I was in a very similar situation about 8 months ago with a shoulder injury that needed multiple surgeries. What really saved me was getting organized early and being proactive with the paperwork. Here's what worked for me: 1. Don't wait - I filed my new claim about 3 weeks before my benefit year ended, which gave EDD plenty of time to process everything 2. Get your doctor to be very specific in their medical certification - mine wrote detailed notes about why the recovery was taking longer than expected (scar tissue complications, need for additional PT, etc.) 3. Keep copies of EVERYTHING - I made copies of all forms, medical records, and correspondence 4. Follow up regularly - I called EDD every week to check on the status of my new claim The transition was actually pretty seamless once I got all the documentation in order. I think the key is treating it like a brand new application rather than expecting it to automatically continue. The medical documentation is absolutely critical - your doctor needs to clearly state that you're still unable to work due to the same condition. One tip that helped me: I asked my doctor's office to fax the medical certification directly to EDD in addition to mailing the hard copy, which seemed to speed up the processing. You've got this! Don't let the stress get to you - there are legitimate pathways to continued benefits if you're still legitimately disabled.

I went through this exact situation last year with my workers comp case that transitioned to SDI. My benefit year was ending in March but I still needed another 8 weeks of recovery after spinal fusion surgery. What saved me was getting my surgeon to write a very detailed progress note explaining that while my initial healing was going well, the nerve recovery was taking much longer than initially projected. The key thing I learned is that EDD doesn't care about your original timeline - they only care about your CURRENT medical status. So when filing the new claim, make sure your doctor focuses on your present limitations and prognosis, not just referring back to the original injury. My surgeon included specific functional limitations (can't lift over 10 lbs, can't sit for more than 30 minutes, etc.) which really helped justify continued benefits. I filed my new claim about 4 weeks before my benefit year ended and there was zero gap in payments. The EDD rep I spoke with said that as long as the medical certification clearly shows ongoing disability from the same condition, they process it pretty routinely. Also, don't be discouraged if the first person you talk to at EDD doesn't seem helpful - I had to call back twice before I got someone who really understood the process for continuing disability claims. Hang in there!

I went through something similar about 6 months ago. Here's what worked for me: I logged into my SDI Online account and looked under "Forms" or "Documents" - sometimes the continued claim certification shows up there even if you don't get an email notification. Also, try clearing your browser cache and logging back in. The EDD website is notoriously glitchy and sometimes forms don't load properly. If that doesn't work, you can also try accessing your account from a different device or browser. The form is usually available 2 weeks before your current certification period expires. Hope this helps!

I'm dealing with something similar right now! My payments stopped last week and I've been panicking. Reading through all these responses is actually really reassuring - sounds like this is unfortunately pretty common with EDD. I'm going to try some of the suggestions here, especially checking my contact info and looking more carefully through my account for the form. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, it really helps to know we're not alone in this mess! 🙏

Ive been in the same boat. Its a total nightmare. I finally got through after weeks of trying. Don't give up!

I've been through this exact same situation! For the ID.me email issue, try contacting their customer support directly through their help center - they can manually verify your identity and help you regain access or create a new account even if you can't access your old email. Also, since you haven't gotten SDI checks since August, you might be eligible for back payments once you get this sorted out. In the meantime, try calling EDD's SDI line (1-800-480-3287) early in the morning - around 8 AM seems to be the sweet spot. Document everything and keep trying - I know it's exhausting but you'll get through this! 💪

I'm going through the exact same nightmare right now! Filed my SDI claim 3 weeks ago for severe anxiety and PTSD, got disqualified yesterday with zero explanation. It's absolutely maddening when you're already dealing with mental health struggles and then the system that's supposed to help just creates more stress. After reading through all these responses, I'm convinced my issue is also the functional limitations problem. My therapist probably just wrote something generic about my conditions without explaining the specific ways they prevent me from working - like how my PTSD triggers cause me to freeze up during phone calls with clients, or how my anxiety makes it impossible to focus on detailed tasks for more than a few minutes at a time. I'm definitely trying the 8:01 AM calling strategy tomorrow (genius tip about not calling exactly at 8:00!). I'm also going to contact both my therapist and psychiatrist to get them to submit much more detailed letters about my specific functional limitations. It's so frustrating that we have to become experts in navigating this broken system when we're already struggling just to get through each day. But seeing all these success stories gives me hope that this can be resolved. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it really helps to know we're not alone in this fight!

I'm so sorry you're going through this - the mental health disability claim process is absolutely brutal and confusing. Reading through everyone's experiences here, it really sounds like the issue is probably with functional limitations not being detailed enough on your doctor's form. I went through something very similar about a year ago with my anxiety disorder. My claim got disqualified initially because my psychiatrist just wrote "patient has generalized anxiety disorder" without explaining HOW that actually prevents me from doing my job. When I finally got through to EDD (took forever!), they told me they needed specific examples like "patient experiences panic attacks lasting 20-30 minutes that prevent completion of tasks" or "severe anxiety causes inability to concentrate during meetings." My advice based on what worked for me: - Try calling EDD right when they open (8:00-8:01 AM seems to be the sweet spot) - Ask them to read you the exact disqualification reason from their system - Get your doctor to submit a supplemental letter with very specific functional limitations - Consider getting documentation from both your psychiatrist AND therapist if you see both The whole process took about 2 months to resolve but I did get approved retroactively. Don't give up - this system is designed to be discouraging but most mental health claims do get approved eventually with the right documentation. You've got this!

lol remember when we thought adulting would be fun? Now we're all here trying to figure out disability paperwork 🤣

I went through this exact same situation last year! Sophie's advice is spot on - definitely use November 11th as your claim start date. One thing I'd add is to make sure you have documentation from your employer showing the PTO usage during Nov 4-10, just in case they ask for it later. Also, don't stress too much about the form - if you make a mistake, you can usually call and get it corrected. The most important thing is being honest about using PTO during the waiting period. Good luck with your claim!