Great news that you got through! This is very common with paper applications - there's almost always something missing or unclear. Once your doctor sends in the complete information, your claim should move forward. Make sure to follow up in about a week if you don't see any updates. And don't forget to ask your doctor to include your SSN on every page!

Will do! The agent said once they receive the complete information, it should only take about 7-10 days to process. Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly from here.

Yeah this is normal. EDD systems actually do work correctly sometimes! Your doctor submitted the supplemental certification which triggered their system to send you the new forms starting from your new disability date. As long as you didn't certify for the days you worked (which you said you didn't), you're fine. One thing to watch for - sometimes the system has glitches where they might send you certification forms that overlap with your work period anyway. If that happens, just don't certify for days you worked and note it on the form. And make sure your employer didn't accidentally report you as still on leave during that 8-day period when you did work. That could cause confusion later.

Thank you all for the helpful responses! This has been a huge relief. I'm going to certify for the period starting Feb 24th as requested and make sure I keep all my paperwork organized in case there are any questions later. The 15-day rule info was particularly helpful - I had no idea that was the cutoff for continuing a claim vs starting a new one. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to share their knowledge and experiences!

the WHOLE SYSTEM is a mess!! my cousin was pregnant last year and EDD kept sending her confusing letters - first they said she qualified for disability then they said she didnt then they wanted more paperwork from her doctor who already sent everything!!! took her like 8 weeks to get her first payment and she almost got evicted. just warning you it might take WAY longer than they say to get paid especially with the UI thing going on too

Once your doctor submits the medical certification for your SDI claim, you should check your SDI Online account daily. If there are any issues, they'll show up in your account before you get a letter in the mail. Watch for status changes from "pending" to either "processing" or "additional information needed." Also, one technical detail: make sure you properly end your UI claim when you start SDI. There's a specific process for this. You need to stop certifying for UI benefits once your disability begins. If you continue certifying for UI while on SDI, the system will flag it as potential fraud, even if you're not actually receiving UI payments due to the appeal. Your SDI benefits will be based on the same base period as your UI claim was, so your weekly amount should be similar to what your UI would have been (though calculated slightly differently).

BTW don't freak out if your claim shows as "pending" for like 2 weeks after you submit everything. Mine did and I panicked but apparently that's normal. They're super backed up right now.

One other important tip: Once your claim is approved, you still need to complete "continued claim certification" forms every two weeks. These will either come by mail or you can do them online. Many people miss this step and wonder why their payments stop! Also, when you're ready to return to work, you need to notify EDD. If you return earlier than your claim end date, make sure to report the exact date so you don't end up with an overpayment that you'll have to repay later.

Make sure you're looking at the right benefit type too. I almost missed a payment because I was looking at my SDI history when the payment had been incorrectly processed under my PFL claim even though the dates were from my disability period. The EDD systems don't communicate with each other as well as they should.

Just wanted to follow up - were you able to get this resolved? I'm curious if any of the suggestions worked for you.