Federal Employee Short-Term Disability Insurance Act of 2026

This bill would create a voluntary short-term disability insurance program for federal employees, including Postal Service workers, run by the Office of Personnel Management through contracts with private insurance companies. Coverage would pay benefits for injuries or disabilities that are not work-related, and for leave to care for a family member, the birth of a child, or arrangements to adopt or foster a child. Benefits could last up to 12 months and would equal 70 percent of pay, capped at 70 percent of the top GS-15 pay rate, after a waiting period the employee chooses. Employees would pay the full premium through payroll deductions, and plans could not exclude or charge more for preexisting conditions. State and local taxes on premiums and conflicting state laws would not apply to these contracts.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Eleanor Holmes Norton Democrat sponsor
• 0 cosponsors