WHEN AND HOW CAN I APPLY FOR TDI BENEFITS? If you become ill or injured and a doctor's examination shows that you cannot work for at least 7 consecutive days, you should apply for TDI benefits as soon as possible. To file for TDI, simply complete a TDI application form and mail it to us. Be sure to print or write carefully and answer all the questions completely and accurately. You can get an application form at any office of the Rhode Island Department of Employment and Training. You can also call 277-3600 to have an application sent directly to you. WHO CAN I CALL IF I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT MY CLAIM? Should you find it necessary to call our office, you can reach us at 277-3625. Whenever you call about your claim, please have your Social Security number and your Personal Security Code handy. You will find your personal security code on the blue Notice of Claim Received form that we sent to you when we received your application. To protect the privacy of our customers, we do not give out information about a claim unless an SSN and security code are provided. If you have a touch-tone phone you will be able to get up-to date information on the status of your claim directly from our voice response system. Just follow the few simple instructions you will hear when the phone is answered. If you call between 8:00 am and 3:30 pm on Monday through Friday you may also choose to speak personally with a customer service representative. AM I ELIGIBLE FOR TDI? To be eligible for TDI, you must meet certain medical and earnings requirements. While these requirements are explained in detail in the following sections, please do not use this information to try to determine your own eligibility. If you suffer a non-work related disability, we strongly urge you to apply for benefits. We will determine if you qualify based on all facts relating to your claim and notify you as quickly as possible. WHAT ARE THE MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR TDI? To be medically eligible for TDI benefits, a licensed physician must certify to us that you cannot work for at least seven consecutive days. For your eligibility to begin with the first week you were disabled, you must be examined by a doctor in either that week, or the week immediately before, or immediately after, your first week of disability. Your doctor will tell us the length of time he/she expects you to be unable to work. You may be asked to make an appointment with a doctor other than your own for an impartial examination if we believe such an exam is necessary. Your benefits will be stopped if you refuse the examination or you do not make or keep your appointment. WHAT ARE THE EARNINGS REQUIREMENTS FOR TDI? To be eligible for TDI benefits, you must have worked for a Rhode Island employer subject to the TDI laws. Also, you must have earned at least $5340 in either your Base Period or an Alternate Base Period (both are explained in the following sections). If you did not earn this amount, you may also be eligible if you meet all the following: 1. You earned at least $890 in one of your Base Period quarters, and 2. You earned total Base Period wages of at lease one and one-half times your highest single quarter earnings, and 3. You earned total Base Period wages of at least $1780. If you are in doubt about your earnings, the only way to be sure is to file a claim. WHAT IS THE BASE PERIOD? The Base Period is the period of time we look at to determine if you have earned sufficient wages to be eligible. Normally, your Base Period consists of the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the starting date of your new claim. The calendar quarters are: January 1 through March 31; April 1 through June 30; July 1 through September 30; and October 1 through December 31. Note: Once a quarter's wages are used to establish a claim, those wages cannot be used again on a later claim. WHAT IS AN ALTERNATE BASE PERIOD? If you submit a new claim that starts on or after October 4, 1992, and your Base Period earnings do not meet the minimum requirements, we will automatically recompute your TDI claim using an Alternate Base Period. This new period consists of the last four completed calendar quarters before the starting date of your claim. This will allow some of your more recent wages to be counted. While you must still meet the same overall earnings requirements, the Alternate Base Period give you a second change to qualify. WHEN DOES MY CLAIM BEGIN? With few exceptions, your claim will start with the Sunday of the week in which you first became unable to work. This begins your Benefit Year. The Benefit Year is a 52 week period. Any additional claims (refiles) you submit during this period will have the same Benefit Year as your first claim. WHEN WILL I GET MY FIRST CHECK? Most eligible claimants get their first check within 3 to 4 weeks of the day we receive their application. Missing, incomplete, or wrong information on your application will delay payment. We will contact your doctor and employer to obtain certain information. Their prompt responses are also needed to help us quickly proceed with your claim. WHY DIDN'T I RECEIVE A CHECK FOR THE FIRST WEEK I WAS ON TDI? You must serve a Waiting Period of 7 consecutive days at the start of your new claim. Benefits will be paid for this period only if your disability lasts for 28 days or more. Exception: If you become eligible for TDI and, as a result, lose your eligibility for unemployment insurance, you will not have to serve a waiting period. IF I FILE ANOTHER CLAIM, DO I HAVE TO SERVE ANOTHER WAITING PERIOD? You must serve a 7-day Waiting Period only once during each benefit year. However, you must still be disabled for at least 7 days before benefits can be paid on a second claim in the same benefit year. We cannot pay benefits for periods of disability lasting less than 7 consecutive days. HOW MUCH WILL I RECEIVE? Your Benefit Rate is your basic weekly payment amount, excluding Dependency Allowances. It is equal to 4.62% of the amount you were paid in the Base Period quarter in which you earned the most wages. We will send you a Benefit Computation Statement which shows your rate and the wage information used to determine it. Once your Benefit Rate is determined, it remains the same for your entire Benefit Year. For Benefit Years beginning after July 1, 1992, the maximum weekly benefit rate that we may pay is $374. In addition to your weekly Benefit Rate, you may receive a Dependency Allowance if you have children under 18 who are dependent on you. This allowance may also be paid for a child 18 or older who is physically or mentally handicapped and unable to work. Only natural, step-children, or legally adopted children may be claimed as dependents. The amount of the weekly allowance is equal to the greater of $10 or 7% of your Benefit Rate. We may pay you for up to five dependent children. Your Dependency Allowance is determined at the start of your Benefit Year. It will remain the same for the entire period. WHY IS MY TDI CHECK LESS THAN MY FULL BENEFIT AMOUNT? If you become disabled - or return to work - in the middle of a week, you may receive a check for less that your full Benefit Rate. In such cases your check will include one-fifth of your Benefit Rate for each work day you missed. Also, should you collect all of your available Benefit Credits, your last TDI check will consist only of your remaining balance of credits (plus Dependency Allowance). Therefore, that payment may not equal a full week of benefits. HOW LONG CAN I COLLECT TDI? Provided you remain medically certified as unable to return to work, you may receive TDI payments until you collect all your Benefit Credits. The Benefit Computation Statement we send you when you file your first claim will show the total credits available to you in your Benefit Year. These credits are equal to 36% of your base period earnings (up to a maximum of 30 times your benefit rate). The amount you receive each week (not counting Dependency Allowance) is deducted from your balance of Benefit Credits. Any balance remaining after you have recovered from your disability will continue to be available to you if you again become disabled in the same Benefit Year. Benefit Credits left at the end of your Benefit Year are not carried forward to any future claim. MAY I BE PAID BY MY EMPLOYER AND STILL GET TDI? You may not receive TDI benefits for any period in which you work either full time or part time. This includes work done for your regular employer, any other employer, or in self employment. However, if you perform no services but continue to be paid a salary, sick, or vacation pay, you are allowed to receive TDI benefits. CAN I COLLECT TDI AND UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE FOR THE SAME PERIOD OF TIME? You cannot receive unemployment insurance and TDI for the same period. Should you become disabled while collecting unemployment insurance, you should file for TDI and notify your local unemployment office of your condition as soon as possible. I'M PREGNANT. CAN I COLLECT TDI? Pregnancy is treated the same way as any potentially disabling condition. Once your doctor tells you that you cannot continue to work because your condition is incapacitating, file your TDI claim. If you have enough earnings you will be paid benefits for the time you have been medically certified as unable to work. I FILED FOR WORKERS' COMPENSATION. CAN I GET TDI, TOO? You may not receive Temporary Disability Insurance for any period in which you receive Workers' Compensation. If you were injured on the job you must file a claim for Workers' Compensation benefits. However, if you have filed such a claim and it is being contested, you may be eligible for TDI benefits pending it settlement. If this is your situation, you should submit a TDI application. We will notify you if you are entitled to benefits. If you later receive Workers' Compensation payments for any weeks in which you received TDI, you must inform us immediately so that any necessary adjustments can be made. I DON'T AGREE WITH A TDI DECISION REGARDING MY CLAIM. WHAT CAN I DO? If you disagree with any decision we make on your claim, you have the right to appeal it. Your appeal should be in writing, and we must receive it within 10 calendar days of the date on the document you are contesting. You may mail your appeal to: TDI Appeals Coordinator R.I. Dept. of Employment and Training P.O. Box 1059 Providence, RI 02901-1059 Or, you may bring it to the TDI office at 101 Friendship St., Providence, RI. When writing your appeal, include your name, Social Security number, the date, and a brief explanation of the reason for the appeal ("I am appealing may claim because. . ."). We will review it and send it to the Board of Review. The Board is an impartial authority that is not part of TDI. Your case will be assigned to a referee who will schedule it for a hearing where you can state your argument in detail. You may bring an attorney or other person to help you, but it is not necessary to do so. A representative from TDI may also attend the hearing. I'VE RECOVERED BUT HAVE NO JOB. WHAT CAN I DO? You should register with this Department's Employment and Training Service. They can help you find work, enroll in training, and provide job counseling. Also, you may file a claim for Unemployment Compensation insurance. Department of Employment and Training office locations are listed the in the file named Local Offices WHO PAYS FOR TDI? The TDI program is financed entirely by deductions from your wages. The current withholding rate is 1.3% of your first $38,000 in earnings. Minors, aged 14 and 15, are exempted from wage deductions and TDI coverage. If you worked for two or more Rhode Island employers in any one calendar year, you may be entitled to a TDI tax refund. Write the Tax Division of this department, or call 277-3600 and ask for a Claim for Refund of Temporary Disability Insurance Tax form. This form may also be obtained at any Department of Employment and Training office. ARE TDI BENEFITS TAXABLE? . . . . . . ARE TDI WITHHOLDINGS DEDUCTIBLE? TDI benefits paid to you are not subject to Federal or State income taxes (as of 10/92) Also, TDI withholdings you paid are deductible for income tax reporting purposes. Since tax regulations are subject to change, you should check with the Internal Revenue Service and the Rhode Island Division of Taxation concerning before filing your tax returns. .