Most of California workers’ comp pays for what the injury took. The Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit pays for what comes next: a $6,000 voucher for retraining when the employer doesn’t take you back — the same amount whether your rating is 5% or 65% (Lab. Code §4658.7; figures per DIR’s SJDB page, checked July 2026). And riding behind it is a second benefit most voucher-holders never claim: the $5,000 Return-to-Work Supplement.
How you qualify — the 60-day offer window
Eligibility turns on one event: after the medical report showing your injury caused permanent partial disability reaches the claims administrator, the employer has 60 days to offer qualifying regular, modified, or alternative work. A qualifying offer forecloses the voucher; silence or a non-qualifying offer triggers it, and the voucher is then due within 20 calendar days of the window closing. The mechanics of what counts as a qualifying offer live in the light-duty guide; the P&S moment that starts the whole sequence is covered in permanent & stationary.
What the voucher actually buys
It is not cash. It pays, directly: training at a California public school or any provider on the state’s Eligible Training Provider List (the ETPL is the answer to “what schools accept the voucher” — check the list, not the school’s marketing); licensing, certification, and testing fees; tools a course requires; computer equipment up to $1,000; miscellaneous expenses up to $500; and a licensed placement agency or vocational counselor at up to 10% of the voucher (max $600).
The two clocks and the no-cash rule
The voucher expires two years from issuance or five years from the date of injury, whichever is later — unused value evaporates. And for 2013+ injuries it is non-settleable: §4658.7(g) puts it outside every C&R, which is why a “global” settlement never includes it and why it survives even after the case closes.
The $5,000 nobody claims
Receiving the voucher unlocks the Return-to-Work Supplement Program: a one-time $5,000 payment, administered by DIR, for workers whose earnings loss is disproportionate to their PD award (figures per DIR’s RTWSP page, checked July 2026). It is not automatic — you apply online (or at any district office kiosk) within one year of the date the voucher was served, with your voucher, ADJ number, and proof-of-service date in hand. Decisions issue within 60 days; payment within 25 days of the decision.
None of this touches the rating itself: the voucher and supplement stack on top of permanent disability, which is still computed the same way — price the PD, then make sure the §4658.7 sequence is being tracked against its clocks (the deadline calculator covers the statutory ones). Amounts and rules per DIR as of July 2026; confirm current figures at the DIR links above. Not legal advice.
Rate your spine right here
Same engine as the tables above — pick your occupation and age, slide the WPI from the report, and carry it into the full calculator when you’re ready.