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I'm so glad you posted this because I'm in almost the exact same boat! Filed my paper SDI claim 2 weeks ago after back surgery and have been refreshing the SDI Online portal obsessively with no luck. Reading everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful - sounds like 3-4 weeks is unfortunately pretty normal for paper claims to even show up in the system. It's crazy that we have to stress like this when we're already dealing with medical issues and can't work! I think I'm going to give it one more week and then try that Claimyr service people mentioned. Fingers crossed both our claims show up soon - this waiting game is brutal when you're worried about bills piling up!
I totally feel your pain! I'm a newcomer here but have been lurking and reading everyone's experiences while waiting for my own paper SDI claim to process. It's such a relief to find this community and realize that the 2-5 week wait times for paper claims to even appear online seem to be the unfortunate norm rather than the exception. The anxiety of not knowing if EDD even received your paperwork while you're already stressed about medical recovery and finances is just awful. I'm definitely bookmarking that Claimyr service everyone's mentioning - seems like it might be worth it just for peace of mind. Hope your back is healing well and that both our claims show up soon! This whole process really needs to be improved.
I'm new to this community but wanted to share my experience since I just went through this exact situation! I filed my paper SDI claim about 6 weeks ago after shoulder surgery and had the same panic when nothing showed up for almost a month. Like others mentioned, it eventually appeared online after about 4 weeks with no prior notification. What really helped me was keeping a detailed timeline of when I mailed everything and following up with my doctor to confirm they submitted their portion correctly. The waiting is absolutely nerve-wracking when you're already dealing with recovery and financial stress. One tip that might help - try calling the SDI number early in the morning (around 8 AM) when the lines open, I had better luck getting through then rather than calling throughout the day. Hang in there, it sounds like your timeline is still within the unfortunately normal range for paper claims!
my cousin just had this same problem!!! she ended up not doing the work cuz her doc wouldnt sign off on it. said somethin about liability issues if she approved work during recovery period. maybe depends on what kinda birth u had?
Just wanted to add another perspective as someone who navigated this recently. I was on SDI after my delivery and ended up doing some freelance graphic design work (also 1099). Here's what worked for me: 1. Got written approval from my OB first - she was actually supportive since it was just computer work from home 2. Called EDD using that Claimyr service (totally worth the fee btw) and spoke to a rep who walked me through the partial benefit calculation 3. Kept detailed records of every hour worked and dollar earned 4. My benefits were reduced but not eliminated - ended up being worth it financially The key thing the EDD rep told me was that as long as the work doesn't interfere with your recovery and your doctor approves it, part-time remote work during pregnancy disability is generally okay. Just be 100% transparent about reporting income. One warning though - make sure you understand how it might affect your PFL transition. I had to provide extra documentation when I switched over, but it wasn't as bad as some people make it sound. Good luck mama!
Ive heard rumors that they're updating their systems soon. Supposedly it'll make everything faster. Anyone know if thats true or just more 🐂💩?
Listen up, y'all. The key is to be a squeaky wheel. Call every. single. day. Eventually, they'll get so annoyed they'll fast-track your claim just to get rid of you. Works like a charm 😈
I'm dealing with something similar right now - been stuck on "pending processing" for 3 weeks after a workplace injury. The waiting is absolutely brutal when you're dealing with medical bills and no income. From what I've gathered here and other forums, it seems like EDD is severely understaffed and claims are just sitting in digital piles waiting for review. One thing that helped me was setting up automatic daily checks of my SDI account at the same time each day (I do it with my morning coffee) so I don't obsessively refresh throughout the day. Also documenting every interaction attempt like @Sean O'Brien mentioned - I keep a simple spreadsheet with dates, times, and what happened. The state representative option sounds promising, I might try that next week if nothing changes. Hang in there - from what everyone's saying, the money does eventually come through with backpay!
That's a great system for managing the stress - the daily coffee check sounds much healthier than my current obsessive refreshing! I'm definitely going to steal that idea. And yes, documenting everything is so important. I've been keeping screenshots of my account status and writing down every call attempt. It's frustrating that we have to become our own case managers just to get benefits we've paid into, but at least we're all supporting each other through this nightmare process!
Ethan Wilson
I'm new to receiving EDD disability benefits and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I have a similar situation coming up with the upcoming Memorial Day holiday. My payment is scheduled for that Monday, so based on everyone's experiences here, I should expect it to arrive on Tuesday instead. It's reassuring to know this is normal and that most companies are understanding about these holiday delays. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it really helps those of us who are navigating this for the first time!
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Ravi Gupta
•Welcome to the disability benefits community! You're absolutely right - based on everyone's shared experiences, you should expect your Memorial Day payment to arrive on Tuesday instead of Monday. One thing I'd add from reading through this thread is to maybe set a reminder to call any companies with auto-payments scheduled for that Tuesday, just to give them a heads up about the potential delay. It sounds like most are pretty accommodating when you explain it's a government benefit delayed by a holiday. Good luck with everything!
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Yuki Tanaka
I just wanted to add that if you're using the EDD debit card instead of direct deposit, the timing can be a bit different. I've noticed that my EDD card sometimes gets loaded earlier than expected, even on holidays, because it uses a different processing system than traditional bank transfers. It's worth checking your card balance online or at an ATM on the holiday itself - you might get a pleasant surprise! But if you're doing direct deposit to a regular bank account, then yeah, expect the delay until the next business day like everyone else mentioned.
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Melody Miles
•That's really good to know about the EDD debit card! I didn't realize it might process differently than direct deposit. I'm currently set up with direct deposit but considering switching to the card if it means more reliable timing, especially around holidays. Do you find the card is generally faster for getting your payments, or is it just the holiday processing that's different? Also, are there any downsides to using the card versus direct deposit that I should know about?
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