What Can You Spend an SJDB Voucher On? 6 Uses and Caps

Last reviewed October 15, 2026 by Daryl Williams, Bentley Forbes Security Training Academy.

You can spend a Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit (SJDB) voucher on training at a California public school or at a provider on the state's Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL), plus a short list of capped extras such as a computer, career counseling, and a small miscellaneous allowance. For injuries on or after January 1, 2013, the voucher is worth up to $6,000 in total, and every use comes out of that one pool. If you're weighing a move into security work, our guide to using an SJDB voucher for security guard training covers the full process from start to finish. This post focuses on the spending rules: the six allowable uses, what each one needs for paperwork, how payment reaches you or your school, and what the voucher can't do. We'll also cover the costs you'll want a school to put in writing before you enroll.

Key Takeaways

• Training at a California public school or an ETPL-listed provider is the core use. Tuition, fees, books, and related training expenses all qualify.
• Licensing and certification fees (including exam and exam-prep course fees) and tools your training requires also come out of the voucher.
• A computer, counseling and placement help, and a miscellaneous allowance each have their own cap inside the voucher total.
• Your claims administrator pays you or the provider directly once it has complete paperwork.
• The voucher can't be cashed out in a settlement, and it expires, so plan your spending early and submit expenses before the expiration date.

The Short Answer: Training First, Then a Few Capped Extras

Education is the main use of the voucher. The law limits qualifying schools to "a California public school or ... a provider that is certified and on the state's Eligible Training Provider List," according to Labor Code 4658.7. 8 CCR 10133.31 sets out the same two categories. For 2013 and later injuries, there's no general "accredited school" or out-of-state category.

The Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC) tells workers to search CalJOBS for approved SJDB training providers. Our walkthrough on finding an SJDB-approved training provider in CalJOBS shows you the search steps.

If your injury happened between 2004 and 2012, a different statute sets the voucher amount and the school approval rules. Our explainer on what the Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit is covers both versions.

The 6 Allowable Uses of an SJDB Voucher

All six uses below come from LC 4658.7 and 8 CCR 10133.31. Each one draws from the same total, so money spent on one use leaves less for the others.

1. Tuition, Fees, Books, and Training Expenses

This is the core use of the voucher, and it covers tuition, fees, books, and other expenses for training at a qualifying provider. Before you enroll, confirm the school is a California public school or appears on the ETPL. Ask the school which of its charges are tuition, which are fees, and which are materials, so your claims administrator can match each line to a receipt.

2. Licensing, Certification, and Exam Fees

The voucher can pay occupational licensing or professional certification fees, related exam fees, and exam-prep course fees. For a career change into a licensed field, this matters as much as tuition, because finishing a course doesn't always mean you're allowed to work yet. Ask your claims administrator whether a specific state registration or permit fee qualifies before you pay it out of pocket.

3. Tools Required by the Training

Tools qualify when a training program you're enrolled in requires them. The key word is "required," so a written supply list from the school is your best support. Optional gear that a course merely recommends may not qualify, so check with your claims administrator first.

4. Computer Equipment, Up to $1,000

You can put up to $1,000 of the voucher toward computer equipment. A computer can help with online coursework, job applications, and résumé writing. You request it on page 4 of the voucher form (Request for Purchase of Computer Equipment) with an invoice or itemized receipts, and games or entertainment media don't qualify. The claims administrator can pay the computer retailer directly, which saves you from fronting the cost.

5. Counseling, Placement, and Résumé Help, Up to $600 Combined

Vocational or return-to-work counseling, licensed placement agency services, and résumé help share one combined $600 cap. That means spending on a counselor reduces what's left for résumé help. If you're unsure which career fits your situation, a counseling session early in the process can help you choose training before you commit tuition dollars.

6. A $500 Miscellaneous Allowance With No Itemized Receipts

This allowance works as either a reimbursement or an advance. You request it on page 3 of the voucher form (Request for Miscellaneous Expenses), and it doesn't require itemized receipts. It's the most flexible part of the voucher, but the rules exclude transportation, travel, phone or internet access, clothing or uniforms, and incidental expenses (8 CCR 10133.31). It still comes out of the same total.

SJDB Voucher Uses at a Glance

Only three uses carry their own cap. Everything else is limited only by the voucher total.

Use	Cap	Documentation
Tuition, fees, books, training expenses	No separate cap (counts toward total)	Completed voucher, receipts, and supporting documentation
Licensing, certification, exam fees	No separate cap (counts toward total)	Completed voucher, receipts, and supporting documentation
Tools required by the training	No separate cap (counts toward total)	Completed voucher, receipts, and supporting documentation (a school supply list helps show the tool is required)
Computer equipment	$1,000	Request for Purchase of Computer Equipment (page 4) plus an invoice or itemized receipts; no games or entertainment media
Counseling, placement, résumé help	$600 combined	Completed voucher, receipts, and supporting documentation
Miscellaneous expenses	$500	Request for Miscellaneous Expenses (page 3); no itemized receipts. Excludes transportation, travel, phone or internet, clothing or uniforms, and incidentals

How Payment Works

Your claims administrator either pays you back or pays the training provider, counselor, or computer retailer directly. Under 8 CCR 10133.31, it must pay within 45 calendar days of receiving the completed voucher, receipts, and documentation.

The voucher itself is Form DWC-AD 10133.32. Keep a copy of every page you submit, along with the date you sent it. If the clock seems to stall, "complete" is the word to check first: a missing receipt or signature can hold up payment.

If you run into a dispute, DWC lists two routes in its SJDB FAQ: email DWCSJDBinquiries@dir.ca.gov, or, if you don't have an attorney and your case is at the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, file a Declaration of Readiness. You can also call DWC's Information Services Center at 1-800-736-7401 (DWC Information & Assistance).

Planning a Security Training Budget

A guard card path has several separate costs, and the voucher can cover some of them. The best first step is to ask any school you're considering for a written cost breakdown you can submit with your voucher. At BFSTA, you can start a workers' comp training voucher screening and ask us for one.

The Costs to Ask About

• Training. California requires an 8-hour Power to Arrest and Appropriate Use of Force course, administered and certified by a single course provider and completed within six months before you apply, then 32 more hours within six months, 16 of them in the first 30 days. Our guide to getting a guard card in California explains the sequence. Programs beyond the basics run longer, and our post on choosing a security training program by hours compares the options.
• BSIS registration. The Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS) charges a $60 initial guard registration fee. Ask your claims administrator whether it counts as a licensing fee under your voucher.
• Live Scan fingerprinting. You'll need a DOJ/FBI Live Scan background check. The total cost varies by Live Scan location, so ask the location for the current amount before you go.
• Armed work, if you want it. The exposed firearm permit requires you to be 21 or older and to pass a BSIS-required psychological assessment within six months before you apply. Firearms training and permit costs add to the budget, so ask for those in writing too.
• Uniforms and travel. The voucher can't pay for clothing or uniforms, transportation, or travel, even from the $500 miscellaneous allowance, so budget for those separately (8 CCR 10133.31).

Before you choose a role, check your work restrictions with your treating physician or QME. Our overview of security jobs with a permanent disability describes typical roles in general terms. Physical demands vary by employer and post, from desk-based monitoring to patrol on foot.

Getting the Breakdown in Writing

BFSTA is an ETPL-listed training provider based in Los Angeles and Camarillo. Ask us which of our programs are listed, and confirm it yourself in CalJOBS. A written breakdown lets your claims administrator see exactly what each charge is for. Approval and payment still come from the claims administrator, not the school.

What the Voucher Can't Do

The voucher is a retraining benefit, not cash, and two limits shape how you plan.

It can't be settled or cashed out. LC 4658.7 says: "Settlement or commutation of a claim for the supplemental job displacement benefit shall not be permitted." You can't trade it for a lump sum in your workers' comp settlement.

It expires. The voucher ends "two years after the date the voucher is furnished to the employee, or five years after the date of injury, whichever is later," per the same statute and the DWC SJDB FAQ. Expenses must be incurred and submitted with documentation before that date (8 CCR 10133.31), so mark it on your calendar as soon as the voucher arrives.

A Separate $5,000 Payment to Know About

Workers injured on or after January 1, 2013 who received an SJDB voucher may qualify for the one-time $5,000 Return-to-Work Supplement Program payment. RTWSP must receive your application within one year from the date the voucher was served, so don't wait.

Proposed Rule Changes to Watch

Rules current as of October 15, 2026; DWC has proposed updates, so confirm the current rules with your claims administrator. DWC posted draft SJDB rule amendments in December 2024 and October 2025. The drafts would keep education limited to California public schools or EDD's approved-provider list, limit counseling payments to counselors on DWC's Vocational & Return to Work Counselor (VRTWC) list, and update the voucher form. As of October 15, 2026, we found no notice that DWC has adopted them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use my SJDB voucher to buy a computer?

Yes. Computer equipment is an allowable use, capped at $1,000 within the voucher total. See the six allowable uses for details.

Do I need receipts for the $500 miscellaneous allowance?

No. You submit the Request for Miscellaneous Expenses on page 3 of the voucher form, without itemized receipts, and it can be paid as a reimbursement or an advance. It can't cover transportation, travel, phone or internet access, clothing or uniforms, or incidental expenses. The summary table shows documentation for every use.

Can I cash out my SJDB voucher in a settlement?

No. California law doesn't allow the voucher to be settled or commuted. See what the voucher can't do.

When does my SJDB voucher expire?

It expires two years after it's furnished to you or five years after your injury date, whichever is later, and expenses must be submitted before then. More in what the voucher can't do.

Ready to Plan Your Training?

If you have an SJDB voucher and you're thinking about security work, start a workers' comp training voucher screening to ask us about using your SJDB voucher and request a written cost breakdown. Call (818) 827-7142 or contact BFSTA to talk through your options.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your specific situation with your claims administrator, DWC's Information Services Center (1-800-736-7401), BSIS, or an attorney.

Cover photo: Photo by Romain Dancre on Unsplash.