Just discovered my school district is exempt from SDI - no benefits after 2 years working there!

yeah this is a common problem with goverment jobs. My sister works for the county and has the same issue. Some public employers do have their own disability programs but a lot don't. You should check with your HR department to see if they have something. Sometimes they call it 'salary continuation' instead of disability.

I'm sorry you're going through this. Unfortunately, this is correct - many government employers in California are exempt from SDI participation. This includes state agencies, public schools and community colleges, county and city employers, and other public entities. These employers have the option to either provide their own disability coverage or not provide any coverage at all. Here are some potential options you could explore: 1. Check your collective bargaining agreement if you're part of a union - some unions negotiate disability benefits for their members 2. See if your district offers a voluntary disability insurance plan that you might have enrolled in 3. Look into whether you have any long-term disability insurance through your benefits package 4. Ask if you qualify for catastrophic leave donation, where coworkers can donate their sick leave to you 5. Check if you qualify for a hardship withdrawal from your retirement account if you have one Unfortunately, many school employees only discover this gap in coverage when they actually need disability benefits. It's definitely worth bringing up with your union rep if you have one.

I WENT THROUGH THIS EXACT SAME THING last year with my community college job! It's absolute GARBAGE that they can just opt out!!! I ended up having to take unpaid leave and almost lost my apartment. The whole system is designed to screw over public employees. Check if you have any credit cards with payment protection insurance - sometimes they'll cover your minimum payments if you're disabled. Also see if your county has any emergency assistance programs. I got a one-time grant from a local nonprofit that helped cover one month's rent.

This is one of the trade-offs with public employment that isn't always clearly explained. While government jobs typically offer better retirement benefits and job security, many don't participate in SDI. The reasoning is that public entities established their benefit structures before SDI was widespread, and they've maintained separate systems. One option not mentioned yet is to check if you purchased any supplemental disability insurance. Companies like American Fidelity frequently work with school districts to offer voluntary disability policies that employees can purchase through payroll deduction. If you ever signed up for something like this during benefits enrollment, you might actually have coverage you've forgotten about. Also, if your disability is due to an injury that occurred at work, you should immediately file a workers' compensation claim, as that's a separate system from SDI that does cover school employees.

Have you tried calling EDD back? Sometimes the first person you talk to doesn't know what they're talking about. I had a similar situation with my city job and when I called back I got someone who told me about a special form for exempt employers. Maybe try again and see if you get someone more helpful?

When I had trouble reaching EDD about my disability claim, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent without the crazy wait times. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd That said, I think the others are right that most school districts don't participate in SDI. But at least you could get a definitive answer from EDD about any possible exceptions or alternatives rather than just being stuck in phone limbo. The agent I spoke with was actually really helpful once I got through.

UPDATE: Just checked with my friend who works in payroll for a different school district. She said most districts have something called "differential pay" where after you use up your sick leave, you can get the difference between your regular pay and what they'd pay a substitute for up to 5 months for illness. ASK ABOUT THIS SPECIFICALLY because HR people sometimes don't volunteer this info!!!

That's excellent news about the differential pay! For anyone else reading this who works for a California school district, this benefit is actually mandated by California Education Code sections 44977 (for certificated employees) and 45196 (for classified staff). It's sometimes called "extended illness leave" or "difference pay." I'm glad you were able to find a solution, and it's a good reminder for everyone to thoroughly check ALL available benefits through your employer - sometimes the most helpful ones aren't well advertised.

This whole thread is so helpful! I'm also a school employee and had no idea about the differential pay benefit. It's crazy how many benefits exist that HR doesn't proactively tell us about. For anyone else in this situation, I'd also suggest checking if your district offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) - sometimes they have financial counseling services that can help you navigate situations like this and connect you with local resources. Really glad you found a solution Edward, and thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge here!

I'm so glad you were able to find a solution with the differential pay! This whole thread has been incredibly educational for me as someone who just started working in public education. It's alarming how many important benefits and exemptions aren't clearly explained during the hiring process. The fact that you had to specifically ask about differential pay after initially being told there were no options really highlights how much employees have to advocate for themselves. I'm definitely going to schedule a meeting with my HR department to go through ALL available benefits and make sure I understand what I'm covered for and what I'm not. Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge here - this could help so many people who find themselves in similar situations!

This thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I work for a different California school district and honestly had no idea about the SDI exemption either. It's shocking how many of us are discovering these gaps in coverage only when we actually need the benefits. Edward, I'm so relieved you found out about the differential pay - that's a huge relief! For anyone else reading this, I'd also recommend checking if your district participates in any voluntary benefit programs during open enrollment. Sometimes there are supplemental disability insurance options available that you can purchase for pretty cheap (like $10-20/month) that could fill these gaps. I'm definitely going to look into this myself now. It really bothers me that such critical information about benefits and exemptions isn't clearly communicated during the hiring process. We shouldn't have to become benefits detectives just to understand what we're covered for! Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge here - this could literally save someone from financial disaster.

This entire discussion has been a huge wake-up call for me! I've been working as a substitute teacher for various districts and had no clue about the SDI exemption. Edward, I'm so glad you were able to get the differential pay sorted out - what a relief that must be! It's honestly infuriating that HR didn't mention this option initially when you were clearly in distress about having no income. I'm definitely going to ask about differential pay at all the districts I work with, and I'm also going to look into those voluntary disability insurance plans that were mentioned. It's crazy that we have to piece together this information from forums like this instead of having it clearly explained when we're hired. For anyone else dealing with this, I'd also suggest documenting everything - keep records of all your conversations with HR and what benefits they do and don't mention. It seems like there's a pattern of important benefits not being volunteered unless you ask very specific questions. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this could save so many people from financial hardship!

Wow, this entire thread has been incredibly valuable! As someone who works for a city government in California, I had no idea that so many public employers were exempt from SDI. Edward, I'm so relieved you found out about the differential pay benefit - it's absolutely ridiculous that HR didn't mention this upfront when you were clearly panicking about having no income! This discussion has made me realize I need to do a deep dive into my own benefits. I always assumed I had the same disability protections as my friends in private sector jobs, but now I'm wondering what other gaps exist that I don't know about. For anyone else in public employment reading this, I'd also suggest checking if your employer has any agreements with local credit unions that offer emergency loans or hardship programs. My credit union has a "skip-a-payment" program for members experiencing temporary disability that I only found out about by accident. It's honestly appalling that we have to crowdsource this kind of critical information instead of having it clearly explained during hiring. Thank you to everyone who shared their knowledge here - this thread could literally save people from financial crisis!

This thread has been absolutely invaluable! As someone who just accepted a position with a California school district, I had no idea about the SDI exemption or these other benefit complexities. Edward, I'm so glad you found the differential pay solution - it's unacceptable that HR didn't mention this critical benefit when you first called in distress! Reading through everyone's experiences has made me realize I need to schedule a comprehensive benefits meeting with my new district's HR department ASAP. I'm going to bring a written list of specific questions based on what I've learned here - differential pay, voluntary disability insurance options, catastrophic leave policies, EAP programs, and any credit union partnerships. It's really troubling that so many public employees are discovering these gaps and alternatives only during crisis situations. This information should be part of mandatory new employee orientation, not something we have to piece together through online forums. For anyone else starting in public education, I'd also recommend asking your union representative (if you have one) to review your benefits package with you. They might know about additional protections or programs that HR doesn't routinely mention. Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge - this discussion could literally save new public employees from financial disaster!

This entire discussion has been incredibly educational! As someone who's considering a move from private sector to public education, I had absolutely no idea about the SDI exemption or these other benefit complexities. Edward, I'm so relieved you were able to get the differential pay situation resolved - it's really concerning that HR didn't proactively mention this when you were clearly in a panic about having no income. What strikes me most is how many experienced public employees in this thread are discovering benefits and gaps they never knew about. It really highlights a systemic issue with how benefit information is communicated in public sector jobs. I'm definitely going to use all the advice here to create a comprehensive checklist of questions before I make any career moves. The suggestion about involving union reps is particularly valuable - it sounds like they often have institutional knowledge that goes beyond standard HR information. I'm also impressed by how everyone here has been so willing to share specific resources and strategies. This thread could honestly serve as a template for what new public employee orientation should cover. Thank you all for turning Edward's stressful situation into such a valuable learning experience for everyone!

This thread has been absolutely incredible - thank you Edward for sharing your experience and everyone for the amazing advice! As someone who works for a county health department, I had no idea so many public employers were exempt from SDI. Reading through all these responses has been a real wake-up call about how much we don't know about our own benefits. I'm definitely going to follow everyone's advice and schedule a meeting with my HR department to go over ALL available benefits, not just the ones they highlight during orientation. The differential pay benefit that saved Edward's situation is exactly the kind of thing that should be prominently featured in new employee materials, not something you have to specifically ask about during a crisis. For anyone else in public health or county employment, I'd also suggest checking if your employer has any partnerships with local community organizations that offer emergency assistance. My county actually has a small employee hardship fund that I only found out about through a coworker - it's not advertised anywhere but can provide one-time grants for employees facing unexpected financial emergencies. It's really frustrating that we have to become benefit detectives to understand our own coverage, but I'm grateful for communities like this where we can share knowledge and help each other navigate these complex systems!

This entire thread has been such a lifesaver for me! I work for a California community college and just went through a very similar situation last month - had a medical emergency and when I tried to file for SDI, I discovered we're exempt too. Like Edward, I was completely blindsided and had no idea this was even possible. What saved me was finding out about our "catastrophic leave bank" program where employees can donate unused sick days to colleagues facing medical emergencies. I ended up getting almost 6 weeks of donated leave from coworkers, which covered me while I recovered. It's not something they advertise much, but when I asked HR specifically about leave donation programs, they were able to connect me with it. I'm so glad Edward found the differential pay solution - and honestly, this whole discussion should be printed out and included in every new public employee handbook! The number of people here discovering benefits they never knew about really shows how broken the communication system is. We shouldn't have to learn about these critical protections through crisis situations. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and making this such a valuable resource for all of us in public service!

Wow, this entire thread has been absolutely eye-opening! As someone who's been working for a California school district for 3 years, I'm honestly shocked that I never knew about the SDI exemption or differential pay benefits. Edward, I'm so relieved you were able to get the differential pay situation sorted out - it's really disturbing that HR didn't mention this critical benefit when you first called in a panic about having no income. Reading through everyone's experiences has made me realize how many "hidden" benefits and protections exist that aren't clearly communicated during hiring or orientation. I'm definitely going to schedule a comprehensive benefits review with my HR department and bring a detailed list of questions based on everything I've learned here - differential pay, catastrophic leave banks, voluntary disability insurance, EAP programs, and any emergency assistance funds. It's honestly appalling that so many of us are discovering these crucial benefits only during crisis situations or through online forums like this. This information should be mandatory in new employee orientation, not something we have to piece together ourselves. The fact that multiple experienced public employees in this thread are learning about benefits they never knew existed really highlights a systemic communication problem. Thank you to everyone who shared their knowledge and experiences here - this discussion could literally prevent other public employees from facing the same financial panic Edward went through. This thread should honestly be required reading for anyone considering or starting a career in California public education!

This thread has been such an incredible learning experience! As someone who just started working for a California school district as a new teacher, I had absolutely no clue about the SDI exemption or any of these alternative benefits that have been discussed. Edward, I'm so thankful you shared your story and kept pushing until you found the differential pay solution - it's really troubling that HR didn't volunteer this crucial information when you first called in obvious distress about your financial situation. What's been most eye-opening for me is seeing how many experienced public employees are discovering benefits they never knew existed, even after years of service. It really shows there's a major gap in how benefit information is communicated to us. I'm definitely going to request a comprehensive meeting with my HR department and bring a detailed list based on everything discussed here - differential pay policies, catastrophic leave donation programs, voluntary disability insurance options, EAP services, and any emergency assistance funds. As a new educator, I'm also going to reach out to my union representative to make sure I understand all available protections and benefits. It seems like they often have institutional knowledge that goes beyond what's in the standard HR materials. This conversation has made me realize how much more proactive I need to be about understanding my coverage rather than just assuming standard protections exist. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and knowledge - this thread could literally save new public employees from the kind of financial panic Edward faced. This should honestly be required reading for anyone entering California public education!