I'm so glad to see this thread - I'm currently going through almost the exact same situation and it's been incredibly stressful! I've been on SDI since September for chronic fatigue syndrome and just got the dreaded "FMLA exhaustion" letter from my employer last week. Like you, I had no idea they were running concurrently and was completely blindsided. Reading through everyone's experiences has been eye-opening. I never realized that disability benefits and job protection were two completely separate things handled by different systems. The whole time I thought being approved for SDI meant my job was automatically protected for the full duration. I'm definitely going to follow the advice here about checking my employee handbook for extended leave policies and talking to my doctor about ADA accommodations. The part about COBRA vs company-extended health benefits is also crucial information I hadn't considered. Has anyone here had success with getting ADA accommodations approved for mental health conditions like anxiety/depression? I'm wondering if that might be a viable path forward for maintaining some job protection beyond FMLA.

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!

I'm going through the exact same nightmare right now! My SDI benefits stopped about 5 days ago and that certification form completely disappeared from my account. I've been honestly reporting income from my part-time job at a bookstore, plus some freelance writing work, and now it's like the system is punishing me for being transparent. The DE 2517-25 notice is absolutely useless - it's like they wrote it specifically to confuse people. "Complete required documentation" but which documentation?? Where?? It's maddening! I've tried the late-night login trick and found some hidden messages, but still can't access whatever mystery form they want. Planning to try that backdoor phone number approach someone mentioned - calling employer services and asking for a transfer sounds way smarter than banging my head against the main disability line. It's both comforting and terrifying to see so many people dealing with identical issues. At least we know it's not just us being incompetent - their system is genuinely broken! Thanks for starting this thread OP - sometimes just knowing you're not alone in bureaucratic hell makes it slightly more bearable. Will definitely update if I make any progress with the employer services transfer trick! 🤞

I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation! My SDI benefits stopped about two weeks ago after I reported some part-time work at a retail store. The certification form that usually shows up every two weeks just vanished from my UI Online account like it never existed. I also got that cryptic DE 2517-25 notice with absolutely no helpful information - just "complete required documentation" with no indication of what documentation or where to find it. It's like they deliberately wrote it to be as confusing as possible! After reading through all these comments, I tried the late-night login trick (around midnight) and actually found a "pending eligibility determination" message that doesn't show up during the day. Still can't access whatever form they want me to fill out though. I'm planning to try that employer services phone number approach tomorrow - calling their employer line and asking to be transferred to disability claims sounds way more promising than the endless busy signals on the main number. It's both reassuring and infuriating to see so many people dealing with identical issues. At least we know it's a system-wide problem and not something we did wrong! Thanks for starting this conversation OP - knowing we're not alone in this bureaucratic nightmare definitely helps. I'll update if the phone transfer trick works! 🤞

am i the only 1 who thinks its ridiculous we have to jump through all these hoops just to get whats owed to us? the system is broken af 😤

Just went through this same situation last month! The form you're talking about is likely the DE 4581 (Physician/Practitioner's Certificate) if you're on disability, or the continued claim cert if it's regular unemployment. For disability forms, your doctor needs to fill out the medical portion, but you handle the personal info sections. To get hard copies, call the main EDD number (1-800-480-3287) early in the morning - like 8:01 AM sharp. Have your SSN and claim number ready. They can mail forms to you, usually takes about a week. Don't wait too long though - missing deadlines can mess up your payments!

I work at a doctor's office and see this ALL THE TIME with our patients on disability. Sometimes we have to resubmit their medical certification completely because EDD claims they never received it even though we have confirmation. The whole system is a disaster. One trick we tell patients: submit a formal complaint through your state representative's office. Magically, EDD issues often get resolved faster when a government official inquires about your case.

UPDATE: Just wanted to let everyone know what worked! I followed the advice about creating a completely new email address and contacting ID.me specifically about a "merged identity verification" issue. The ID.me rep had to escalate to their specialized team, but they unlinked my driver's license from the old account. Then I used Claimyr to get through to an EDD specialist who was able to link my new ID.me account to my disability claim. The whole process took about 5 days but IT WORKED! All my back payments just hit my account this morning. Such a relief! Thanks everyone for your help!

I'm also brand new to this whole disability process and just submitted my application yesterday! Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both reassuring and anxiety-inducing at the same time 😅 It's clear that the timeline really varies wildly - some folks get responses in 6-8 weeks while others are waiting months. I'm trying to prepare myself mentally for a potentially long wait. One thing I'm taking away from all the advice here is to make sure I have everything organized upfront. I'm going to double-check that I submitted all my medical records and definitely set up that online account everyone keeps mentioning. The tip about keeping a symptom log is brilliant too - I wouldn't have thought of that on my own. Thanks to everyone who's shared their stories and practical advice. It really helps to know there's a supportive community of people going through the same stressful process. Fingers crossed for all of us who are waiting! 🤞

Just wanted to add my voice to this thread as someone who's also navigating this process for the first time! I filed my claim about 2 weeks ago and I'm already feeling that familiar anxiety everyone's describing. Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly helpful - it's both comforting to know I'm not alone and a bit overwhelming to see how much the timelines can vary. I'm definitely taking notes on all the practical advice shared here, especially about setting up the online account (doing that today!) and keeping thorough medical documentation. The symptom log idea is something I hadn't considered but makes total sense. One question for those who've been through this - is it worth reaching out to my doctor proactively to ask about writing a detailed letter about my condition, or should I wait to see if they request additional documentation first? Don't want to seem pushy but also want to be as prepared as possible. Thanks to everyone for creating such a supportive space to share experiences. The waiting is tough but at least we're all in it together! 💪