Short Term Disability Vs. Social Security Disability Benefits

As you may have noticed, we have been using our most recent blog posts to address questions that we receive about disability benefits. The question that we will be answering today involves short-term disability benefits—something that we get asked about all the time.

As always, if you have a question that you’d like us to answer, leave it in the comment section below. Today’s blog question is:

What are short-term disability benefits and are they connected to Social Security Disability?

Short-term or temporary disability benefits are only offered in five states. This type of benefit is intended to assist individuals who have a short-term, non-work-related health conditions. Short-term disability coverage is offered by the state and is typically funded by an employer—although it can also be purchased.

Short-term disability benefits are not connected to Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). In fact, the Social Security Administration (SSA) does not offer any type of short-term disability benefits.

Short-term disability is offered in California, New York, New Jersey, Hawaii, and Rhode Island. In order to qualify, you must meet the following criteria:

• You must have been employed by your company for a set amount of time;
• You must meet minimum income requirements in states where they apply;
• You must be disabled for a minimum of one week before becoming eligible to receive short-term disability benefits;
• Your illness or injury must not be work related; and
• You cannot receive these benefits for longer than 26-30 weeks—or 52 weeks in California.

To qualify, you must provide medical documentation of your illness or injury. After applying, the claimant can start receiving benefits in as little as eight days. Short-term disability benefits are roughly equal to 60% of the employee’s wages.

If you are interested in learning more about short-term or temporary disability benefits, contact your employer or the state in which you live.