I'm so sorry you're going through this incredibly stressful situation! Unfortunately, I've seen this exact same denial scenario countless times - EDD has a real problem understanding that being on approved leave doesn't equal "withdrawing from the labor market." What you're describing sounds like a textbook case where EDD's initial reviewers completely misunderstood your employment status. You were still employed, just temporarily unable to work due to medical complications - which is exactly what SDI is designed to cover! From reading all these success stories, it seems like the key points for your hearing will be: 1. Emphasize that you were still an active employee on approved leave (not terminated/resigned) 2. Show you had concrete plans to return to work before complications developed 3. Clearly distinguish your postpartum complications as a NEW disability separate from normal maternity recovery 4. Present a clean timeline of events The fact that so many people in this thread won their appeals in similar situations should give you confidence. These cases seem very winnable once you get in front of a judge who actually understands employment law. The appeals process really does work when you have proper documentation. Hang in there - the financial stress is awful, but you have a strong case and you're definitely not alone in fighting this bureaucratic nightmare!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this frustrating situation while recovering and caring for a newborn! Reading your story really resonated with me because I went through something very similar just last year. I was on maternity leave when I developed severe postpartum complications that made it impossible to return to work as scheduled. EDD denied my SDI claim with almost the exact same wording - that I had "withdrawn from the labor market" while on leave. It was absolutely devastating because like you, I was still employed and would have returned if not for the medical issues! The good news is that I won my appeal! Here's what made the difference: **Key documents that helped:** - Letter from HR explicitly stating I was an active employee on approved leave with a planned return date (not resigned/terminated) - Medical documentation clearly separating my complications from normal postpartum recovery - Simple timeline: maternity leave → planned return date → complications developed → SDI filing **During my hearing I emphasized:** - I was still employed, just temporarily unable to work due to disability - I had definite plans to return before complications arose - This was a NEW medical condition, not an extension of maternity leave My hearing took about 20 minutes and I got a favorable decision in under 3 weeks. The judge seemed very familiar with these cases once I explained the situation clearly. Don't give up - you absolutely have a winnable case here! This is exactly what SDI is supposed to cover. The appeals process really works when you're prepared with proper documentation. You've got this!

I'm going through something similar right now and this whole thread has been incredibly educational! I've been on SDI for a work-related injury since October and just realized my employer has been counting FMLA time this whole time without me really understanding what that meant. What really struck me from reading everyone's experiences is how the system seems designed to confuse people. You're dealing with your medical condition, trying to navigate EDD's disability system, and then suddenly you're hit with employment law complexities that most people (myself included) don't fully understand until it's almost too late. I'm going to take the advice here about immediately checking my employee handbook for any extended leave policies and scheduling a meeting with HR. The success stories about company policies going beyond FMLA requirements give me hope that there might be options I haven't considered. One question for the group - for those who had success with extended company leave policies, did you find that having your doctor proactively provide additional documentation helped? I'm wondering if I should ask my doctor to write a more detailed letter about my recovery timeline and why additional leave would be beneficial, rather than just the basic disability certification. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences - it's so valuable to learn from others who've navigated this confusing maze!

This thread has been incredibly helpful for understanding the relationship between SDI and FMLA! I'm currently dealing with a similar situation - been on disability since August for PTSD following a car accident, and just got the notification that my FMLA protection ends in two weeks. Like so many others here, I had no idea these were running concurrently. What's really frustrating is how the systems don't communicate with each other at all. EDD handles the financial benefits, HR handles job protection, and you're left trying to figure out how they interact on your own while dealing with your medical condition. It feels like there should be better coordination or at least clearer information provided upfront. I'm going to follow the excellent advice here about requesting detailed documentation from my doctor and checking my employee handbook for extended leave policies. The success stories about company policies beyond FMLA requirements are encouraging - it's a good reminder that not all employers just stick to the bare minimum legal requirements. For anyone else reading this who might be starting their disability leave journey - definitely ask your HR department upfront about how FMLA and disability interact at your specific company. Don't make the same mistake many of us did by assuming they're separate timelines!

Just checking back - did you have any luck with the suggestions? Sometimes it can help to send a message through SDI Online specifically referencing "Section 2706 of the Unemployment Insurance Code" which requires timely payment of benefits when there's no question of eligibility. This often flags your claim for expedited review.

That's such great news! I'm so happy you were able to get through and get it resolved. A simple SSN typo causing a 6+ week delay is exactly the kind of thing that makes EDD so frustrating - these little technical issues that should be caught automatically but instead just leave people hanging. At least you'll get all your backpay! And thanks for updating us - it's really helpful to know what actually worked. Hopefully your payments start coming through quickly now that it's fixed in the system.

I'm so sorry you're going through this stress while trying to recover and bond with your new baby! Reading through all the amazing advice here, it sounds like you have a solid plan for tomorrow's doctor appointment. Just wanted to add one more tip that helped me when I had a similar issue - if your doctor's office has multiple locations, ask which one handles their SDI paperwork submissions. Sometimes the main office does all the electronic submissions even if you see the doctor at a satellite location. This saved me a trip when I found out my doctor's satellite office couldn't actually submit corrections - they had to send everything to their main office anyway. Also, bring your phone so you can log into your SDI Online account and show them exactly what the incorrect information looks like on your claim. Visual proof sometimes helps drive the point home better than just explaining it. You're being such a strong advocate for your family, and it's clear from everyone's responses that this is absolutely fixable. Wishing you the best of luck tomorrow! 🍀

I'm a new mom who went through this exact situation 6 months ago with my SDI claim! My doctor made similar date errors that nearly cost me weeks of benefits, and I know how absolutely terrifying and frustrating this is when you're already dealing with recovery and a newborn. Reading through all the excellent advice here, it sounds like you have a really solid plan for your doctor's appointment. One small addition - when you go tomorrow, consider asking them to email or fax you a copy of the corrected DE 2501 form before you leave their office. Sometimes there can be a delay between when they say they've submitted it and when it actually goes through their system, and having your own copy gives you peace of mind and documentation if you need to follow up. Also, if they seem hesitant about the urgency, remind them that disability benefits are protected by law and medical providers have an obligation to provide accurate certification. You're doing an amazing job advocating for yourself and your family during such a vulnerable time. This community is rooting for you, and based on everyone's experiences shared here, this is absolutely going to get resolved in your favor! Keep us posted on how tomorrow goes! 💪❤️

This is such a common issue and it's really frustrating that EDD hasn't fixed their 2FA system properly! I went through the same thing about 6 months ago when I needed to access my disability claim. What ultimately worked for me was a combination of things: I switched from using Safari to Firefox, made sure I was on WiFi instead of cellular data, and most importantly - I found out my phone carrier (AT&T) was automatically filtering the EDD texts as spam even though I had spam filtering turned off in my settings. I had to call AT&T and specifically ask them to whitelist shortcode 95877 which is what EDD uses for verification texts. After that, the codes started coming through within seconds. Also, try requesting the code and then immediately putting your phone in airplane mode for 30 seconds, then turning it back on - sometimes this forces the message to come through. The whole system is a mess but hopefully one of these tricks helps!

I'm having this exact same issue right now! Been trying for 3 days to get verification codes and nothing is coming through. I'm on Verizon and my disability claim certification is due tomorrow. This is so stressful when you're already dealing with health issues and need these benefits to pay bills. Reading through all these solutions gives me hope though - going to try the incognito mode + WiFi combo first, then call Verizon about shortcode blocking. It's ridiculous that EDD's system is this unreliable when people depend on it for survival. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and workarounds!