Whether you're eligible for government-based short-term disability benefits depends on where you live—only a few states offer a state short-term disability program. But many employers pay for private disability insurance for their employees, which usually includes short-term disability (STD) coverage.
If your injury or illness is work-related, you might be eligible for temporary disability benefits through your state's workers' compensation system. Social Security doesn't provide any short-term disability benefits, through either its SSI or SSDI programs.
If you're temporarily unable to work due to sickness, injury, or pregnancy, you might qualify for short-term disability benefits, whether through your state's short-term disability program or workers' comp system, or a private STD policy offered by your employer.
Short-term disability benefits typically pay about 60% of your regular wages for a period of about three to six months (or more, depending on your state or your policy). A waiting period of a week or so usually applies, meaning you won't be eligible for benefits until you've been out of work for a week after your injury or illness started.
To qualify for short-term disability benefits, you must be unable to do your job, and your doctor must document this in writing. Common reasons that people qualify for temporary disability benefits include:
Illnesses that qualify for short-term disability benefits can be any sickness that prevents work and that lasts longer than a week. Examples include COVID, cancer, mononucleosis, pneumonia, digestive disorders, and flare-ups of chronic autoimmune illnesses like lupus or multiple sclerosis.
Many private STD insurance plans don't cover cosmetic surgery, sterilization (tubal ligation or vasectomy), or other surgeries that might be considered "elective," such as gastric bypass surgery. But some plans do cover elective surgeries, especially when the surgery is considered medically necessary. (Some private policies, however, have a waiting period during which they won't cover surgeries for pre-existing conditions.)
Some state short-term disability programs, including California's, do cover elective procedures, even if done for purely cosmetic reasons, but other states' programs do not.
Work injuries don't qualify for short-term disability benefits; workers' comp policies, which are required in almost all states for almost all businesses, cover work-related injuries.
To apply for short-term disability benefits from a short-term insurance plan provided by your employer, or a private plan you purchased on your own, you'll need to follow a few steps:
Learn more about short-term disability insurance that's provided by employers or purchased privately.
The rest of this article discusses the state temporary disability programs (abbreviated as TDI, for temporary disability insurance, or SDI, for state disability insurance). These programs are partly funded by payroll deductions.
The only states that have state short-term disability programs are:
Follow the above links for more information on each state's program.
A number of states also offer paid family and medical leave programs, including:
And several states have passed paid leave programs that begin in 2026:
A few states offer temporary disability assistance to low-income people in other ways. For instance, Maryland's Temporary Disability Assistance Program offers cash and medical and housing assistance.
State temporary disability benefits are usually easier to get than Social Security disability. In the states that provide for short-term disability, here are some general requirements that apply to all of the states.
For information on your state's specific eligibility rules, see our article on eligibility for state temporary disability benefits.
To file a claim, call or go to the website of your state's department of labor or employment development department to request or obtain an application form. Your company's human resources department may also be able to provide you with one.
Complete your section of the form and give the form to your employer and/or doctor to complete the remainder.
Most states (except for Hawaii) now allow you to file a short-term disability claim online, and your doctor can certify your disability online as well.
State short-term disability programs offer wage replacement but they offer little to no job protection. To make sure your employer will take you back after a period of disability, you need to request leave from your employer under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act or a state medical leave law—or rely on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Read our article on getting your job back after disability leave for more information.
Most people can file a short-term disability claim without the help of an attorney. Short-term disability claims tend to cost less for insurance companies and states, so they're often more straightforward than long-term disability claims, and easier to get approved.
But if your claim is denied, or if you have a long-term disability or Social Security disability claim in addition to your short-term claim, you should consider hiring an attorney. Most disability lawyers offer free consultations and don't charge a fee unless you win your case.