I'm going through this exact same situation right now with my own pregnancy disability claim! I started my leave on Monday and my final paycheck is coming next week. After reading everyone's responses here, I feel so much better about answering "No" to that confusing question. What really helped me understand it was thinking about it this way: EDD wants to know if I'll be getting paid BY my employer FOR the time I'm on disability (like using sick days or vacation time). Since my final check is just for regular hours I worked BEFORE going on leave, it's not "disability pay" - it's just delayed regular wages. I actually called my HR department to double-check how they were handling my final paycheck, and they confirmed it would show the actual work dates (before my disability started) on the pay stub, which should make everything clear to EDD if they ever need to review it. Thank you NeonNebula for asking this question - I was literally stressing about the same exact thing! And thank you to everyone who shared their experiences. It's so reassuring to know this is super common and there are proper procedures in place to handle it. The EDD system is confusing enough without having to guess what they actually mean by their questions!

I went through this same exact situation with my pregnancy disability last year! The confusion is totally understandable because that question is worded so poorly. You should definitely answer "No" to that question. What EDD is really asking is whether you'll receive any ongoing compensation from your employer WHILE you're actively on disability leave (like paid sick time, vacation pay, etc.). Your final paycheck is just regular wages for work you already completed before your disability started - it's not "pay while on disability." The key thing to remember is that EDD cares about WHEN the work was performed, not when the payment arrives. Since you worked those hours on 10/15 (before your disability start date of 10/17), that money was already earned. When you do your bi-weekly certifications and that final paycheck comes in November, there's a specific section to report "wages earned before disability but received during claim period." This is super common and won't affect your benefits at all. One tip that really helped me: keep your final pay stub that shows the work period dates. I had to provide this during a routine review, and having it ready made everything smooth. Also, don't forget about the 7-day waiting period - your benefits won't start until 10/24. You're being so smart by asking these questions upfront! The pregnancy brain fog is real, but you've got this. Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Hey Isabella! I just wanted to chime in as someone who literally just went through this process last week for my rotator cuff surgery. All the advice you're getting here is spot-on - calling early Monday morning is definitely your best bet! One thing I'd add that might be helpful: when you call, have your Social Security number, employment details, and estimated weekly wage amounts ready to go. The rep will need all of this info to calculate your benefit amount on the spot. Since your benefits will be based on your W-2 income from the medical office (assuming you haven't elected SDI coverage for your billing business), it helps to know roughly what your weekly wages are from that job. Also, don't stress too much about the 7-day waiting period everyone mentioned - it sounds worse than it is. Your benefits will start on day 8 of your disability, but they'll backdate to cover everything from that point forward once your claim is approved. The spinal fusion recovery is no joke, but having your SDI claim filed and processed beforehand will give you such peace of mind during recovery. You're being so smart to get this sorted out now instead of trying to deal with it while you're in post-surgery brain fog! Sending you good vibes for both the phone call Monday and your surgery Tuesday! 🙏✨

I just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been! As someone who's been lurking on this community for months but never posted, seeing all of you share your real experiences with the SDI filing process for scheduled surgeries has been amazing. I'm not dealing with this situation myself right now, but I'm bookmarking this whole conversation because the step-by-step advice about calling early morning (8:00-8:20 AM seems to be the sweet spot), having all your paperwork ready, and being honest about self-employment income is pure gold. The distinction between when doctors can file their certification versus when YOU can file your claim finally makes sense thanks to everyone's explanations. Isabella, it sounds like you've gotten some fantastic guidance here! The consensus seems clear: call Monday morning bright and early with your completed doctor's certification in hand, be upfront about your mixed income situation, and don't stress about the self-employment aspect since your W-2 job is where your SDI contributions are coming from. This is exactly the kind of real-world, practical advice that makes this community so valuable. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their experiences - you're helping way more people than just the original poster! 🙏

I just went through this process a few months ago and wanted to share what worked for me. The anticipation was honestly worse than the actual exam. Here are some practical tips: **Before the exam:** - Request your complete medical file from your psychiatrist/therapist to bring with you - Write down how your symptoms specifically impact your job duties (can't handle customer complaints due to anxiety, panic attacks triggered by deadlines, etc.) - List all medications and recent changes - they care a lot about side effects affecting work ability - Get a letter from your doctor explaining your prognosis and expected recovery timeline **During the exam:** - Be honest about both good and bad days - they expect mental health to fluctuate - Focus on functionality, not just feelings ("I can't concentrate for more than 15 minutes" vs "I feel sad") - Mention if you're having medication adjustments that are making things temporarily worse **For payment delays:** This is super common! When you call EDD, ask specifically if there are any "pending issues" or "verification flags" on your account. Sometimes they have internal holds they don't tell you about. The whole process took about 40 minutes for me, and I was approved for another 8 weeks. Mental health claims do get approved when properly documented - don't let the horror stories scare you too much. You're dealing with a legitimate medical condition and deserve support while you recover.

I'm really sorry you're going through this stress - dealing with an EDD medical exam while already struggling with mental health issues is so overwhelming. I went through a similar situation about a year ago for my depression/anxiety claim. Here's what I learned from my experience: **For the exam preparation:** - Document specific work-related limitations (like if phone calls trigger panic attacks, or if you can't concentrate during meetings) - Bring a timeline of your treatment and any medication changes - Ask your psychiatrist to write a detailed letter explaining why you can't perform your specific job duties yet **During the exam:** - Be completely honest about your symptoms and how they affect daily functioning - Don't try to appear "sicker" but definitely don't minimize your struggles either - The doctor asked me about my daily routine, sleep patterns, and ability to handle workplace stress **For the payment delays:** This is unfortunately super common! When you finally get through to EDD, specifically ask if there are any account flags or pending verification issues. Sometimes there's a hidden hold causing the delays that they don't communicate clearly. My exam lasted about 35 minutes and I was approved for another 10 weeks. Remember that you have legitimate medical documentation and you deserve support while you recover. Mental health conditions are real medical conditions that can absolutely prevent someone from working. Try to focus on getting through one day at a time, and know that many people in this community are rooting for you!

Ive been in your shoes and it SUCKS. heres what worked for me: 1. Call right when they open 2. Have all your docs ready 3. Be super nice to the rep (even tho you wanna scream) 4. Ask for a supervisor if the first person cant help 5. Follow up EVERY WEEK until its resolved Stay strong, you got this! 💪

I went through something similar when I was self-employed as a freelance graphic designer. The key is documentation! Here's what saved me: 1. **Tax documents**: Get copies of your Schedule C from your tax returns - this shows your business income/expenses 2. **1099s**: Collect all 1099-MISC or 1099-NEC forms from clients 3. **Bank statements**: Print statements showing deposits from real estate commissions 4. **Business records**: Any invoices, contracts, or commission statements you have 5. **Quarterly tax payments**: If you made estimated tax payments, include those records The appeal process is worth it - don't let them dismiss your case! When you submit your appeal, include a cover letter explaining that as a real estate agent, your income is commission-based and fluctuates. Attach everything above as proof of your actual earnings. Also, make sure you're applying based on your highest earning quarter in the base period (usually 12-18 months before your claim). Good luck! 🤞

Just wanted to jump in as someone who's been lurking here for a while but finally had to create an account because this thread is SO helpful! 😭 I'm dealing with the exact same award letter nightmare right now and honestly was starting to panic because I need it for other benefits applications. Reading through all these creative solutions has given me so much hope! I love how this community has basically created the ultimate EDD survival guide between the mobile app trick, social media outreach, local assembly offices, and all the phone timing strategies. It's honestly both amazing and depressing that we've had to become this resourceful just to get basic government services, but I'm so grateful for everyone sharing their hard-won knowledge! I'm definitely going to start with the mobile app approach since my laptop keeps freezing on the EDD website, and if that doesn't work I'll try the combination method with both online and mail requests. Thanks everyone for proving that we don't have to suffer through this broken system alone! 🙌

Just wanted to add my experience to this incredibly helpful thread! 🙌 I actually got my award letter last week after being stuck for almost a month. What worked for me was a combination of approaches - I used the mobile app to submit the request (thanks to whoever mentioned that, it's SO much more stable than the website!), AND I also sent a physical letter to my local EDD office with copies of my ID and claim info. The mobile app request went through smoothly, but I think the physical mail actually got processed first - got my award letter in about 8 business days. Also wanted to mention that when I called (using the 8:02 AM timing trick someone shared), the rep told me that award letters sometimes get delayed if there are any pending issues with your claim, even minor ones. So if you're still waiting after trying these methods, it might be worth asking specifically if there are any holds or pending items on your account. This community is amazing - it's incredible how we've all had to become EDD experts just to navigate basic services, but I love how everyone shares their wins and strategies. Don't give up @Sienna Gomez, one of these approaches will definitely work! 💪