Just wanted to update you - I remember now that I actually got a letter in the mail about my claim approval BEFORE it showed as approved online. So you might want to check your physical mail too. The SDI Online system sometimes lags behind the actual processing.

UPDATE: My claim was just approved this morning! It took exactly 16 days. I checked the EDD website and it now shows my claim as approved with a benefit amount. I should get my first payment in 2-3 business days according to the message. Thank you all so much for your help and reassurance. The stress relief is huge!

Quick clarification on something important: Your father may qualify for Disability Insurance Benefits instead of returning to his UI claim. If his stroke occurred before he could return to work, his disability claim could potentially be backdated to when his medical condition began (the date of his stroke).\n\nHowever, be aware that there's a maximum filing timeframe - claims filed more than 49 days after the disability began may be disqualified unless there's a good reason for the delay. In your father's case, if you file within 49 days of his stroke, you should be fine.\n\nAlso, once the SDI claim is approved, he would receive approximately 60-70% of his regular wages (based on a calculation of his highest quarter earnings in the base period), up to the maximum weekly benefit amount, which is $1,620 in 2025.

Thank you for this additional information. So if I understand correctly, we should focus on the SDI claim first since it can be backdated to when he had the stroke, and then separately try to resolve the UI claim for the February-to-stroke period? The SDI benefit amount sounds much better than what he would get from UI anyway.

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!

One more thing I wanted to add - make sure your doctor specified the correct extended date on their form. I've seen cases where doctors accidentally put the wrong end date, and then patients had to go through the whole extension process again. When you call EDD to confirm they received your extension, also ask them what the new end date is showing in their system.

Also, just to clarify since I see some confusion in the thread - your pregnancy disability can transition to Paid Family Leave (PFL) after you recover from childbirth. That's a separate benefit that gives you time to bond with your baby. You'll need to file a new claim for that when your disability ends. The standard is up to 8 weeks of pregnancy disability after delivery for vaginal births (longer for C-sections), then up to 8 weeks of PFL for bonding. Just something to keep in mind for future planning!

Here's what worked for me: 1. Call early in the morning, like right when they open. 2. If you get the 'too many callers' message, hang up and immediately redial. 3. Once you're in the queue, DO NOT HANG UP no matter how long it takes. 4. Have all your info ready - claim number, last employer details, etc. 5. Be polite but firm with the rep you get. It took me about 2 hours of redialing, but I finally got through and got my issue resolved. Good luck!

lol watch them fix the phone system right after we all finally get our claims sorted 🤡