The District of Columbia does not run a state short-term disability insurance program. If you work in DC and need time off because of your own serious health condition, a pregnancy, a new child, or a family member’s illness, your main source of wage replacement is DC Paid Family Leave, a government benefit funded by employer payroll taxes. Private short-term disability insurance is available as a voluntary supplement, and DC law lets you collect both at the same time without one reducing the other.
What DC Paid Family Leave Covers
DC Paid Family Leave (PFL) is administered by the Department of Employment Services under the Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act of 2016. It is not labeled “short-term disability,” but for a DC worker recovering from surgery, managing a chronic illness, or healing after childbirth, it fills the same role.
Eligible workers can receive up to 12 weeks of paid leave in a 52-week period for any of these reasons:
- Medical leave for treatment or recovery from your own serious health condition, including injury, chronic illness, or incapacitation.
- Parental leave to bond with a new child after birth, adoption, foster placement, or legal assumption of parental responsibility, used within 12 months of the event.
- Family leave to care for a family member with a serious physical or psychological health condition.
- Prenatal leave of up to 2 weeks for appointments, exams, or treatment related to pregnancy, including complications.
A pregnant worker can combine prenatal and parental leave for up to 14 weeks in a single 52-week period.1Paychex. Washington DC Paid Family Leave There is no longer any unpaid waiting period; the one-week wait was permanently eliminated for claims filed on or after July 25, 2022.2D.C. Law Library. DC Code Section 32-541.04
How Much You Get Paid
PFL replaces up to 90 percent of your average weekly wage, calculated from the highest four of the five calendar quarters before your qualifying event. Earnings above a set threshold are replaced at 50 percent, and the whole payment is subject to a weekly cap. For fiscal year 2026, the maximum weekly benefit is $1,190, with annual inflation adjustments.3DC Fiscal Policy Institute. Cuts to DCs Paid Leave Program Will Harm District Residents
Who Qualifies
You must spend the majority of your work time in Washington, DC, for a covered employer. Benefits are portable, so wages from previous DC employers count toward eligibility. Self-employed workers can opt in if they do at least half their work in the District. All DC private employers that pay unemployment insurance taxes participate; the program is funded by a 0.75 percent employer payroll tax, and employers cannot deduct any part of it from your paycheck.1Paychex. Washington DC Paid Family Leave
How to File a DC Paid Leave Claim
Claims go through the DOES Office of Paid Family Leave. The online portal at does.pflbas.dc.gov is the fastest route. If you cannot apply online, call the PFL contact center at (202) 899-3700.4DC Paid Family Leave. Apply for DC Paid Family Leave
What you file with the application depends on the type of leave:
- For medical leave, a Medical Certification Form (PFL-MMC) completed by your health care provider.
- For parental leave, documentation showing the child’s name, your name, and the date of birth or placement.
- For family leave, a Family Medical Certification Form (PFL-FMC) and a Certification of Family Relationship (PFL-FR).
- For prenatal leave, a Prenatal Leave Medical Certification Form (PFL-PMC).
DOES will contact you within 10 business days of submission, review the claim, and notify your employer. Approved payments are issued biweekly by direct deposit or prepaid debit card.4DC Paid Family Leave. Apply for DC Paid Family Leave Give your employer written notice of the leave at least 10 days ahead when it is foreseeable, or before the start of your shift if it is not.5D.C. Law Library. Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act of 2016
Stacking Private Short-Term Disability on Top of PFL
Because PFL replaces only a share of your wages and caps out at $1,190 per week, many DC workers also hold a private short-term disability policy through their employer or on their own. DC law protects your ability to collect from both at once.
Since October 1, 2021, short-term disability insurers have been barred from offsetting or reducing your benefits based on what you receive, or are estimated to receive, under DC’s paid leave program. The prohibition applies no matter which state issued the policy.6D.C. Law Library. DC Code Section 31-2231.20a In practice, that means your private STD payments and your PFL payments can run in parallel at full value, even if together they exceed 100 percent of your usual pay.7SHRM. October Brings Changes to Washington DC Leave Laws
There is one important exception. The anti-offset rule does not apply to self-insured employers or to insurers that administer disability benefits on behalf of a self-insured employer.6D.C. Law Library. DC Code Section 31-2231.20a A self-insured plan pays disability benefits directly out of the employer’s own funds rather than through an insurance carrier, and those plans can still include offset clauses that reduce what you receive by the amount of your PFL benefit.8Constant Contact. Short-Term Disability Insurance Benefit Protection Clarification Read your policy or ask your HR department whether the plan is self-insured and whether it offsets PFL.
Short-Term Disability for DC Government Employees
If you work for the District of Columbia government, you have access to a true voluntary short-term disability plan on top of PFL. The plan is insured by Standard Insurance Company and paid for entirely by the employee through payroll deduction.9DCHR. Short Term Disability Coverage Highlights
It pays 66⅔ percent of insured predisability earnings, up to a weekly maximum of $1,385, for as long as 180 days. You are considered disabled if a physical disease, injury, pregnancy, or mental disorder keeps you from performing the material duties of your occupation and causes at least a 20 percent loss in predisability earnings.10The Standard. Voluntary Short Term Disability
The standard holding period before benefits start is 20 days. Enroll more than 31 days after you first become eligible and you face a 60-day holding period for the first 12 months of coverage, except for accidental injury.9DCHR. Short Term Disability Coverage Highlights Permanent bargaining and non-bargaining staff working at least 20 hours per week are eligible; temporary and seasonal workers are not. You can enroll during annual open enrollment, within 31 days of hire, or after a qualifying life event such as marriage or the birth of a child.11DCHR. FAQ Benefits and Retirement Administration DC Public Schools employees have access to the same Standard plan on identical terms, with a separate long-term disability option that carries a 180-day holding period and pays for 6 to 24 months.12DC Public Schools. DCPS Short Term and Long Term Disability
Job Protection Is a Separate Question
PFL replaces wages; on its own, it does not protect your job. Job protection comes from the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, which applies to employers with 50 or more employees within 75 miles and requires 12 months of employment and 1,250 hours worked, or from DC’s own Family and Medical Leave Act, which applies to employers with 20 or more employees and requires one year of employment and 1,000 hours. When your leave qualifies under PFL and under one of those laws, the leave runs concurrently. You can also use accrued sick or annual leave during the same period, though whether employer-provided paid leave stacks with PFL depends on your employer’s policy.13DOES. OPFL Leave Comparison Chart Health insurance must be maintained on the same terms during any of these leaves.
When the Disability Will Last Longer
PFL and private short-term disability are built for temporary conditions. If a disability is expected to last at least 12 months or result in death, the federal programs to look at are Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income. You can apply online at ssa.gov, by phone at (800) 772-1213, or in person at one of DC’s three Social Security offices.14DC Department on Disability Services. How to Apply for Social Security Disability and SSI Benefits For DC-based claims, the medical determination is handled by the District’s Disability Determination Division, which sends its decision back to the Social Security Administration.15DC Department on Disability Services. Social Security Disability Determination These federal programs do not cover partial or short-term disabilities.