Update on my situation: my claim finally processed! It took exactly 9 business days from submission to approval. I never did figure out what was causing the hold-up, but I did get an email notification when it changed from 'pending processing' to 'paid' status. The funds were on my EDD debit card two days later. Looks like the timeline others mentioned (7-10 business days) was pretty accurate in my case. Hope this helps anyone else who's anxiously waiting!

Hey Makayla! I just went through this exact same situation about two months ago, so I totally understand the stress you're feeling right now. The waiting is absolutely brutal when you're worried about bills. From my experience, the "pending processing" status usually lasts about 8-12 business days for first-time claims. Mine took 10 business days exactly, and I got an email notification the moment it changed to "paid" status. The money showed up on the EDD debit card about 2 days after that. A few things that helped me stay sane during the wait: - Set up text/email notifications in your SDI Online account if you haven't already - Don't check the status more than once a day (I know, easier said than done!) - Remember that since your doctor submitted the certification so quickly, you're already ahead of many people You mentioned rent is due next week - if you're really in a bind, some property management companies will work with you if you explain the situation and show them your pending claim. It's worth asking. Try not to stress too much yet. You're still well within the normal timeframe. If you hit day 12-14 with no movement, that's when I'd start making those dreaded phone calls to EDD. Hang in there! 💪

i went thru something like this after my car accident. my advice is get EVERYTHING in writing from your doc. like super detailed about why u need the time off and how its connected to ur surgery. edd denied me at first but i appealed with more documentation and won. good luck!

Based on everyone's experiences here, it sounds like you have a good chance of continuing your existing claim for intermittent benefits, but the key is acting quickly and getting the right documentation. I'd recommend: 1. Contact your doctor ASAP to discuss the DE 2525XX form and make sure they understand this needs to be clearly connected to your December surgery 2. Don't formally close your current SDI claim when you return to work - keep it active 3. Consider using that Claimyr service someone mentioned to get through to an actual EDD rep to confirm the process The fact that multiple people here have successfully done this gives me hope for your situation. The conflicting experiences seem to come down to timing (setting it up before vs after closing the claim) and documentation quality. Since you're planning ahead, you should be in good shape. Keep us posted on how it goes - your experience could help others in similar situations!

Just to clarify something important - for Paid Family Leave (PFL), you'll have another chance to select tax withholding since it's technically a separate claim from your SDI. So when you transition from pregnancy disability to bonding time, you can opt for federal withholding on the PFL portion if you want.

Hey Fatima! I went through this exact same situation last year with my pregnancy leave. The tax withholding option is definitely there in the online application, but it's really easy to miss - it's kind of buried in the process and not very clearly labeled. What I ended up doing was having my husband adjust his W-4 at work to withhold extra federal taxes to cover both my SDI payments and the upcoming PFL. His payroll department was really helpful with calculating how much extra to withhold. We also started setting aside about 20% of each SDI payment just to be safe. One thing that helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet to track all payments and calculate roughly what we'd owe. SDI benefits are taxed as regular income, so whatever your normal tax rate is, that's what you'll owe on the benefits. Good luck with everything, and congratulations on your pregnancy! 💕

Guys, I just saw on Twitter that EDD is doing system maintenance this week. That might be why some people are having trouble certifying. They said it should be resolved by Friday.

This is so frustrating! I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now. Been trying to certify for three days and the system just keeps giving me error messages. It's really stressing me out because I can't afford to miss my certification deadline. Has anyone tried using the mobile app instead of the website? Sometimes different platforms work better when there are glitches.

Bruh, I feel u. been waiting 3 months now. this whole thing is wack af. stay strong tho, we gonna get through this 💪

Hey Connor, I've been through this exact same nightmare! Here's what finally worked for me: I called the disability determination services office directly (not the main EDD line) and explained my situation. They were able to see that my case had been sitting in a queue for weeks without being touched. The rep escalated it internally and I got a decision within 5 days. Also, double-check that you've submitted ALL the required medical documentation - sometimes one missing form can hold up everything. Don't give up, you've got this! 💪