If you are on short term disability you cannot claim unemployment benefits. You can claim one or the other but you cannot claim them both at the same time. The reason for this is because to claim unemployment benefits, you must be seeking a job - therefore you must be fit and healthy and able to accept a job if one were offered to you. To claim short term disability, a licensed medical professional must deem you disabled and unfit to work, therefore you cannot seek a job if you are not fit enough to work. Short term disability is a type of insurance that pays a percentage of an employee’s salary for a specified amount of time if they are ill or injured and cannot perform the duties of their job. Coverage usually starts anywhere from one to 14 days after an employee suffers a condition that leaves them unable to work. It can last anywhere between 10 to 26 weeks and is usually 50-70% of their salary. If the disability is likely to leave them unable to work for longer than 26 weeks then Long Term Disability can be claimed. Many more employers offer a long term disability program funded through a third party administrator such as a disability insurer. If you are out of work for more than a year due to a disability, you can claim Permanent Disability Allowance. If you are unemployed due to a disability that was the result of an accident in work and your employer can be held responsible, then it is likely that your employer and their insurance company will have to pay for you. Disability allowances usually pay more than unemployment benefits, but they differ from state to state and with different insurance companies. With disability allowances you do need an end date and the date you will return to work.
