sickness benefits

Sickness benefits refers to the money that a person receives regularly from the government when he/she is unable to work because of an illness or a medical condition.  

As explained in National Railroad Passenger Corp. v. Su, 289 F. Supp. 3d 1130 - Dist. Court, ED California (2017), “sickness benefits under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA) preemption provision means wage-replacement payments for covered employees who are unable to work because they are injured, ill, sick, or have an issue related to pregnancy or childbirth.”

See also: disability benefits

[Last reviewed in April of 2025 by the Wex Definitions Team]

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