My wife is recovering from her surgery.

Does she have a human resources dept at work?
What type of work does she do?

If her surgery is not a result of an on the job injury she will not qualify for worker's comp. If it was an on the job injury she needs to file a claim with her employer.

For state disability insurance, here's the link to FAQ page of California's SDI program website:

http://www.edd.ca.gov/direp/diind.htm#FAQ

And here's a page with answers to specific questions about eligibility:

http://www.edd.ca.gov/direp/difaq.htm#Eligibility

Her surgery (hemorrhoid) was not a result of an on the job injury. She doesn't have worker's comp. She works alone as a caregiver taking care of an elderly.

So she can claim worker's comp?

Probably not. She should look into the State Disability Insurance.


You can get the forms needed on that website or visit a local SDI office. There is probably a phone number on that website you can call too.

She'll need to have her doctor submit his portion of the form too.

Workers' Comp involves injuries caused on the job by work-related activities. Hemorrhoids are not going to fall under that purview.