Just received a notice from EDD saying my SDI benefits are ending in 3 weeks, along with info on how to apply for PFL. Here's my situation - I have surgery scheduled next month, and I'm seeing my doctor this Thursday who will likely extend my disability since I'll need recovery time after the procedure. I'm really confused about the timing here. Should I: 1) Wait for my current SDI to completely finish before applying for PFL? 2) Go ahead and apply for PFL now while still on SDI? 3) Skip the PFL application entirely if my doctor extends my SDI? I don't want to mess anything up and risk losing benefits. Has anyone dealt with this transition between SDI and surgery extensions? The EDD website isn't clear on this specific situation.

I'm in a really difficult situation and desperately need advice. Last week, I injured my dominant hand at home (stupid kitchen accident with a blender) and found out I need surgery followed by about 4 months of rehab/recovery. The problem is I just started a new job 2 months ago after relocating to California, and my doctor told me I likely won't qualify for SDI because of the base period quarter calculations. Apparently I don't have enough wages in my base period? I've been working consistently for years, just not in California. Does anyone know if there are other options or processes to get some kind of disability pay during recovery? My employer is small and doesn't offer any private short-term disability insurance. I'm honestly panicking about how I'll pay rent during recovery since I can't type or do my job one-handed. Has anyone been in this situation before or know of alternative programs?

I just discovered my EDD disability payments were stolen from my Money Network debit card. I've been on SDI for 2 months (back injury from work accident), and when I checked my balance this morning, there were four unauthorized charges totaling $2,900 at stores in Florida! I've never even been to Florida. Two charges were at gas stations, one at a Target, and another at some electronics store. All within 24 hours. I immediately called Money Network customer service, and I'm beyond frustrated. They said they can't process my fraud claim over the phone or online - they have to mail me a paper form that I need to fill out and return. But THEN I can email it back to them? Makes zero sense. Meanwhile, my account is now negative, my card is frozen, and they said a replacement won't arrive until 7-10 business days from now. I'm completely without funds for medication and basic needs. Has anyone dealt with this fraud situation with their disability payments? How long did the claim process take? Did you get your money back quickly? Any tips on how to make this process go faster? This is my only income source right now and I'm panicking.

I'm in a complete nightmare situation with EDD and don't know what to do. After getting injured at work in 2020, I was put on restricted duty. My employer terminated me claiming performance issues from months before my injury. I applied for UI benefits since I didn't understand workers' comp well. EDD approved my claim after a hearing with a judge, and I received about 4 months of payments.\n\nDuring this time, my WC doctor told me I needed more treatment, but the workers' comp insurance denied my claim. My doctor recommended getting an attorney. My attorney advised me to switch from UI to workers' comp since WC pays more. I went to the local EDD office where a representative told me it wouldn't be an issue - they said once my WC claim was settled, EDD would just recoup the UI benefits from my WC settlement.\n\nFast forward to now (2025), and the IRS has garnished my tax refund for an EDD overpayment. Then last month, EDD LEVIED MY BANK ACCOUNT without any warning! My workers' comp case is STILL ongoing after 5 years, and I've never received a penny from them. How can EDD claim I have an overpayment when I never got WC benefits? I tried contacting EDD but they've made it impossible to reach anyone since COVID.\n\nTo make matters worse, I was homeless for part of this period so I never received any notices they might have sent. I went to an appeal hearing, but the judge wouldn't even look at my documentation and just verbally told me his decision on the spot. Does anyone know what options I have to fight this? Can they really take my money before my WC case is even settled?

My disability claim has been sitting in limbo for almost 3 weeks now and I'm getting really anxious. Had reconstructive ACL surgery on January 10th (2025) and managed to submit my initial SDI claim about a week after surgery when I was more clear-headed from the pain meds. The online status has been stuck on "pending doctor info" this whole time even though my surgeon's office confirmed they submitted all the required medical certification forms at least 12 days ago. The bills are starting to pile up and I honestly can't return to my construction job for at least another 7-8 weeks according to my surgeon. I've tried calling EDD multiple times but keep getting the automated message about high call volume. Does anyone have recent experience with how long claims are taking to process? Is there something else I need to do to push this along? My coworker who had similar surgery last year said he got approved within 2 weeks, so I'm worried something's wrong with my claim.