Just a heads up that when I was on SDI for pregnancy last year (2024), they required me to submit WEEKLY certifications online through the SDI Online portal. Make sure you certify every week that you're still disabled, or your payments can be delayed or stopped. The system will send you reminders, but sometimes they go to spam, so check your account regularly.

One additional consideration: if you're approved for SDI based on pregnancy disability, and you later give birth, you'll transition to recovery benefits automatically (typically 6-8 weeks depending on delivery type). After that recovery period ends, you may be eligible for Paid Family Leave (PFL) for bonding with your newborn for up to 8 weeks. The entire sequence could look like: 1. Pregnancy Disability Leave (from doctor certification until birth) 2. Recovery period (6-8 weeks post-birth) 3. PFL bonding time (up to 8 weeks) This means you could potentially have continuous wage replacement from now until several months after your baby is born. Just something to plan for!

applyfor BOTH!!! thats what my neigbor did when she got hurt and couldnt decide and she ended up getting aproved for disability even tho she applied for both. they just denied the UI part.

UPDATE: I wanted to thank everyone for their helpful advice! I submitted the SDI application online yesterday and made sure his doctor completed the medical certification part today. The doctor included detailed notes about the traumatic brain injury, cognitive impairment, and 8-week minimum recovery timeline. I did mention his current commission-based employment but focused on his previous work history for the base period as suggested. Now I'm just anxiously waiting to see if they approve it. The hospital bills are already coming in, and I'm trying to figure out how to handle all our regular expenses too. I'll update again when I hear something about the claim status. Fingers crossed it won't take too long!

One more thing to keep in mind - don't expect your payments to start right away! Even after the waiting period, EDD can take 2-3 weeks to process your claim and issue first payment. Make sure you have some savings to cover that gap. I remember being stressed about bills when my payments didn't show up right away.

That's really good to know about the payment delay. I'll definitely need to plan for that. Thank you for all the helpful advice everyone! I feel much better prepared for my doctor appointment now.

Update on your options: 1. Continue trying to call the main SDI number (difficult but free) 2. Use Claimyr to connect with an agent (costs money but immediate) 3. Visit an EDD office in person if possible 4. Contact your state representative's office for help Option #4 is underutilized but effective. Your state assembly member or senator has staff dedicated to helping constituents with state agency issues. Google "[your city] state representative" and call their office explaining your situation. They can often get EDD to expedite your claim.

did u check ur spam folder? sometimes edd emails go there

To clarify what others have mentioned: Ohio doesn't have a state disability insurance program like California does. They have workers' compensation for work-related injuries and private disability insurance options, but not a state-run program with mandatory withholdings like SDI. This actually makes your situation both better and worse: - Better because there's not actually a competing state claim to your disability benefits - Worse because it means there was likely an error in how your wages were reported Based on what you've shared, I suspect your employer was either: 1. Incorrectly reporting your wages to Ohio for unemployment tax purposes 2. Not withholding California SDI at all (which is 1.1% of wages in 2025) 3. Withholding the money but not properly remitting it to California This is definitely something your employer's payroll department needs to help resolve. They may need to file amended tax returns for you going back several quarters.

UPDATE: I talked to my HR department and they confirmed they had me coded as an Ohio employee even though I've been working in their California office for 6 years! They're fixing it in their system and providing me with a letter explaining the error. I'm also gathering all my pay stubs and W2s to upload to EDD. I also used Claimyr to get through to EDD (after trying for 3 days on my own with no luck). The agent was able to see that my claim is still with the auditor but added notes about the payroll error and flagged it for review. They said with the employer's letter, they should be able to process my claim within 2 weeks. Fingers crossed this gets resolved soon. I'll post another update when I hear more. Thank you all for your help!