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I went through a very similar situation about 6 months ago - denied UI after leaving due to health issues, but successfully got approved for SDI. The most important thing to understand is that these are completely separate programs with different criteria. For SDI, what matters is that you have a qualifying medical condition that prevents you from working and that you paid into the system during your base period (which you definitely did working for 2 years). A few practical tips from my experience: Apply online through SDI Online - it's much faster than paper. Make sure your doctor clearly documents how your specific symptoms prevent you from performing work duties. The medical certification is really the heart of your claim. Also, apply as soon as possible since there can be processing delays. I had to wait about 4 weeks for approval, but once approved, they backdated payments to my disability start date (minus the 7-day waiting period). Don't let the UI denial discourage you - the medical documentation requirements are totally different and it sounds like you have good doctor support. Your situation with documented anxiety and back problems that made work impossible is exactly what SDI is designed for. Good luck with your application!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! This gives me a lot of confidence moving forward. I'm planning to apply online this week and will make sure my doctor emphasizes the functional limitations in the medical certification. It's really reassuring to hear that the 4-week processing time you experienced included backdated payments - that helps with my financial planning. I've been keeping detailed records of my medical appointments and symptoms, so hopefully that will help support my case. The distinction you made about UI vs SDI having completely different criteria really helps me understand why I shouldn't let the unemployment denial affect my expectations for disability. Thanks again for the encouragement and practical advice!
I'm currently going through a similar situation and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I wanted to add one more resource that might be useful - if you need help understanding your SDI eligibility or calculating your potential benefits, the EDD website has a SDI calculator tool that can give you an estimate based on your earnings history. Also, I noticed several people mentioned the importance of the disability start date - make sure this date reflects when you actually became unable to work due to your medical condition, not necessarily when you left your job. Sometimes there's a gap between when symptoms start affecting your ability to work and when you officially stop working. Your doctor should be able to help establish the correct disability onset date based on your medical records and symptom progression. Best of luck with your application - it sounds like you have all the right documentation and medical support!
I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now! Been waiting almost 6 weeks for my first SDI payment and getting nowhere with the regular customer service line. @Harper Thompson thank you for sharing that SDI-specific number - I'm definitely going to try 1-800-480-3287 tomorrow morning. One thing I learned from my experience so far is to document everything - every call, every rep you speak with, reference numbers, etc. It's helped me keep track of the conflicting information I've been getting. Also, if anyone is considering that claimyr service @Emma Olsen mentioned, I'd love to hear more success stories before spending the $20. Hang in there @Savannah - we'll figure this out! 🤞
@Julian Paolo Yes! Documentation is SO important - I learned that the hard way. I started keeping a spreadsheet with dates, times, rep names, and what they told me. Saved my butt when I had to escalate. And totally agree about wanting more feedback on that claimyr thing before paying - $20 isn t'much but I m'already stressed about money while waiting for benefits! 😅 Let us know how the SDI line works for you tomorrow!
Just wanted to jump in and say I'm going through this exact same nightmare right now! Been waiting 7 weeks for my SDI payments and it's beyond frustrating. I actually tried that claimyr service @Emma Olsen mentioned last week and it DID work - got connected to a rep in about 45 minutes instead of the usual hours of busy signals. Worth the $20 for my sanity honestly. @Harper Thompson thanks for dropping that SDI-specific number! Had no clue there was a separate line. Definitely trying 1-800-480-3287 first thing Monday morning. One tip I learned from a friend who works in disability advocacy - if you're getting nowhere with phone calls, try reaching out to your assembly member's office. They have caseworkers who specifically handle EDD issues and can sometimes get things moving when regular channels fail. Found my rep's contact info on the CA legislature website. Stay strong everyone - this system is broken but we'll get through it! 💪
@Keisha Taylor Thank you for confirming the claimyr thing works! I was really on the fence about paying for it but hearing another success story makes me feel better about trying it. And the assembly member tip is brilliant - I never would have thought of that but it makes total sense that they d'have people to help with EDD issues. For anyone else considering contacting their assembly member, you can find your rep by entering your address on the CA legislature Find "My Legislator page." I just looked mine up and they actually have a whole section on their website about helping constituents with state agency problems. Definitely going to try this if the SDI phone line doesn t'work out! Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here - makes this whole mess feel a little less isolating when you know others are going through the same thing 🙏
Welcome to everyone who's new to the community and dealing with this frustrating SDI certification issue! As another newcomer here, I wanted to share that I'm going through the exact same problem - approved for disability benefits in late January after a rotator cuff surgery, got my first payment, but it's been almost a month with no continuation forms. Reading through this entire thread has been such a relief! I was honestly starting to panic, wondering if I'd somehow invalidated my claim or missed a crucial deadline. The detailed experiences everyone has shared, especially about the "system flag" problem affecting early 2025 claims, has given me so much clarity and confidence. Before finding this discussion, I was just randomly calling EDD throughout the day with no strategy and getting nowhere. Now I have a concrete action plan: call at exactly 8:00 AM, ask specifically about "system flags" or "automation holds," and persist until I get a representative who can actually fix the issue. It's incredibly frustrating that we have to become experts in troubleshooting EDD's broken systems just to access benefits we've rightfully earned, but knowing this is a widespread technical problem (not user error) and that so many people have successfully resolved it gives me hope. Thank you all for creating such a supportive space where newcomers can get real, practical advice instead of just generic "keep calling" responses. This community is exactly what people dealing with these complex bureaucratic issues need!
Welcome to the community, Dallas! I'm also brand new here and dealing with my first SDI claim (recovering from gallbladder surgery). Your experience mirrors mine almost exactly - approved in late January, got that first payment, and then complete radio silence for weeks. I was getting so anxious thinking I'd somehow messed something up! Reading through this thread has been such a game-changer. Before finding this discussion, I was just calling EDD randomly throughout the day and getting those frustrating "call volume too high" messages. Now I understand this "system flag" issue is practically an epidemic with early 2025 claims, which explains so much. Having a real strategy - the 8:00 AM sharp calling approach and knowing to specifically ask about system flags - makes me feel like I actually have some control over this situation instead of just helplessly waiting. It's maddening that we have to become EDD troubleshooting experts just to get our own money, but this community has been incredible for turning panic into actionable steps. Thank you for sharing your story - it really helps knowing other newcomers are in this exact same boat and that there's a proven path forward!
As someone completely new to both this community and the SDI process, I can't express how valuable this entire discussion has been! I'm currently in week 4 of waiting for certification forms after my initial payment for a disc replacement recovery, and I was honestly starting to think I'd somehow broken my own claim. Reading about this "system flag" issue affecting so many early 2025 claims has been both eye-opening and reassuring - it explains why my SDI Online account keeps saying "complete the Continued Claim Certification form" while never actually providing one to complete! The specific strategies shared here (8:00 AM calling, asking about automation holds, documenting everything) give me a real action plan instead of just desperately redialing the same number all day. It's incredibly frustrating that accessing our own disability benefits requires becoming amateur EDD system administrators, but having this supportive community where people share actual solutions makes all the difference. Thank you all for creating a space where newcomers can get practical guidance from people who've successfully navigated these bureaucratic nightmares. Posts like Ryder's update showing the successful resolution give me hope that persistence will eventually pay off!
Welcome to the community, Diego! I'm also completely new here and going through my first SDI experience (recovering from knee replacement surgery). Your situation sounds exactly like mine - approved in early February, got that first payment, and then weeks of waiting while my online account mockingly tells me to "complete the Continued Claim Certification form" that they never sent! I was honestly starting to lose sleep over this, thinking I'd somehow messed up my claim. This thread has been absolutely life-changing for understanding what's really going on. The "system flag" issue affecting early 2025 claims explains everything - it's not us, it's their broken automation! Having concrete strategies like the 8:00 AM calling approach and knowing exactly what to ask for ("system flags" or "automation holds") makes me feel like I can actually do something productive instead of just randomly dialing and hoping. You're so right about having to become amateur EDD troubleshooters just to get our own benefits - it's ridiculous! But this community has turned what felt like an impossible bureaucratic maze into a solvable problem with clear steps. Thank you for sharing your experience - it really helps knowing other newcomers are dealing with this exact same frustrating situation and that there's a proven path to resolution based on everyone's success stories!
I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Filed my medical form 3 weeks ago and still showing as pending. From reading through all these comments, it seems like 4-6 weeks is pretty normal unfortunately. I'm definitely going to try the fax option that @Ava Johnson mentioned - didn't even think of that! Also going to follow @Jamal Carter's advice about calling my assembly member if it goes much longer. This whole process is so stressful when you're already dealing with health issues. Hang in there @Mateo Martinez, sounds like we just have to ride it out 😔
Same boat here! Just hit the 3 week mark myself. It's so frustrating especially when you're already dealing with health stuff and financial stress. Thanks for mentioning the fax tip - I'm definitely going to look into that too. We really shouldn't have to jump through all these hoops just to get the help we need. Hope yours gets processed soon! 🤞
I'm in week 3 of waiting for my medical form to be processed too! Reading through all these responses has been really helpful - especially the tip about faxing instead of mailing. I had no idea that was even an option. It's frustrating that we have to become experts in navigating this system just to get the benefits we're entitled to. I think I'm going to try calling tomorrow using the early morning strategy someone mentioned, and if that doesn't work, maybe look into contacting my assembly member. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - at least we know we're not alone in this mess! 💪
Javier Mendoza
I went through this same nightmare about 3 months ago! The panic is real when you realize you've checked the wrong box. Here's my experience: I tried calling for days with no luck, then finally used the UI Online messaging system. I wrote a detailed explanation of exactly which question I got wrong, what I should have answered, and included my certification week ending date. The response came back in 6 business days and they fixed it without any issues or delays to my payments. The representative was actually really nice about it and said honest mistakes like this are super common, especially since some of those questions can be interpreted different ways. Don't stress too much - you caught it early which is the most important thing. Just be completely transparent about what happened when you contact them and you should be fine!
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Andre Dupont
•This is exactly what I needed to hear! I've been stressing about this all day and your experience gives me so much hope. It's really reassuring to know that the UI Online messaging system actually works and that they respond relatively quickly. I love that you mentioned the questions can be interpreted different ways - some of them really are confusing! I'm going to follow your lead and send a super detailed message today. Thanks for sharing your experience and for the reminder not to stress too much. Really appreciate the encouragement! 😊
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Isaiah Cross
I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! Made the same mistake on my certification form yesterday and have been worried sick about it. Reading through all these responses is giving me so much relief - it sounds like this happens more often than we think and EDD has processes to handle it. I'm definitely going to try the UI Online messaging approach that so many people have recommended. It's really comforting to see that most people got responses within a week and had their issues resolved without any payment delays. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - you're all lifesavers for those of us going through this stress! 🙏
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Liam Sullivan
•I'm so glad you found all these responses helpful! It's amazing how this community comes together to support each other through these stressful EDD situations. I'm actually going through something similar myself - just made a mistake on my certification form two days ago and was absolutely panicking until I read through all these success stories. It's such a relief to know that honest mistakes are common and fixable. The UI Online messaging system seems to be the way to go based on everyone's experiences. We've got this! Keep us posted on how it goes for you 💪
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