California State Disability Insurance (SDI) is a partial wage-replacement insurance plan for California workers. The SDI program is State-mandated, and funded through employee payroll deductions. SDI provides affordable, short-term benefits to eligible workers who suffer a loss of wages when they are unable to work due to a NON WORK-RELATED illness or injury, or a medically disabling condition from pregnancy or childbirth.

The majority of California employees, approximately 12 million workers, are covered by the SDI program. Some employees are exempt from SDI; for example, railroad employees, some employees of non-profit agencies, employees who claim religious exemptions, and most government employees.

Four other states and one Commonwealth offer a disability insurance program. They are Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York and Hawaii, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Each state operates its program independently.

* NOTE: This information was taken from the California State Disability website.  More information is available by going to: http://www.edd.ca.gov/direp/diind.htm