That's such great news! Thanks for updating us with what actually worked. This is really helpful information for others who might face the same situation. It's frustrating that the notices aren't clearer about the ADA accommodation options, but at least now we know the process. Hope your recovery goes smoothly and you get your benefits sorted out without any more delays!

This thread is incredibly helpful! As someone who works with disabled individuals navigating government benefits, I see this exact situation way too often. The fact that EDD doesn't clearly communicate the ADA accommodation options on their notices is a real problem - it forces people who are already dealing with medical issues to jump through unnecessary hoops. For anyone else reading this, here are a few additional tips: 1) Always ask for confirmation numbers when you speak with reps about accommodations, 2) Keep detailed notes of who you spoke with and when, and 3) If possible, have someone help you with the calls since being on pain medication or dealing with medical stress can make it hard to advocate for yourself effectively. Really glad this worked out for you, Zoe! Your persistence and the community's help here probably saved others from going through the same struggle.

Hey Sofia! I went through the exact same thing about 6 months ago - payment was 4 days late and I was panicking. Turns out EDD was doing some backend maintenance that wasn't announced anywhere. The payment showed up eventually, but the stress was real! One thing that helped me was logging into the EDD portal and checking if there were any pending issues or flags on my account. Sometimes they'll put a hold if they need additional documentation or if there's a discrepancy they're reviewing. Also, if you have direct deposit, double-check that your banking info is still correct in your profile. I know someone whose payment got delayed because their bank changed routing numbers and they didn't update it. Sending you good vibes that it gets sorted out soon! The waiting is the worst part. 💙

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this stress! I had a similar scare a few months back where my payment was 5 days late. It turned out that EDD had flagged my account for a routine review - nothing wrong on my end, just their random audit process. The scary part was that there was NO notification about it anywhere in my online account. What finally helped was when I managed to get through on the phone (took like 30 tries over 2 days), the rep told me that sometimes payments get held up in their fraud prevention system and they have to manually release them. Super annoying but it happens more often than they admit. Have you tried logging in at different times of day? Sometimes their system shows different info depending on when you check. I know it sounds weird but I swear the portal was showing different status messages when I logged in at night vs morning. Also, if you're really stuck and can't get through by phone, try reaching out to your local state assembly member's office. They have caseworkers who can contact EDD directly on your behalf. It's free and they're usually pretty responsive. I had to do this once for a friend and they got results within 48 hours. Hang in there - the money will come through! The system is frustrating but they don't just lose payments. 🤞

Pro tip: check if your employer has any resources to help with PFL claims. Some companies have HR staff who can assist or provide guidance.

Hey Andre! I went through something similar a few months ago - filed for the wrong benefit type and it was a nightmare to sort out. Here's what worked for me: I ended up having to withdraw my original claim completely and refile the correct one. You can do this through the online portal under "manage claims" but you'll need to call to confirm the withdrawal went through. Also, make sure you have all your documents ready for the new claim - medical records, employer info, etc. The whole process added about 2-3 weeks to my timeline but at least I got the right benefits in the end. Don't lose hope, it's fixable! 💪

Does anyone know if gig work counts towards SDI calculations? I do some freelancing on the side and I'm not sure if that's included.

Thanks for posting this question! I'm in a similar situation and this thread has been super informative. One thing I'd add is that the base period they use for calculating your benefits is typically the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before your claim starts. So if you file in February 2025, they'd look at earnings from October 2023 through September 2024. Also, make sure all your employers have been properly reporting your wages to EDD - I had an issue where one of my part-time jobs wasn't showing up and I had to provide pay stubs to get it corrected.

Just wanted to add my experience as someone new to this community - I've been lurking here for a few days while dealing with my own EDD disability claim issues. This thread has been incredibly helpful! I tried the Spanish queue trick this morning after reading Logan's success story, and while I didn't get through today (still got disconnected after 40 minutes on hold), the fact that I actually made it to a hold queue gives me hope that this approach works better than what I was doing before. For anyone else trying this method, make sure you have your claim number and all relevant info ready because when you do get through, you want to make the most of that call. I'm going to keep trying with the 8am Spanish queue approach. Thanks to everyone who shared their strategies - it's amazing how this community has figured out workarounds that EDD should just tell people about directly!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been! I'm currently dealing with my first SDI claim that's been stuck in pending status, and I was completely lost on how to actually reach someone at EDD until I found this discussion. Reading through Logan's journey from complete frustration to success using the Spanish queue trick at 8am is exactly the kind of real-world guidance I needed. It's honestly shocking that we have to develop these elaborate strategies just to access basic information about our own benefits, but I'm so grateful everyone here shares what actually works. I'm definitely going to try the Spanish queue approach combined with the early morning timing tomorrow. The fact that multiple people have had success with this method gives me hope after my own failed attempts this week. Thank you everyone for creating such a supportive community where we can share these workarounds - it makes dealing with EDD's broken system so much less isolating!