How to Get Rhode Island TDI (Temporary Disability Insurance)

Short-term disability is a great option to keep receiving wages when life throws obstacles your way. Luckily for Rhode Island workers, Rhode Island TDI (Temporary Disability Insurance) is the state-run temporary disability program that helps with those hurdles by replacing a portion of wages.

This program can be used by residents of Rhode Island for a variety of life events that may require you to take time off work. This includes situations like non-work-related medical emergencies, pregnancy, and childbirth. TCI also supports bonding with a newborn child.

Rhode Island Temporary Disability: Key Takeaways

• TDI, or Temporary Disability Insurance is for non-work related injury, illness, pregnancy, and childbirth recovery that requires you to take time off work
• TCI, or Temporary Caregiver Insurance, is available for when you need to take off time to care for an ill family member, including a seriously ill child, domestic partner, parent-in-law, or to bond with a new child, adopted child, or new foster care child
• You have 90 days from the onset of your illness or injury to apply
• Rhode Island TDI offers a maximum of 30 weeks of benefits
• Benefit payments are delivered via direct deposit or electronic payment card
• TDI benefits are not subject to State or Federal Income Taxes

What is Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI)?

Rhode Island TDI, or Temporary Disability Insurance, is a type of short-term disability insurance in the state of Rhode Island. This program offers partial wage replacement for the time you need to take off work due to injury, illness, or pregnancy and childbirth.

Rhode Island is one of only four states that offer temporary disability programs. The other states are California, New York, New Jersey, Hawai’i, and additionally Puerto Rico. In the other forty-six states, someone seeking short-term disability insurance would need to search for a private option.

For those who need to take off work to take care of a family member, Rhode Island offers another program called Temporary Caregiver Insurance. You can also use TCI to receive partial wage replacement while caring for a sick family member or to bond with a new child. This includes biological children and recently adopted children. TCI provides financial support for employees needing time off work to care for a seriously ill family member.

Who Qualifies for Rhode Island TDI?

Since it is a state-run program made for people in the state, not everybody qualifies for Rhode Island TDI. To start, in order to qualify for TDI Rhode Island, you must be a resident of Rhode Island that is an employee that pays into the program.

Having a job, even a full-time one, does not automatically mean that you are an employee. Being an employee is different from being a contractor, even though both may work traditional full-time hours. Employees have certain deductions taken from their paychecks by their employer, like income tax and social security. In Rhode Island, you also pay for the TDI program. However, if you are a contractor (you receive a 1099 instead of a W2 at the end of the year), you do not have those taxes automatically withheld.

Additionally, to receive Rhode Island Temporary Disability Insurance, you will need to prove that you aren’t able to do your normal work. Unlike long-term disability benefits, which require you to prove that you are unable to work at all, you only need to prove that you aren’t able to do your normal work. This program is meant to help you financially while you recover, so the idea is that you will return to your previous work as soon as you are well.

In order to receive benefits, you must be unable to work for at least a week due to your non-work-related illness or injury. If you are unable to work due to a work-related injury, you want to look into Worker’s Compensation, not TDI.

How Much Money Do I Need to Earn to Qualify for Short-Term Disability Insurance in Rhode Island?

In order to qualify for short-term disability insurance in Rhode Island, there is a minimum salary you need to have earned in the past year. The minimum wages change each year to adjust for inflation. If you are filing in 2024, you need to have made at least $16,800 in wages during the “base period”.

The base period covers the entire year before you submit your application for TDI payments. Generally, you need to have made at least $16,800 in the last year to qualify, but making less than that does not automatically make you ineligible.

To get more technical, Rhode Island calculates the base period wages by using calendar quarters. Each quarter is three months, and the base period wages are based on the first four of the last five full calendar quarters.

So what happens if you didn’t make at least $16,800 in the last year? Well, you may still qualify for Rhode Island Temporary Disability Insurance because of the way they calculate based on quarters. If you made at least $2,800 during one of the last five three-month quarters, and at least $5,600 total, you can still qualify.

Even if you don’t qualify with either of these formulas, there is one more formula that you can use to try and find your eligibility. The final formula uses an earlier base period, instead of using the four quarters that came immediately before the quarter that you filed your claim.

How is Rhode Island Temporary Disability Insurance Funded?

Rhode Island Temporary Disability Insurance is funded by Rhode Island workers who live in the state. All employees pay a mandatory 1.2% contribution to the TDI program, but the maximum contribution is $1,044 for any individual for one year. This percentage is only taken out for up to $87,000 of an employee’s pay.

The idea is that all employees in Rhode Island pay into the system, and they can all benefit from the system. The TDI program is made to supplement the existing programs for unemployment insurance (UI) because it replaces wages, making it easier to survive until you recover enough to get back to work.

How Are Your RI Temporary Disability Benefits Calculated?

We’ve already discussed base periods and how much you need to make in order to qualify for Rhode Island TDI, but that doesn’t tell you how much you will be earning from the program.

Rhode Island will calculate your earnings by taking the highest amount earned in one quarter of the base period and multiplying it by 4.62%. The resulting figure is your weekly benefit amount.

As an example, let’s say you earned a total of $40,000 during the year-long base period. Let’s say that you earned the same amount of money each quarter, which would be $10,000. This is the number Rhode Island will use to calculate your TDI. If we take that $10,000 and multiply it by 4.62%, we get a weekly benefit amount of $462.00.

For another example, let’s say that you earned $60,000 during the year-long base period, but your income varies. In your highest-earning quarter, you made $25,000, but you earned less than $12,000 the other quarters. Rhode Island will use the $25,000 to calculate your benefit amount. In this case 4.62% of $25,000 is $1,155.00, but the maximum weekly benefit amount is $1,043, so you would receive $1,043 each week.

How to Apply for Rhode Island Temporary Disability Insurance

There are a few different options for how to apply for Rhode Island Temporary Disability Insurance, but you will need a variety of documents to support your claim. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you prepare to start your application. Benefit payments are delivered via direct deposit or electronic payment card. It is important to apply for TCI benefits within specific timeframes and understand the benefit payment methods available.

How to Apply

For most people, the easiest and quickest way to apply for Rhode Island Temporary Disability Insurance is online. If you’re unable to apply online for some reason, you can call (401) 462-8420 to request a paper application. You can call from 8:00 am-3:30 pm on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and 9:00 am-3:30 pm on Fridays.

Once you complete our paper application, you will need to mail it to this address:

RI TDI

P.O. Box 20100

Cranston, RI 02920

The agency will mail you a Medical Certification Form after they receive your application. You’ll need to take this form to your doctor to fill out. Your doctor must verify that you are unable to complete your usual work duties in order to qualify for TDI.

Rhode Island TDI Forms & Documents You Need

There are a variety of documents and information that you’ll need in order to apply for Rhode Island TDI.

You will need the following information to complete your application:

• Your full legal name
• Phone number
• Address
• Social Security number
• The first date that you were unable to work
• A Medical Certification Form filled out by your doctor or qualified healthcare professional

How to File an Appeal if Your Claim is Rejected

If your claim is rejected but you believe that you are eligible, you have the right to appeal any decision that the agency makes. In order to make an appeal, you will need to submit a written request to the TDI Appeals Coordinator. The address is:

PO Box 20100

Cranston, RI 02920-0941

Or, you can fax them at (401) 462-8466.

Once your request is received, your case will be assigned to a Hearing Officer (also known as a Referee) at the Board of Review. They will schedule a hearing, where you can make your argument. You can bring someone to represent you at the hearing, as well as witnesses and any documents you need to support your claim.

Alternatives to State-Sponsored Disability Benefits in Rhode Island

If Rhode Island TDI does not meet your needs, or you do not qualify, there are other options besides state-sponsored disability benefits in Rhode Island, such as private plan temporary disability insurance.

FMLA Leave

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal program that protects your job with your employer for up to twelve weeks to recover from an injury or care for a family member. Under the FMLA, you can still collect your health benefits as if you were working, but the leave itself is unpaid.

FMLA can also be used together with TDI. While TDI provides payments while you are recovering, it doesn’t necessarily protect your job or health insurance. In order to be eligible for FMLA, your employer needs to have at least fifty employees, and you have to have worked there for at least twelve months.

Private Plan Temporary Disability Insurance

If you are ineligible for Rhode Island TDI, or you just want to look at other options, many mainstream insurance companies offer private plan temporary disability insurance. The biggest difference with a private plan is that you will have to pay additionally for the premiums. As an employee in Rhode Island, you’ve already paid into the program.

The other difference is that it’s less streamlined. You will need to make sure that you read the details carefully. For example, if you need short-term disability for pregnancy, many private insurers will refuse to cover someone who is already pregnant.

Short-Term Disability Lawyers in Rhode Island

The process of applying for Rhode Island TDI can be frustrating, especially if you need to make an appeal or go to a hearing. It can be especially frustrating when you are recovering from a medical event, caring for a family member, or bonding with a new child at the same time.

Luckily, there are good disability lawyers who will help you ensure that all of your documentation is accurate and complete. They will also help you navigate the appeals process if your claim is rejected, and do the legwork to ensure that you receive all of the benefits you’re entitled to while you recover and care for your family.