the base year. See the New Jersey temporary disability guide.
• New York pays 50 percent of your average weekly wage for the last eight weeks you worked, up to the maximum. Your employer’s insurance carrier pays it. See the New York disability benefits guide.
• Rhode Island has a minimum benefit rate of $148 and adds a dependency allowance of the greater of $20 or 7% of your benefit rate, for up to 5 dependents. Claims effective 1/1/26 or later need $19,200 in base-period earnings, or an alternative test.
• Hawaii pays from the eighth day of disability under a statutory plan. Self-insured or equivalent plans may differ.
• Puerto Rico pays at least $12.00 a week. You need at least $150.00 in wages from insured work in the base year and treatment by a licensed physician or chiropractor. You apply with form SI-1.

Paid Leave States That Cover Your Own Health

A newer group of states runs paid family and medical leave. These programs pay you while you recover from your own serious health condition, and also while you care for family or bond with a new child. If you live in one of these states, the medical leave part works much like state disability insurance.

State	Program	Maximum weekly benefit	Weeks for your own health	State page
Colorado	FAMLI	$1,448.02 as of July 1, 2026	12 (16 for a pregnancy or childbirth complication)	Colorado disability help
Connecticut	CT Paid Leave	$1,016.40 as of January 1, 2026	12	Connecticut disability help
Delaware	Delaware Paid Leave	$900 in 2026	6 every 24 months	Delaware disability help
District of Columbia	DC Paid Family Leave (Medical Leave)	$1,100 as of October 1, 2026	10	DC disability help
Maine	Maine PFML		12 across all leave types	Maine disability help
Maryland	FAMLI	$1,000, with benefits starting January 1, 2028	12	Maryland disability help
Massachusetts	PFML	$1,230.39 in 2026	20	Massachusetts disability help
Minnesota	Minnesota Paid Leave	$1,423 right now, per the state	12	Minnesota disability help
New Hampshire	NH PFML (voluntary)		6	New Hampshire disability help
Oregon	Paid Leave Oregon	$1,692.16 for benefit years beginning on or after June 28, 2026	12	Oregon disability help
Vermont	Vermont FMLI (voluntary)		6 to 26, set by the plan	Vermont disability help
Washington	Paid Family and Medical Leave	$1,647 in 2026	12	Washington disability help

A blank cell means the state page sets no single weekly figure for that program.

What’s New in 2026

Several of these programs changed this year, so older articles may be wrong:

• Delaware began taking claims on January 1, 2026. It pays up to 80% of wages, up to $900 a week, for up to six weeks of your own serious health condition every 24 months. You need at least one year and 1,250 hours with a single employer.
• Minnesota Paid Leave launched on January 1, 2026. Most people get 55% to 90% of their regular wages.
• Maine pays benefits only for time out of work on or after May 1, 2026. Leave for your own medical condition has a 7-day waiting period once per benefit year.
• The District of Columbia cut Medical Leave from 12 to 10 weeks and lowered the weekly maximum from $1,190 to $1,100, effective October 1, 2026.
• Massachusetts raises its maximum to $1,284.61 in 2027.
• Oregon raised its maximum from $1,636.56 for benefit years starting on or after June 28, 2026.

Maryland isn’t paying yet. Its FAMLI program says eligible employees can take up to 12 weeks of paid, job-protected leave starting January 1, 2028, at up to $1,000 a week.

Voluntary Plans in New Hampshire and Vermont

New Hampshire and Vermont don’t require coverage. Each state offers a voluntary plan that employers can buy for their workers, and that individuals can buy for themselves.

• New Hampshire PFML is run with MetLife as the state’s insurance partner. Base coverage pays 60% wage replacement up to the Social Security wage cap, for up to 6 weeks per benefit year. By state law, an individual plan’s premium can be no more than $5 a week. Whether a plan covers your own health condition depends on the plan you buy.
• Vermont FMLI is administered by The Hartford. Employer plans choose 6 to 26 weeks of benefits per 12-month period at 60% to 70% wage replacement. Individual plans have paid benefits since July 1, 2025.

If you live in either state, you’re covered only if you or your employer bought a plan. Ask your employer’s HR office.

State Disability Insurance vs SSDI

State disability insurance and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) solve different problems. Many people need one, then the other.

	State disability insurance	SSDI
Who runs it	A state agency or your employer’s carrier	Social Security Administration
How long the condition must last	A short time, usually at least 7 or 8 days	At least 12 months, or expected to result in death
Waiting period	About one week	5 full calendar months
How long it pays	26 to 52 weeks, depending on the state	As long as you stay disabled and eligible
Who qualifies	Workers with recent covered wages	Workers with enough Social Security credits, usually 40, 20 of them in the last 10 years

SSA pays only when you can’t do substantial work, can’t do your past work or adjust to other work, and your condition has lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months. A broken leg that heals in three months won’t qualify for SSDI, but it may qualify for state benefits.

If a short-term condition turns into a long-term one, apply for SSDI early. The 5-month SSDI waiting period runs while you’re still on state benefits. The SSDI guide and who qualifies for disability explain SSA’s rules, and the eligibility screener checks your work credits.

State Programs vs Employer Short-Term Disability

In the states with a program, an employer can sometimes cover you through a private plan instead of the state:

• New Jersey lets employers use an approved private plan. Every private plan must offer at least the same benefit amounts, eligibility rules and duration as the state plan, and your employer’s carrier handles the claim.
• New York has no state-run fund for most workers. Virtually every employer must buy disability benefits coverage from an authorized carrier or self-insure, so your claim goes to your employer or its carrier.
• California lets an employer replace SDI with an EDD-approved Voluntary Plan. If you’re covered by one, your employer’s personnel or payroll office gives you the claim form.
• Hawaii pays from the eighth day under a statutory plan, and notes that self-insured or equivalent plans may differ.

If your state isn’t on either list above, ask your HR or benefits office whether you have short-term disability coverage through work and how to file. Your state’s page on disability help by state lists the programs that apply where you live.

Job Protection Is a Separate Question

A benefit check doesn’t always hold your job. California says its Disability Insurance doesn’t protect your job, and Connecticut says CT Paid Leave replaces income without job protection. New Jersey says your job is protected under state and federal laws while you receive benefits.

The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) gives eligible employees up to 12 workweeks of job-protected leave in a 12-month period for their own serious health condition. FMLA leave can be unpaid, which is why many people pair it with a state benefit. You’re eligible if you:

1. have worked for a covered employer for at least 12 months,
2. worked at least 1,250 hours in the 12 months before leave, and
3. work at a location where the employer has at least 50 employees within 75 miles.

If you need changes at work when you come back, such as a modified schedule, read about workplace accommodations under the ADA. If you’re caring for a family member rather than recovering yourself, the paid family caregivers guide covers FMLA caregiving leave and programs that pay family members.

How to File in Your State

Every program needs two things: your claim and a medical certification from a licensed provider. Deadlines are short, so file as soon as the rules allow:

• California: apply through myEDD no earlier than 9 days and no later than 49 days after your disability starts.
• New Jersey: apply online within 30 days after your leave starts, and give your provider the Online Form ID so they can certify.
• New York: file Form DB-450 with your employer or its carrier within 30 days after you become disabled.
• Rhode Island: file within 90 days.
• Puerto Rico: use form SI-1, “Solicitud de Beneficios por Incapacidad.”

If you’re approved and later go back to work part time, the rules on working while on disability explain how SSDI treats earnings if you move to federal benefits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is State Disability Insurance the Same as Workers' Compensation?

No. State disability insurance covers illness or injury that isn't caused by your job. California's program covers non-work-related conditions, and New Jersey tells workers hurt on the job to contact its Division of Workers' Compensation first.

Can I Get State Disability and Unemployment at the Same Time?

No. California says you can't receive Disability Insurance and Unemployment Insurance at the same time, and New York says you can't collect unemployment and disability benefits for the same period. If you get sick while on unemployment, you may be able to switch to disability benefits.

Are State Disability Benefits Taxed?

It depends on the state. New Jersey says its benefits count as federal taxable income but aren't taxed by New Jersey. New York says its benefits are subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes. Rhode Island says its TDI benefits aren't subject to federal or state income tax.

Does My Job Have to Hold My Position While I'm on State Disability?

Not always. California says Disability Insurance doesn't provide job protection, though FMLA or the California Family Rights Act may. Connecticut says CT Paid Leave replaces income but doesn't protect your job. Federal FMLA protects up to 12 workweeks for eligible employees.

Can I Work Part Time While Getting State Disability?

Some states allow it. California may pay a reduced benefit if part-time wages plus benefits exceed your usual pay. New Jersey allows partial benefits for up to 8 weeks, extendable to 12 with medical approval, if your last employer agrees.

What if I Live in One State and Work in Another?

Coverage follows the job. California says you may still qualify if your job is based in California and you pay into SDI, no matter where you live. New Jersey lists out-of-state employees among the workers its program doesn't cover.

More on State Disability Insurance

• California SDICalifornia State Disability Insurance: who's covered, benefit amounts and filing a claim
• New Jersey TDINew Jersey Temporary Disability Insurance: eligibility, weekly benefits and filing
• New York DBLNew York's statutory disability benefits: coverage, weekly amounts and claims
• SSDIHow Social Security Disability Insurance works: work credits, the disability test, the waiting period, amounts and Medicare
• SSIHow Supplemental Security Income works: income and resource limits, the 2026 federal payment, state supplements and Medicaid
• SSDI vs SSIThe differences between SSDI and SSI, side by side, and when you can get both

This guide explains official rules in plain language. It isn't legal advice, and only the agency that runs a program can decide your case.

Sources

1. California EDD: Disability Insurance benefit payment amounts
2. Hawaii DLIR: About Temporary Disability Insurance
3. New Jersey: Temporary Disability Insurance for workers
4. New York WCB: What are disability benefits
5. Rhode Island DLT: TDI and TCI frequently asked questions
6. Puerto Rico DTRH: SINOT
7. U.S. Department of Labor: Fact Sheet #28, the Family and Medical Leave Act
8. SSA: Qualify for disability benefits