State Disability and its new cousin: Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML)

Many people don’t know they have State Disability.

That’s too bad, because it is a great benefit.

In California, State Disability pays about 2/3 of your wage, with a cap of $1540 per week. That’s almost six thousand dollars a month of benefits. It can last up to 52 weeks.

Other states have State Disability too. The chart below shows how much they can pay and last.

Jurisdiction	How much it pays (% of wage)	Maximum Weekly Benefit Amount	Maximum Benefit Period
CA	66%	$1540	52 weeks
HI	58%	$697	26 weeks
NY	50%	$170	26 weeks
NJ	85%	$993	26 weeks
RI	60%	$887	30 weeks
PR	65%	$113	26 weeks

A cousin of State Disability is Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML). It is available in District of Columbia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, State of Washington, and in 2023, Oregon. You don’t have to be disabled to get it; you only need to have a “serious illness.” However, they do not last as long as State Disability.

State Disability has been around for decades; PFMLs are like newborn babies. The cool thing about this new kid on the block is that most PFMLs provide both income and job protections. Yes, ever the disability system is (slowly) evolving.

~Andy Chu, Esq.