Life & Disability Insurance: California & Nevada
Disability coverage replaces part of an employee's income when illness or injury keeps them out of work, and it is a benefit employees notice.
When illness or death disrupts income and family security, a single policy gap can unravel years of work. We close that gap.
Get a Life or Disability Quote
California requires SDI contributions, but the state benefit caps at $1,681/week in 2025. For Bay Area employees earning above the cap, private group disability fills the gap the state program was never designed to cover. Golden Benchmark places both.
Why These Three Work Together
Most businesses think about insurance as property and liability. But the biggest financial risks your employees, and you as an owner, face are personal: death, illness, injury. These three products address those risks directly.
Life Insurance
Protects your family if you die.
A lump-sum benefit paid to your beneficiaries. Covers income replacement, mortgage, dependents' education, and business succession.
Health Insurance
Protects your savings if you get sick.
Covers medical costs: but not lost income or family support.
See Group Health →Disability Insurance
Protects your income if you can't work.
Replaces a portion of wages, as set by the plan, when illness or injury keeps you out of work. Short-term covers weeks to months. Long-term can run to retirement age.
Emmi places all three for California and Nevada businesses. Most brokers only do one.
Disability Insurance
Workers' comp covers on-the-job injuries. California SDI covers short-term off-the-job disability, up to $1,681/week. But what happens when an employee earns $90,000 a year, gets seriously ill, and cannot work for two years? State SDI was never designed to cover that gap.
Short-Term Disability
Long-Term Disability
California SDI note: CA SDI is mandatory payroll deduction, but benefits are capped. Private supplemental disability is especially important for Bay Area employees earning above the state cap. We place both state-compliant and supplemental private plans.
Life Insurance
Group term life insurance is typically employer-paid and costs a fraction of individual policies. It covers employees' families in the event of death, and signals that your business invests in its people.
Group Life: Employer-Sponsored
Individual Life: Owner & Key Employee
State-Specific Rules
California
Nevada
Carriers We Work With
As an independent broker, we place with all carriers below. We are not captive to any single company. We match you to the right plan at the right price.
Group Life & Disability: California & Nevada
Individual Life & Disability: California & Nevada
Common Questions
Questions California business owners ask before placing life and disability coverage.
Have a specific question?
Talk to a BrokerCalifornia requires employers to contribute to the state SDI program, automatically withheld from employee wages. However, state SDI benefits are capped. Supplemental private disability is voluntary but fills the gap for higher earners and longer disabilities.
Short-term disability pays a portion of wages for a limited period after an illness or injury, with the duration and percentage set by the plan. Long-term disability kicks in after the short-term period ends and can last for years or through retirement age. For comprehensive protection, most advisors recommend both.
No, Nevada has no state disability insurance program, unlike California. This makes private short-term and long-term disability even more important for Nevada employees, since there is no state safety net.
Yes. Owners and sole proprietors are often excluded from group plans, so individual disability is an important personal protection. We place individual disability through Aflac, Equitable, Fidelity Life, Jackson National, Midland National, and Progressive.
Key-man, or key-person, life insurance is a policy owned by the business on a critical employee or owner. If that person dies, the benefit goes to the company, helping it survive the disruption, pay off debt, or fund a buyout. Essential for small businesses where one person drives significant revenue.
Ready to Get Started?
Independent broker for individual and group life and disability insurance in California and Nevada. No pressure. Just the right coverage, placed by Emmi Ensign, CA Lic #0D06566.
Golden Benchmark Insurance Services, CA Lic #0D06566. Most requests get a reply within one business day
