CA SDI timing confusion - Use vacation/sick time first, then apply for state disability?

You should apply for CA SDI immediately - don't wait! SDI has a 7-day waiting period before benefits begin, and you won't get paid for that first week. FMLA and SDI can run concurrently (at the same time), but they're completely different things: FMLA just protects your job for up to 12 weeks, while SDI provides partial wage replacement. As for your vacation/sick time, that's a company policy thing. Some employers require you to use it, others make it optional. Check your employee handbook. If they give you a choice, using vacation/sick time during the SDI waiting period is usually smart, then you can supplement SDI with remaining PTO if needed since SDI only pays about 60-70% of your wages up to the maximum benefit amount.

congrats on 7 yrs without leave! im jealous lol. i had same thing happen last yr with my back injury. my company made me use all my sick time first but i still got SDI at same time. just make sure u tell ur doc to fill out the DE 2501 form properly!!!!! mine messed it up twice and delayed my payments by like 3 wks

You definitely need to apply for SDI right away. Your employer is confusing you by only mentioning FMLA without explaining that SDI is a separate benefit. I went through this in 2025 during my surgery recovery. Here's what you need to know: 1. FMLA = job protection for 12 weeks (unpaid) 2. CA SDI = state disability payments (about 60-70% of your salary) 3. Sick/vacation = 100% of your salary until used up Most people use sick/vacation to supplement SDI (since SDI doesn't replace your full salary). Your employer can't force you to use all your PTO before applying for SDI - that's misinformation. They CAN require you to use your PTO to supplement the difference between SDI and your regular pay. File your SDI claim ASAP - you can do it online through the SDI Online portal. Your doctor needs to complete their portion within 49 days of your disability starting. Don't wait!

To answer the follow-up question: Yes, companies have different PTO policies. However, they CANNOT prevent you from filing for SDI when you're disabled - that's your legal right in California regardless of your PTO balance. They might have policies about how PTO and SDI work together, but you should apply for SDI right away.

I HAD THIS EXACT SAME PROBLEM in January!!! My HR dept was USELESS and I couldn't even reach the EDD helpline for DAYS trying to figure this out. I finally found Claimyr.com - it got me through to an actual EDD representative in under 25 minutes after I'd spent literally hours getting hung up on. The agent confirmed everything people are saying here - you should apply for SDI immediately regardless of your PTO situation. There's a really helpful video that explains how it works: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd The EDD rep told me that your employer policy only dictates whether you have to use PTO, but it doesn't affect when you can apply for state disability. Get your claim in ASAP because processing can take 2+ weeks even when everything goes smoothly!

Every company is different with PTO policies, but the state rules are the same. My company also made it sound like I had to use all my time before applying for disability and I ended up losing money because I waited too long to file my claim. Don't make my mistake! Also important: when you're on SDI, you're still accruing PTO at your company if that's part of your benefits package. A lot of people don't realize this. So even though you're using some PTO now, you'll still be earning more during your leave.

All of this advice is wrong. I work in HR and we ALWAYS require employees to exhaust their sick leave before SDI kicks in. California law clearly states that employers can force you to use your sick time before disability. Please don't listen to random internet people. Talk to your HR department and have them explain your company's specific policies.

one more thing!!!! make sure when u file for SDI that u use the FIRST day u stopped working as ur disability date, not the day ur doctor wrote the note. i messed that up and it caused so many problems with my claim. and definitely do it online instead of paper forms, way faster

Thank you all so much! I'm going to apply for SDI today and talk to HR about using some of my PTO to supplement the disability payments. It's a huge relief to understand how these benefits work together - my employer really didn't explain anything clearly.

Just wanted to add another perspective as someone who went through this process twice in the past few years. The key thing to remember is that SDI and your employer's leave policies are completely separate systems that can work together. I'd recommend calling EDD directly at 1-800-480-3287 to confirm your specific situation, even though the wait times can be brutal. When I had questions about timing, the EDD representative was able to look up my exact case and give me personalized guidance that my HR department couldn't provide. One thing I learned the hard way: if you're planning to use PTO to supplement your SDI payments, make sure to coordinate with payroll about how they'll process everything. Some companies have specific procedures for integrating disability benefits with PTO that can affect your paychecks if not handled properly. Hope your recovery goes smoothly! The first few weeks of navigating all this paperwork are definitely the hardest part.

As someone who recently went through this exact situation, I can confirm what others have said - apply for SDI immediately! The 7-day waiting period is crucial to understand. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple timeline to track everything: - Day 1: Last day of work - Day 2-7: SDI waiting period (no SDI payments) - Day 8+: SDI benefits begin (if approved) During that waiting period, using your vacation/sick time makes perfect sense since you won't get SDI payments anyway. After day 8, you can strategically use remaining PTO to bridge the gap between SDI (60-70% of wages) and your full salary. Also, make sure to keep copies of everything you submit - both to your employer and to EDD. I had to resubmit my doctor's form because it got "lost" somewhere in the system, and having copies saved me weeks of delays. The most important thing is don't let your employer's confusion about the process delay your SDI application. These are separate benefits that work together, not sequential steps. Good luck with your recovery!

I went through this same situation about 6 months ago and want to echo what everyone else is saying - file for SDI immediately! Don't let your HR department's poor explanation delay you. One thing I wish someone had told me: when you file online through the SDI portal, there's a section where you can indicate if you're using employer benefits (like PTO) concurrently. This helps EDD coordinate everything properly and can prevent issues down the road. Also, if your doctor needs to complete the medical certification (DE 2501), give them a heads up about the 49-day deadline. My doctor's office was swamped and almost missed the window, which would have delayed my entire claim. Setting a calendar reminder to follow up with them after a week or two can save you a lot of stress. The good news is that once everything is set up correctly, the system works pretty smoothly. You'll typically get your SDI payments via debit card, and you can track everything through your online account. Hang in there - the paperwork phase is definitely the most confusing part!

I'm new to this whole disability process and reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly eye-opening! I had a similar situation a few months ago where my company's HR gave me confusing information about timing, and I ended up delaying my SDI application by almost two weeks because I thought I had to exhaust all my PTO first. What I learned (the hard way) is that companies often don't fully understand how state disability works, so they give incomplete or incorrect guidance. The waiting period mentioned earlier is so important - those 7 days with no SDI payments really add up, especially when you're already dealing with medical expenses. One resource that helped me was the EDD's disability insurance handbook (you can download it from their website). It clearly explains that SDI is your right as someone who's paid into the system through payroll deductions, regardless of what PTO you have available. Your employer can have policies about how PTO works WITH disability benefits, but they can't prevent you from accessing SDI. Also, for anyone reading this thread in the future: if your claim gets delayed or denied for any reason, don't panic. There's an appeals process, and keeping good records (like several people mentioned) makes a huge difference if you need to dispute anything. Hope this helps someone avoid the mistakes I made!

I'm currently going through a similar situation and this thread has been incredibly helpful! One thing I'd add based on my experience so far is to make sure you understand your company's specific integration policy for SDI and PTO. My employer has a "coordination of benefits" policy where they require me to use PTO to "top off" my SDI payments to reach 100% of my regular salary, but they don't require me to exhaust PTO before filing for SDI. This is different from some of the experiences shared here. Also, I found it helpful to ask HR for their leave policy in writing rather than relying on verbal explanations. When I got the actual policy document, it was much clearer than what the HR representative initially told me over the phone. Sometimes HR staff aren't fully trained on all the nuances of how state benefits interact with company benefits. The key takeaway I'm seeing from everyone's advice is: file for SDI immediately regardless of your PTO situation, then work out the coordination details with your employer. The SDI application and approval process is separate from your company's internal leave policies. Don't let one delay the other!

As someone who just went through this process last month, I can't stress enough how important it is to apply for SDI immediately! I made the mistake of waiting because my HR department told me I "had to use all my sick time first" - which turned out to be completely wrong. Here's what I wish I had known: SDI and your company's PTO policies are two completely separate things. California requires you to pay into SDI through payroll deductions, so it's YOUR benefit that you've already paid for. Your employer cannot prevent you from filing for it, period. The 7-day waiting period is crucial - you don't get paid for the first week of disability, so using your vacation/sick time during that period makes total sense. After that, you can use remaining PTO strategically to supplement the SDI payments (which are typically 60-70% of your wages). One tip: when you file online through the EDD portal, there's a section where you can note that you're using employer benefits concurrently. This helps prevent any coordination issues later. Also, make sure your doctor understands the 49-day deadline for submitting their portion of the paperwork! Don't let HR's confusion cost you money or delay your benefits. File that SDI claim today and sort out the PTO coordination separately with your employer. You've got this!

I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago and it was so confusing at first! The key thing everyone here is saying is absolutely correct - apply for SDI immediately, don't wait. What really helped me was understanding that FMLA (job protection) and SDI (income replacement) are completely different programs that run at the same time. Your employer approved you for FMLA, which is great because it means your job is protected for up to 12 weeks. But that has nothing to do with when you can apply for SDI. I also had about 3 weeks of PTO saved up, and here's what worked for me: I used some PTO during the 7-day SDI waiting period (since you don't get SDI payments for the first week anyway), then once SDI kicked in I used the remaining PTO strategically to supplement my income since SDI only pays about 60-70% of your regular wages. The most important thing is don't let your HR department's lack of knowledge about state benefits delay your SDI application. File online through the EDD portal today - you can always coordinate the PTO details with your employer separately. Good luck with your recovery!

I'm going through a similar situation right now and this thread has been absolutely invaluable! I just wanted to add one more tip that helped me - when you call EDD (if you can get through), ask them to send you email confirmations for any important updates about your claim status. My SDI application got approved faster than expected, but I almost missed the notification because it only came through regular mail initially. Having email alerts set up meant I knew right away when my benefits were ready to start, which helped me coordinate better with my employer about when to stop using PTO. Also, for anyone dealing with pushback from HR about filing SDI "too early" - you can reference California Unemployment Insurance Code Section 2626, which specifically states that SDI benefits are payable from the first day of disability (after the waiting period). Your employer literally cannot override state law, no matter what their internal policies say about PTO usage. Hope your recovery goes smoothly, Mia! The hardest part really is just getting through all the initial paperwork and coordination. Once everything is set up, it runs much more smoothly.

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! One thing I'd add from my recent experience - make sure to keep track of your disability start date very carefully. I initially put down the date my doctor wrote the note instead of my actual last day of work, and it caused a delay in processing my claim. Also, when you do apply for SDI online, the system will ask if you've returned to work or expect to return before your doctor says you can. Make sure you answer this accurately because it affects how they calculate your benefits. The coordination between PTO and SDI really varies by employer, but the key thing everyone here is emphasizing is spot on - don't let your company's policies delay your SDI filing. I ended up losing almost two weeks of potential benefits because I waited for HR to "figure things out" first. File your claim today and work out the employer coordination separately! Good luck with your recovery - the 8 weeks will go by faster than you think once all the paperwork stress is behind you.

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm actually in a very similar situation right now - my doctor just put me on disability for 6 weeks and my HR department gave me the same confusing information about having to use all my PTO before applying for SDI. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been eye-opening. It sounds like the key takeaway is that SDI and employer PTO policies are completely separate systems, and I shouldn't let my company's confusion delay my state benefits application. One question for those who've been through this - when you applied online through the SDI portal, did you have any issues with the system asking about concurrent benefits? I'm worried about accidentally selecting something that might complicate my claim, but it sounds like being transparent about using some PTO alongside SDI is actually the right approach. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences! This community has been more helpful than my actual HR department.

I just went through this exact same situation 2 months ago and want to reinforce what everyone is saying - file for SDI immediately! Don't let your HR department's confusion delay you. Here's what I learned: Your employer can have policies about PTO usage, but they absolutely cannot prevent you from filing for state disability benefits that you've been paying into through payroll deductions. These are YOUR benefits. My company also told me I had to "exhaust sick time first" but when I called EDD directly, they confirmed that's not how it works at the state level. You can use PTO and receive SDI concurrently - in fact, it's often the smartest financial strategy since SDI only replaces 60-70% of your wages. One practical tip: I used my PTO strategically during the 7-day waiting period when SDI doesn't pay anything anyway, then supplemented my SDI payments with remaining PTO to get closer to my full salary. This maximized my income throughout the entire leave period. The online application is straightforward and asks clearly about concurrent benefits - just be honest about your situation. Don't let paperwork anxiety or HR confusion cost you benefits you're legally entitled to. File today and sort out the employer coordination details afterward. Wishing you a smooth recovery!

I'm currently going through the exact same situation and this thread has been a lifesaver! My doctor just put me on 6-week disability and my HR department gave me the same confusing runaround about PTO requirements. After reading everyone's experiences here, I filed my SDI claim online this morning - the process was actually much more straightforward than I expected. The system clearly asks about concurrent benefits and I indicated I'd be using some PTO alongside SDI, which seems to be the recommended approach based on what everyone shared. One thing I noticed during the application process that might help others: there's a really helpful FAQ section on the EDD portal that explains how SDI works with employer benefits. It basically confirms everything people have said here - that these are separate systems that can work together, not sequential steps. I'm planning to use my vacation time during the 7-day waiting period since SDI doesn't pay for that first week anyway, then supplement the SDI payments with remaining PTO to get closer to my full salary. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community provided clearer guidance than my actual HR department! Hoping for smooth processing and quick recovery for all of us dealing with this.