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Has anyone dealt with missing funds on their EDD SDI Money Network card? I checked my payment history on the EDD website and it shows my disability payments were issued (about $4,800 total), but when I finally received my card yesterday and called to activate it, the automated system said my balance is ZERO! When I tried to speak with a rep, they kept asking for a PIN I never created. I'm freaking out because I've been waiting on this money for weeks to pay for medical bills and rent. Called EDD but couldn't get through after 2 hours on hold. Do I need to file a fraud claim? Has this happened to anyone else with their disability payments? What's the fastest way to resolve this?
I'm at my breaking point with EDD! My disability claim has been pending since January 23, 2025, with my actual disability starting January 3rd. It's now been 14 WEEKS with ZERO income and I'm about to lose my apartment. I've called EDD literally hundreds of times (I counted 87 attempts just last week). Finally got through to someone on Tuesday who said they were missing the 'disability start date' on my doctor's medical certification (he submitted the paper form DE 2501). The agent promised to create an urgent order to contact my doctor and said my claim would update in 2-3 days. Surprise, surprise - nothing changed! Called my doctor yesterday and they confirmed EDD hasn't contacted them at all. By some miracle, I reached another agent today who said she'd mark it as a 'financial hardship' for escalation, but couldn't tell me what that actually means or how long it would take. I'm beyond frustrated! I ended up contacting my State Assembly member's office to file a complaint. Has anyone gone this route? How long does the State Rep intervention process take? I've exhausted my savings, maxed out credit cards, and borrowed from everyone I know. No idea how I'll make rent next week...
To follow up on my earlier comment - I've used the State Rep route too for a previous claim issue (before I knew about Claimyr). In my experience, it took about 12-15 business days from when I submitted all my info to when the issue was resolved. The key is making sure you provide them with EVERYTHING - claim number, exact dates, copies of all documents, detailed timeline of your attempts to resolve it, etc. The more organized your information is, the faster they can help.
I'm in such a stressful situation and need advice ASAP. My employer has been making my pregnancy absolute hell with constant harassment and impossible workloads. It got so bad that my OB actually put me on disability leave 9 weeks earlier than we had planned. The doctor said the workplace stress was potentially harmful to both me and the baby. Now I'm hearing through coworkers that management plans to terminate me this week. I'm torn on what to do - I've NEVER had any disciplinary actions against me, no write-ups, nothing in my file that would justify termination. Part of me wants to just quit and be done with them, but I know I might need unemployment benefits after my disability ends since finding a job while visibly pregnant is nearly impossible. Do I just let them fire me without cause so I can qualify for unemployment after SDI? Or do I quit now to avoid the humiliation? Has anyone dealt with something similar with EDD benefits? I'm 31 weeks along and this stress is the last thing I need right now.
Just want to clarify something important - pregnancy disability leave in California offers job protection similar to FMLA/CFRA. If your company has 5+ employees, they generally cannot terminate you while you're on pregnancy disability leave without facing significant legal consequences. The fact that they put you on SDI 9 weeks early due to work conditions makes their position even more precarious legally. However, this protection doesn't necessarily extend after your disability leave ends. That's when the question of unemployment vs. quitting would become relevant.
UPDATE: I consulted with an employment attorney today (free consultation) who confirmed I'm in a protected status while on pregnancy disability leave. The attorney is sending a letter to my employer reminding them of my legal protections. I'm going to stay on SDI, document everything, and follow the advice here about not quitting. Thank you everyone for your help - this forum has been incredibly supportive and informative during such a stressful time.
That's excellent news! Having an attorney send that letter often changes the employer's approach completely. Now you can focus on your health and preparing for your baby without this added stress. Please keep us updated!
I just got my first disability payment after filing for carpal tunnel syndrome surgery recovery, but I'm confused about the dates. My payment only covers Wednesday 9/27 and Thursday 9/28, but nothing for Friday 9/29. Is this normal? My doctor put my disability start date as 9/27/2025 on the medical certification. I thought payments were supposed to be for a full two-week period? This partial payment is way less than I was expecting and I'm worried about covering rent next month. Has anyone else had their first payment missing days?
Sometimes the 1st payment is weird because of the month ending. Sept 29 was the last day of the month maybe thats why? My husband had disability last year and his payments were always split weird at month end. But he got all his money eventually lol
Just to clarify after reading all the responses: The 7-day waiting period doesn't necessarily start on your disability date - it depends on when you filed. If your payment activity shows benefits for 9/27-9/28, then your waiting period might have been completed earlier, possibly from a previous claim or based on when your doctor actually certified your disability. The month-end processing that others mentioned is also a common explanation. EDD's fiscal reporting often results in payments being split at month-end. In this case, 9/29 would appear on your next payment. Definitely call to confirm, but don't panic yet. Your next payment will likely include that Friday plus the next full benefit period.
I submitted my pregnancy disability claim last week (about 3 weeks before my due date) and just got confirmation that EDD received my doctor's certification. My online account shows the claim is 'processing' which is great, but I'm freaking out about something - I don't remember entering ANY wage information during the application process! There wasn't an obvious section to upload paystubs or enter my salary details. Does EDD somehow get this information automatically from my employer? Will they contact my work directly? Or did I miss a crucial step? I'm worried I'll get denied or get a tiny benefit amount because they don't have my income information. This is my first pregnancy and I'm trying to make sure everything's lined up before the baby arrives! Any insight would be super appreciated!
One thing to watch out for - make SURE your doctor entered the correct last day worked on your medical certification!!! If there's a discrepancy between what your doctor puts and your actual last day worked, your claim will get flagged for investigation and can be delayed WEEKS. This happened to me because my doctor's office put the day of my appointment instead of my actual last work day. I had to call to get it fixed.
Since this is your first pregnancy claim, another helpful tip: The EDD uses a base period system to calculate benefits that can sometimes be confusing. The base period is NOT the most recent quarters before filing. Instead, they use a specific formula: If you file a claim in January, February, or March, your base period is the 12 months ending September 30 of the prior year. If you file in April, May, or June, your base period is the 12 months ending December 31 of the prior year. And so on. They take your highest-earning quarter during that period and use that to calculate your weekly benefit amount. So if your income varied significantly over the past year and a half, that might explain any differences between what you expect and what they calculate.
Luca Russo
Just to add another warning - watch out for calls from people CLAIMING to be from Money Network or EDD asking for your info to "help" with your card issues. My friend got scammed this way during her pregnancy disability. Only call the official numbers listed on the EDD website!
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Zara Mirza
AuthorThat's a really good point - thank you for the warning! I'll be extra careful about that.
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Aisha Mahmood
I went through this nightmare last year with my disability payments after my surgery. After weeks of getting nowhere with Money Network, I found contacting my state assembly member's office was incredibly helpful. They have dedicated staff who handle EDD issues and can often get results when we can't. Might be worth trying if you hit dead ends with the regular channels.
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Zara Mirza
AuthorI wouldn't have thought of that! How do I find my assembly member's contact info?
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Aisha Mahmood
You can find your CA state assembly member here: http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/ - just enter your address. Their offices deal with EDD issues all the time and often have direct contacts that can help resolve these problems faster than going through normal channels. I was amazed at how quickly things started moving after I got them involved with my disability payment issues.
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