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As someone who's been through multiple SDI periods for different conditions, I want to emphasize how important it is to document everything during your work attempt. Keep records of your work dates, any symptoms you experienced, and communications with your employer about your limitations. This documentation can be really helpful if there are any questions about your recurrence claim. Also, don't feel guilty about needing to go back on disability - these work attempts are actually encouraged by the system because they help determine your true work capacity. Your health comes first, and it sounds like you made the right decision to listen to your body and your doctor's advice. Best of luck with getting your benefits reactivated!

Hello All, This is a great thread! But I want to suggest that you double-check about the ’90-day’ window. From my experience, as recent as 2026, the EDD's window to have a 'recurrence claim' is actually SIXTY days (not Ninety). I have been a claimant and gone through this process, a few times, as well as working as an HR Manager helping people navigate the disability process. I have been told by three agents at the EDD Disability Dept. that the rule to reopen a previous EDD SDI disability claim is that start of the re-occurrence (the first day that you were unable to work after returning to work) has to be within SIXTY days from the day that you returned to work (and your claim must be for the same condition, or not 'significantly different'). I would suggest that you double-check on this timing before making any plans based on a 90-day window.   Also, a little tip about getting through to EDD... This has worked for me (almost) every time: I start calling in to the EDD SDI line about 3-4 minutes before they open (so, about 7:56-7:57 a.m.) I start working my way through all of the steps of the phone tree to actually get to a place where you can request to speak to an agent (on average these first steps take me 2 to 3 minutes). Then, just as the clock strikes 8:00, I hit the key to make the request to speak to an agent. This puts me in the very first handful of people in line to speak to an agent, and each time I have had an agent answer within 5-10 minutes of placing the call. If I got in the queue even a couple of minutes later, at 8:02 or so, the magic was lost, and it hasn't worked. But getting in by 8:01 - 8:15, I have generally gotten the 'opportunity' to wait on hold for an hour or so to speak to an agent, but that's been better than getting the dreaded msg at the end of all of the steps of the phone tree, telling me they were 'too busy and to try calling again another time'. I hope this tip will help you get through to EDD as well. But please don't share this with tooooo many people or it will no longer work… :o) Wishing you all well... Cheers! Colleen White

I'm going through almost the exact same situation right now! Been on SDI for a herniated disc since December, tried going back to my warehouse job 3 weeks ago thinking I was healed enough, but the constant lifting and twisting motions brought all the pain and numbness back worse than ever. My orthopedist now agrees I returned way too early. Reading through all these responses has been such a relief - I had no idea about recurrence claims or that this was so common! Since I'm at 21 days back at work, sounds like I definitely need to file the recurrence claim through SDI Online. The advice about getting your doctor to use specific language like "therapeutic work trial" or "premature return to work" is incredibly valuable - I'm going to make sure my doctor includes those exact phrases. @Elijah Knight congratulations on getting approved so quickly! Hearing that you kept your full weekly benefit and didn't have another waiting period gives me so much hope. I've been stressed about starting over completely, but it sounds like the recurrence process actually works pretty well when you have the right documentation. Thanks for sharing your story and creating this thread - it's amazing how many of us are dealing with the exact same struggle. Sometimes you just don't know if you're truly ready until you try, but there's no shame in prioritizing your health when your body tells you it's not time yet!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm dealing with a similar situation with my chronic migraines. I was on SDI for 6 months, tried going back to my office job 2 weeks ago, but the fluorescent lights and computer screen time triggered massive headaches again within days. My neurologist agrees I pushed too hard too fast. Reading everyone's success stories with recurrence claims has been incredibly helpful - especially all the advice about specific language for doctors to use. I'm definitely going to ask my neurologist to document this as a "therapeutic work trial that failed due to incomplete recovery" from the same condition. @Elijah Knight - congratulations on your quick approval! It's so encouraging to hear that the process can work smoothly when you have proper documentation. Your thread has helped so many people understand their options. Question for anyone who's been through this - did EDD ask for any specific documentation about your work environment or job duties? I'm wondering if I should get a letter from HR describing the lighting and computer requirements that triggered my migraines. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

I'm in the exact same boat as everyone else here! Just got my 1099-G last week for SDI benefits I received during a 3-month medical leave in 2024, and I was completely panicked thinking I'd owe a ton of money in taxes. This thread has been absolutely incredible - I had no idea that the taxability depends on who paid the SDI premiums! I dug out my old paystubs and confirmed that I had "CA SDI" deducted from every single paycheck, so it sounds like I'm in the clear for federal taxes. It's honestly ridiculous that EDD sends out these official-looking tax forms without any explanation about this crucial distinction. I've been stressing about this for days, but now I feel confident enough to tackle my taxes this weekend. Planning to use TurboTax and make sure to specify that I paid my own premiums. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - this community has been way more helpful than hours of trying to navigate confusing government websites!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Just got my 1099-G form yesterday for SDI benefits I received last year after being out for 7 weeks following a medical procedure. Like everyone else here, I was completely freaked out thinking I'd owe federal taxes on the whole amount! But after reading through all these incredibly helpful responses, I checked my 2024 paystubs and confirmed I had "CA SDI" deducted from every single paycheck - so it sounds like since I paid the premiums myself, the benefits won't be federally taxable even though I need to report them. It's so frustrating that EDD doesn't include ANY explanation with the 1099-G about this whole premium situation! Would literally take them one page to explain this and save thousands of people the stress we're all going through. But I'm so grateful for this community - you all have been way more helpful than anything I could find on official websites. Planning to tackle TurboTax this weekend and make sure to tell it I paid my own SDI premiums. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

Im so done with EDD. been trying to get through for weeks. might as well be playing the lottery at this point 🤡

I've been dealing with this same nightmare for weeks! One thing that's helped me is using the callback feature when it's available - instead of staying on hold, they'll call you back when it's your turn. Not all lines offer it, but when they do, it's a lifesaver. Also, I've had better luck calling on Wednesdays and Thursdays - seems like Mondays and Fridays are the absolute worst. Still frustrating that we have to jump through all these hoops just to get basic help though! 😤