My cousin works at EDD and told me that if you get final paychecks AFTER your disability started, they will adjust your benefit start date. So you'll probably start getting SDI payments after May 15th (that's May 8th + the 7 day waiting period). Hope that helps!

Update: I filed my claim yesterday with April 21 as my disability start date and made sure to include information about my May 8th paycheck. The EDD representative I finally reached confirmed that was the correct approach. Now I'm just waiting for my doctor to submit the medical certification. Thanks everyone for your help!

I've been on SDI 3 times in the past 2 years (chronic condition) and the EDD phone system is IMPOSSIBLE to get through!!! I spent 6 days calling about a payment issue and got hung up on every single time. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual person in like 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd It was so worth it when I needed to fix my payment issue. Might help if you need to check on why your claim is taking so long to approve.

One other thing to know - once your claim is approved, you'll keep getting payments every two weeks automatically as long as your doctor certified you for that time period. So it's just this first payment that takes forever. After that, it gets much easier!

Thank you all so much for the advice. I've made a checklist based on everything you've shared: 1. Continue UI certification honestly until surgery 2. Apply for SDI about a week before surgery (April 8-9) 3. Register for SDI Online through my existing BPO account 4. Make sure my doctor submits the DE 2501 with proper diagnosis codes ASAP after surgery 5. Understand there's a 7-day waiting period where I won't get paid 6. Follow up with my doctor's office to confirm they submitted paperwork 7. Keep that Claimyr service info in case I need to contact EDD directly Is there anything I'm missing? This has been incredibly helpful during such a stressful time.

My sister had craniotomy last yr and it took her nearly 9 months to recover enough to work again but she had issues with her benefits the whole time. The EDD keeps sending her paperwork to reconfirm she was still disabled. Make sure ur doctor is willing to keep filling out forms every month or two becuz EDD will require it for long term disability cases. My sis got so frustrated with the whole system.

my sister had this exact problem!!! the solution was she went back to urgent care and asked for the actual doctor who did her covid test, not just the front desk person. showed them the EDD website rules that says the diagnosing doctor has to sign it. she had to wait 2 hrs but eventually got it signed. good luck, the system is broken!!

Regarding transitioning directly from COVID disability to pregnancy disability: There's no required waiting period between claims if you genuinely can't return to work. However, your medical certifications need to accurately reflect your inability to work for each specific condition. Since you're 35 weeks pregnant, your timeline might look like: 1. COVID disability: Current date → approximately 10-14 days 2. Pregnancy disability: Could begin immediately after COVID disability ends if your OBGYN certifies you're unable to work due to pregnancy One important note: When filing the pregnancy claim, you'd submit a new application with your OBGYN's certification. In the application, indicate your previous COVID claim so EDD knows these are consecutive periods of disability for different medical conditions. Document everything carefully, especially any overlap between your COVID recovery and pregnancy disability start date.

For your appeal hearing, key things that help win: 1. Make sure all medical evidence is submitted at least 5 days before hearing 2. Prepare a timeline of your medical treatment 3. If possible, have your doctor attend by phone (they'll rarely come in person) 4. Connect your medical condition directly to your job duties - be specific about what movements/activities cause pain 5. Bring a daily pain/activity journal if you've been keeping one I've helped several friends prepare for SDI appeals, and these approaches significantly improve success rates. The administrative law judges want clear, concrete evidence that connects your medical condition to your inability to work.

Just wanted to say good luck with everything! The EDD system is a nightmare when you're already dealing with health issues. Hope you get the benefits you deserve!