lol welcome to the club 🤡 been waiting 3 months here

I'm going through the exact same thing right now - 16 days and counting with no payment. The stress is real! 😰 I've tried calling multiple times but like everyone else, can't get through. Going to try @Ruby Garcia's tip about calling right when they open tomorrow. Also going to check my online account again for any messages I might have missed after reading @Lucy Taylor's comment about identity verification issues. This whole situation is just awful - we're already dealing with being unable to work and then they make us jump through hoops just to get the help we're entitled to. Hoping we all get our payments soon! 🤞

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this nightmare - EDD's timing and communication issues are absolutely infuriating! The fact that they disqualified you literally ONE DAY after you mailed the documents they requested is just cruel. I went through something similar with my workers' comp claim that transitioned to SDI. Here's what worked for me: Call back and ask to speak with a "disability determination specialist" specifically - not just regular customer service. When you get one, explain the exact timeline: you called on the 14th and 15th, were told to mail docs, sent them priority mail on the 15th, then got disqualified on the 16th. Ask them to put detailed notes in your file about this timeline discrepancy. Also, since you have that priority mail tracking, that's PROOF you sent everything when they told you to. Make sure to give them that tracking number - it shows you acted in good faith and their system failed you, not the other way around. The assembly member route really does work in California. I contacted mine through their website and got a response within 2 days. They have dedicated staff who deal with EDD issues all the time because this stuff happens constantly. Definitely file the appeal as backup, but given that your documents are already in their system and you have proof of when you sent them, there's a good chance this gets resolved without needing the full appeal process. Keep us posted on what happens with the claim specialist review!

I'm really sorry you're going through this - the EDD system seems to have some serious timing issues that hurt people when they're most vulnerable. The fact that they disqualified you just one day after you mailed the documents they specifically requested is absolutely ridiculous. From reading through all the responses here, it sounds like you're getting some really solid advice. The key things that stand out to me are: 1) You have proof you sent everything when they asked (that priority mail tracking), 2) EDD confirmed your documents arrived and are just waiting to be processed, and 3) Multiple people have had success getting these types of administrative errors fixed by speaking with the right people. I'd definitely recommend doing both the phone approach (asking specifically for a disability determination specialist) AND contacting your assembly member's office at the same time. Don't put all your eggs in one basket - use every avenue available since you're dealing with a time-sensitive financial situation. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet - if you end up getting this resolved and receiving back pay, make sure to ask about interest or penalty payments if there were any delays in processing that weren't your fault. California sometimes provides additional compensation when their administrative errors cause financial hardship. Hang in there, and please keep updating us on how this goes. Your situation is unfortunately common enough that other people will probably benefit from hearing how it gets resolved!

Have you tried faxing your documents? Sometimes that gets their attention faster than calling or emailing.

I'm dealing with something similar right now - my payment is 12 days late and I can't get through to anyone either. One thing that's helped me is keeping a detailed log of every time I try to contact them (date, time, method). Also, I found that calling right at 8 AM when they open gives you the best chance of getting through. The wait is still brutal, but at least you're in the queue. Hang in there, you're not alone in this struggle! 💪

I went through this exact same thing a few months ago! The key is being super organized with your documentation. Make sure you have multiple forms of ID verification - I ended up sending my driver's license, passport, AND birth certificate. For address verification, I included utility bills from the last 3 months, my lease agreement, and even a bank statement. The wage verification was trickier - I had to contact my previous employers to get official wage statements since my paystubs weren't detailed enough. Also, definitely keep calling them even though it's frustrating. I finally got through after trying the early morning approach others mentioned. Hang in there - it's a pain but you'll get through it! 💪

Another thing that really helped me was creating a checklist and timeline for myself. I made a spreadsheet tracking what documents I sent, when I sent them, confirmation numbers, etc. EDD processes are slow but having everything documented made follow-up calls way more productive. Also, if you have any employment gaps or worked gig jobs (Uber, DoorDash, etc.), make sure you have documentation for those too - they're stricter about verifying all income sources now. The whole process took me about 6 weeks total but staying organized and persistent was key. You got this! 📋✨

Thanks everyone for the explanations! I understand what happened now. The 7 days is basically a deductible period that I don't get paid for, and since I only had 4 additional days of disability after that, AND I used sick pay for the first 6 days, I basically didn't qualify for any benefit payment. Seems like SDI only makes sense for longer disability periods. I'll know better for next time, though hopefully I won't need surgery again! I may still try calling EDD just to confirm this understanding.

This is such a common misunderstanding! I went through something similar with my maternity leave last year. The key thing to remember is that SDI is really designed as income replacement for when you have NO other income coming in due to disability. Since your employer covered those first 6 days with sick pay, SDI views that as you already having income replacement for that period. It's frustrating because you're paying into SDI through payroll deductions, but the system assumes your employer benefits come first. For future reference, some people choose to save their sick days and go unpaid earlier to maximize their SDI benefits, but that obviously depends on your financial situation and employer policies.