How to Apply for Temporary Disability

Temporary disability insurance is for non-work-related injury or sickness. It provides claimants with a partial replacement of their wages for conditions that will not last long. Claimants will receive 66 percent of their weekly wage for up to 26 weeks. Also referred to as state disability insurance benefits and short-term disability insurance benefits, it is monitored by the State Division of Temporary Disability Insurance. According to the United States Department of Labor, temporary disability insurance is only available in the states of California, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, New Jersey and Hawaii.

Instructions

• 1

  You must meet have worked for a certain amount of time and earned a specified amount of money to be eligible for temporary disability benefits. These will vary by state. You must also be receiving medical care for your condition. You may not be eligible to receive benefits if your injury is self-inflicted, if you have already received the maximum benefits allowed, if the injury occurs a certain amount of time after your last day of work, you are not under medical care, you continue to work after benefits have begun, you were discharged by your employer for misconduct or you continue to receive regular wages from your employer. Temporary disability benefits may also be available for those who may be pregnant and those who may have been denied benefits for work-related injuries Some claimants may still be eligible even if it appears that their benefits have expired.

• 2

  Obtain an application form. You may obtain the form from your employer, your union or the state's Department of Labor. You may request the form by mail or telephone. This form may be available for download from the Internet, depending on your state.

• 3

  Complete the form. In some states, there are sections on the application that your employer and attending physician must complete also. You will need the following information: your social security number, the names, addresses and telephone numbers of your attending health care providers, the names, addresses and telephone numbers of your employers and the social security numbers of your dependent children, if any. You may also need your checking account and bank routing numbers if the option for direct deposit is available.

• 4

  Gather supporting documents. You may need to provide proof of your condition, such as hospital bills and documents detailing your care.

• 5

  Submit the form and supporting documents to your state’s Department of Labor Temporary Disability Department (TDI). The department must receive your application within a certain amount of time, usually 30 days from the day your disability began. It may take several weeks before you receive information from the Department on your case.