Virginia Sickness and Disability Program (VSDP): What State Employees Need to Know

Who VSDP Covers

The Virginia Sickness and Disability Program provides income replacement for eligible state employees who can't work due to illness, injury, or disability. Ask your employer's benefits office whether VSDP covers your position and which terms apply.

VSDP is separate from the VRS retirement benefit, but the two programs intersect in important ways — particularly around creditable service and the transition from long-term disability to retirement.

How the Benefit Tiers Work

VSDP provides short-term and long-term disability benefits:

Short-term disability provides benefits for an approved absence. Confirm the duration, income replacement rate, and any waiting period for your coverage with your employer's benefits office.

Long-term disability has separate eligibility, payment, and duration rules. Confirm how those rules apply to your situation before planning around a specific benefit or retirement date.

Check your Member Benefit Profile to see how a VSDP disability period is reflected in your creditable service and compensation. Ask your employer's HR office to correct any missing entries.

The Retirement Transition

Members with a long-term disability record must submit a paper VRS-5 application for service retirement rather than use the online application. Before setting a retirement date, confirm with VRS and your employer's benefits office how it affects any VSDP payments.

If you are considering disability retirement, confirm with VRS whether you qualify and how its benefit calculation compares with service retirement for your circumstances.

Emergency Dispatchers: Recent Coverage Changes

As of July 1, 2025, emergency dispatchers active in Plan 1 or Plan 2 are covered under the Virginia Local Disability Program (VLDP) or a comparable employer-provided disability program, unless they opt out during an authorized election window. Confirm with your employer which program applies.

Why This Matters for Retirement Planning

Before projecting pension income, verify in myVRS how disability-period service and compensation appear in your record. Do not assume those periods were credited or included in your Average Final Compensation until you have checked the member record.

If you're approaching retirement and have a VSDP history, verify your service and compensation records before submitting your application. The Virginia VRS Retirement Guide covers what to audit before submitting your retirement application.

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