California Disability
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EDD confusion - applied for SDI after emergency birth hospitalization, doctor hasn't submitted paperwork yet
I'm totally confused about my maternity benefits situation after an unexpected hospital stay! I went in for what I thought would be a normal 36-week checkup last Thursday, but my blood pressure was through the roof. Doctor immediately sent me to the hospital where they kept me for monitoring. After a week of bed rest there, they decided to induce early and my daughter was born yesterday (complicated but everyone's okay now). In all the chaos, I applied for State Disability Insurance (SDI) while still in the hospital, figuring that's what I needed since this was a medical issue forcing me out of work unexpectedly. But now I'm second-guessing myself - should I have applied for Paid Family Leave (PFL) instead since the baby is actually here? My claim is showing as incomplete because my doctor hasn't submitted the medical certification yet. I texted their office and they said they'd "take care of the paperwork" but didn't specify what they're submitting. Can someone help me understand if I did this right? Will SDI cover both my pre-birth medical complications AND the normal maternity leave? Or did I mess up by not filing for PFL? This is my first baby and the early delivery threw all my careful planning out the window!
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Mistakenly didn't report 2 days on my EDD SDI claim - phone interview scheduled! Help!
Just received notice about a phone interview for my disability claim and I'm freaking out! I've been on SDI since November after my back surgery, and apparently, I made a mistake on my certification. The letter says "There is a question concerning your eligibility" and they've scheduled a phone interview for next week. After reviewing my certifications, I realized I forgot to report 2 days in January when I did some light work from home that my doctor approved (just answering emails, nothing physical). My company has this weird pay schedule that doesn't align with EDD's biweekly certification periods, so I completely missed reporting those hours. I'm terrified they'll say I committed fraud or cancel my benefits entirely. This was an honest mistake! My surgery recovery is taking longer than expected, and I can't afford to lose these payments. Has anyone been through an EDD interview for unreported work? What should I expect? Will they make me pay back all my benefits? I'm planning to just be honest about my mistake but I'm so anxious about this I can't sleep.
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i had sorta the same thing happen but it was cuz i went back to work part time while on sdi and they asked a bunch of questions about my hours and pay and stuff. just be super honest and you'll be fine. they just adjust your benefit amount and it's no big deal really.
To address your specific concern about a supervisor letter - yes, documentation from your employer about their pay schedule would be helpful. The more evidence you have that this was a genuine mistake due to confusing circumstances, the better. Regarding the interview itself, be prepared for the following standard questions: 1. "Did you work during the period of [specific dates]?" 2. "Why wasn't this work reported on your certification?" 3. "Has your medical provider authorized this type of work?" 4. "How many hours did you work and what were your duties?" Answer concisely and honestly. Don't volunteer excessive information beyond what's asked. The interview typically lasts 15-30 minutes, and you should receive a determination by mail within 10 business days.
This is extremely helpful - thank you! I'll practice answers to these questions so I don't get flustered during the call. Really appreciate the specific advice.
Filed for UI after 18-month SDI and termination - eligibility questions
Hey everyone, I'm in a weird situation and really confused about my options. I was on SDI for about 18 months during 2022-2023 due to a serious back injury and some complications that developed. My doctor kept extending my disability because I wasn't able to return to my previous construction job. When I was finally cleared to work with restrictions in November 2023, my employer told me they couldn't accommodate my medical restrictions and terminated me. It's now 2025 and I've been working odd jobs to get by, but nothing stable. I'm wondering if I can file for unemployment now? Since technically I didn't quit - they let me go because of my disability. Does anyone know if there's some kind of rule against getting UI after being on disability for so long? Or does the fact that I got fired (even though it was related to my disability) disqualify me? The whole SDI to UI transition is really confusing me.
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Has anyone else noticed how the whole system seems designed to make us get lost between programs? Like there's no clear pathway from SDI to UI even though it's a common situation. I bet they save millions by making it so confusing that people just give up. My sister-in-law worked at EDD for 3 years and even SHE says the different departments don't communicate well with each other!!
EXACTLY!!! They WANT us to get confused and give up! It's all about SAVING MONEY for the state! Why else would they make the phone systems so terrible? Why else would the online system be so glitchy? It's BY DESIGN!!!
Thank you all for the helpful information! I'm going to apply for UI and be very clear about my situation. I've worked sporadically since being terminated, mostly jobs that paid me as a 1099 contractor, so I'm not sure if those count toward my base period earnings. I'll definitely mention the alternate base period if I get denied initially. I'm also going to gather all my documentation - my termination letter, medical restrictions, and proof of any work I've done since then. It sounds like being prepared for potential issues will save me a lot of headaches. I'm a bit nervous about the phone situation though. It sounds like getting through to someone might be really difficult, but I'll try that Claimyr service if I get stuck. Thanks again everyone!
One clarification about your 1099 work - unfortunately, independent contractor earnings don't count toward UI base period wages. UI is specifically funded by employer contributions through the UI tax system. However, if you believe you were misclassified as a 1099 contractor when you should have been a W-2 employee, you can dispute this classification when you apply. This happens quite frequently, especially in certain industries. Good luck with your application! Being prepared with documentation is definitely the right approach.
EDD SDI payment delay - related to new debit card transition?
I'm on disability and my payments typically hit my Bank of America card around 9pm with an email notification like clockwork. It's been 2 days past my usual payment date and still nothing. Could this delay be because EDD is transitioning to those new Money Network debit cards? I haven't received my new card in the mail yet, and I'm starting to worry about paying my rent next week. Has anyone else experienced payment delays recently? If it's because of the card transition, where would my benefit payment even go if I don't have the new card yet?
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Does anyone know how long we can keep using the BOA cards after we get the new ones? I have auto-payments set up with my BOA card and don't want those to bounce.
According to the EDD website, you can continue using your BOA card until the balance is zero, but no new payments will be added to it once you activate the Money Network card. I'd recommend updating your autopay information as soon as you activate the new card. BOA cards will remain active until September 30, 2025, even if you've already switched to Money Network.
UPDATE: My payment finally showed up on my BOA card this morning! It was 4 days late but at least it's there. And I just got my Money Network card in the mail today too - talk about timing! Thanks everyone for your help and reassurance.
Glad to hear it worked out! Make sure to activate your Money Network card right away and update any automatic payments you might have set up. The transition should be smooth from here.
Do SDI pregnancy benefits show up on 1099G when switching from UI? Tax confusion
Feeling totally confused about my tax situation! I was on unemployment for 6 weeks before starting SDI for my pregnancy in 2025. Now I'm trying to file taxes and people in my mom group are saying SDI will be taxed because I was on UI first. I just checked my 1099G form in my UI Online account and there's only Table A showing my unemployment amount ($4,250) and Table B showing PFL amount ($2,970). But I can't find ANY section showing my SDI pregnancy benefits? I've looked through my SDI Online account too and don't see any tax forms. Does the SDI amount not get reported on a 1099G? Am I missing something obvious? My SDI benefits were way more than my UI+PFL combined so I'm worried about messing up my taxes!
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wait im confused... what if you got SDI for something OTHER than pregnancy? i got SDI for my back surgery last year. is that still not taxed?? the EDD website is so confusing about all this!!
ALL SDI is non-taxable federally regardless of what medical condition it's for. Doesn't matter if it's pregnancy, surgery, broken leg, whatever. SDI = not taxed. Period. The only EDD benefits that are federally taxable are UI and PFL.
One additional clarification: While SDI isn't federally taxable, if you paid into a State Disability Insurance program through payroll deductions (which appears on your paystub), those contributions may be deductible on your Schedule A if you itemize deductions instead of taking the standard deduction. It's listed under state and local income taxes paid. Just something to consider if you itemize!
Oh that's good to know! I usually take the standard deduction, but I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for all the tax tips!
Sofia Peña
When I had my baby in January I waited almost 3 weeks for payment because of missing doctor certification. Call your doctor AND call EDD (if you can get through). Sometimes the doctor sends it but EDD doesn't process it correctly. The whole system is confusing. Congrats on your baby though!
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Savannah Weiner
Just a final clarification since there's some confusion in this thread: You filed correctly by starting with SDI. For pregnancies that end in birth, the process works like this: 1. SDI for pregnancy disability (typically starts up to 4 weeks before due date for normal pregnancies, but earlier for complications like yours) 2. SDI continues for recovery after birth (6 weeks for vaginal delivery, 8 weeks for C-section) 3. After SDI ends, you apply for PFL for bonding time (up to 8 weeks) Your hospital stay and early delivery were absolutely covered under SDI. Your doctor needs to specify the correct dates including your hospitalization in their certification. If they're taking too long, request to speak with the office manager or medical records department directly.
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Tristan Carpenter
AuthorThank you so much for spelling it all out so clearly! This makes perfect sense. I appreciate everyone's help and advice - I feel much more confident about what's happening now. I'll follow up with my doctor's office tomorrow and ask for the office manager if necessary.
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