Can I file for EDD SDI before my scheduled surgery date? Also confused about self-employment reporting

you can totaly file before surgery! when i had my knee surgery in feb, i filed like 5 days before. the trick is you gotta call them bc the online system is stupid and doesnt let u put future dates. but if u call, the rep can put it in their system for u. make sure u already have the docs paperwork filled out before u call tho!!

Regarding your self-employment question, you should answer "yes" to being self-employed, but you can still qualify for SDI benefits. The key is that you've been paying into SDI through your W-2 job. Your benefit amount will be calculated based on wages reported during your base period, which includes your W-2 earnings. Self-employment income is only factored in if you've been paying SDI taxes on that income (which most self-employed people don't unless they've elected to participate in Disability Insurance Elective Coverage). For the pre-filing question, your doctor should complete the medical certification with your anticipated surgery date and expected recovery period. While the online system doesn't allow future dates, you have two options: 1. Wait until the day of surgery or after to file online 2. Complete the paper DE 2501 form before surgery, then mail or fax it on the day of surgery or after If you need the benefits to start promptly after surgery, option 1 is usually faster.

I went through this EXACT thing last year!!! When I had my gallbladder surgery the EDD website kept rejecting my application because it was 3 days before my actual surgery. SO FRUSTRATING! I just waited until after my surgery and filed from the hospital bed (lol) and it worked fine. The problem is that you can't claim disability until you're actually disabled, and technically your not until after the surgery. 😖

You're getting some confusing advice here. Let me clarify: The correct way to handle this is to have your doctor complete the medical certification portion BEFORE your surgery with the anticipated disability date. Then YOU file your claim portion on or after your first day of disability (surgery date). The confusion stems from people mixing up the doctor's certification (which can be done in advance) and your claim filing (which can't be done until the disability actually starts). And yes, disclose your self-employment, but know that if you haven't been paying into SDI via elective coverage for that portion of income, those earnings won't be counted toward your benefit calculation. Your W-2 job's contributions will be the basis for your benefit amount. Side note: There's a 7-day waiting period before benefits begin, so you won't get paid for the first week of disability anyway. Your actual first payment will cover day 8 onward.

i tried for 3 dayz to get thru to EDD when i had my shoulder surgery and it was impossible!!!! they NEVER answer the phone and the online thing is useless if u have questions. ended up having to wait 2 extra weeks for my first check because i filled something out wrong and couldnt get help fixing it

Hello! As a person who processes medical certifications for a surgical center, I can tell you the correct procedure: 1. Your doctor should complete the medical certification with your planned surgery date and estimated recovery time 2. You cannot file your portion before your actual first day of disability (your surgery date) 3. For maximum efficiency, create your SDI Online account now if you haven't already 4. On your surgery date, have someone file for you online or file as soon as you're able 5. Always answer truthfully about self-employment - but your benefits will be based on your W-2 income if that's where you've paid SDI taxes The 7-day waiting period means your benefits begin on the 8th day of your disability, so filing a day or two after surgery won't actually cost you any money. But filing promptly helps avoid processing delays. Hope your surgery goes well!

Why is EDD so UNBELIEVABLY BROKEN?? This is a perfect example. If doctors tell patients to file before surgery, but the system doesn't allow it, that's a DESIGN FAILURE. I've been through 3 separate disability claims and each one has been a nightmare of contradictions and confusion. And don't even get me started on how they calculate benefits if you have multiple income sources! The whole system needs to be rebuilt from scratch!!!

Just to follow up on your self-employment question, since you're primarily a W-2 employee, you should still qualify for SDI benefits based on those wages. However, it's important to be truthful about your self-employment on the application. The EDD will determine your benefit amount based on the highest quarter of earnings in your base period where SDI contributions were made. If you haven't opted into the Disability Insurance Elective Coverage (DIEC) program for your self-employment income, then only your W-2 wages will count toward your benefit calculation. This won't disqualify you - it just means your benefit amount will be based solely on your W-2 income. When you file, be prepared to explain that your primary income is from your W-2 employment if they have questions.

Hey Isabella! I just went through this same situation last month with my herniated disc surgery. Here's what worked for me: I called the SDI line first thing in the morning (around 8:15 AM) and got through after about 45 minutes on hold. The rep was super helpful and explained that while you can't file online with a future date, they can absolutely take your application over the phone for a scheduled surgery. Just make sure you have your doctor's completed certification form ready with all the details about your expected disability period. They'll process it to start on your surgery date. And definitely be upfront about the self-employment - I had a similar situation with freelance work and it didn't cause any issues since my main SDI contributions came from my regular job. One tip: ask the rep to email you a confirmation of your claim submission so you have documentation. Good luck with your surgery - spinal fusions are tough but you'll get through it! 🙏

I just wanted to add my experience since I had a similar situation with mixed income sources. When I filed for SDI after my ankle surgery, I was honest about having both W-2 income and 1099 contractor work. The EDD rep explained that since I hadn't elected into the disability coverage for my contractor income, only my W-2 wages counted toward the benefit calculation - but that didn't disqualify me at all. My advice: definitely call early Monday morning like AstroAlpha suggested. I found that 8:00-8:30 AM is the sweet spot for getting through. Have your doctor's completed forms ready, and don't stress about the self-employment question - just be truthful. The system is designed to handle people with multiple income sources. Also, since you're having spinal fusion, make sure your doctor includes specific details about lifting restrictions and mobility limitations in their certification. This helps EDD understand the full scope of your disability period. Wishing you a smooth surgery and quick recovery!

Just wanted to share that I successfully got through to SDI this morning at 8:20 AM after about 30 minutes on hold! The rep was incredibly helpful and confirmed that they can absolutely file your claim over the phone for scheduled surgeries. She explained that the online system limitation is just a technical issue, but their phone system allows them to input future disability start dates. For anyone else in this situation: have your doctor's completed certification ready (mine had already filled it out with my surgery date and expected 10-12 week recovery), your Social Security number, and employment information handy. The whole process took about 15 minutes once I got through to someone. Regarding self-employment - I was completely honest about my medical billing side business, and she just noted it in the system. Since I haven't elected into disability coverage for that income, only my W-2 wages from the medical office will count toward my benefit calculation, which is totally fine. The rep also sent me a confirmation email with my claim number, so I have documentation that everything was submitted properly. Surgery is tomorrow and I feel so much better knowing this is all sorted out beforehand! Thanks everyone for the advice - calling early morning was definitely the key. 🙏

I'm going through almost the exact same situation right now! I have a knee replacement scheduled for next week and was totally confused about the filing process. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - especially knowing that calling early morning is the key to actually getting through to someone. I also have a similar income situation (part-time W-2 job plus some freelance graphic design work), so it's reassuring to hear that being honest about self-employment won't automatically disqualify you as long as your main SDI contributions come from your regular job. One thing I'm still wondering about - for those of you who successfully filed by phone before surgery, did you need to have your doctor's office fax or mail their certification directly to EDD, or was having the completed form in hand enough for the phone rep to process everything? My orthopedic surgeon's office already completed their part, but I want to make sure I understand the next steps correctly. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences - this thread is way more helpful than anything I found on the actual EDD website! 🙄

Adding to what everyone else has shared - I just went through this process in January for my shoulder surgery. The key detail that helped me was understanding that there are actually TWO separate timelines: your doctor can complete and submit their medical certification whenever they want (even weeks before surgery), but YOU can only file your portion starting on your actual disability date. When I called SDI at 8:10 AM, the rep explained that they can take your application over the phone and date it to start on your surgery date, even if you're calling a few days early. She said this is super common for scheduled surgeries and they handle it all the time. For the self-employment question - definitely be honest about it. I had rental income plus my regular W-2 job, and the rep just asked a few basic questions to determine which income had SDI taxes paid on it. Since your medical billing side work probably doesn't have SDI deductions (unless you specifically elected into coverage), it won't affect your benefit calculation at all. Pro tip: Write down your claim number when they give it to you during the call, and ask them to email you confirmation. Having that documentation saved me when I had to call back with a question later. Good luck with your surgery next week!

I just want to add another data point for everyone following this thread! I had my ACL reconstruction surgery last month and was in almost the exact same situation - mixed W-2/self-employment income and confusion about the filing timeline. What worked for me: Called SDI at 8:05 AM on a Tuesday and got through after about 25 minutes on hold. The rep was super knowledgeable and explained that the phone system can absolutely handle future-dated claims for scheduled surgeries, even though the online portal can't. She took all my information, noted my freelance photography work (which doesn't have SDI coverage), and processed everything to start on my surgery date. The key thing she emphasized was having your doctor's certification form completely filled out beforehand with specific disability dates and restrictions. My orthopedic surgeon had already completed theirs with my surgery date and 8-week recovery timeline, which made the phone call process really smooth. For the self-employment piece - just be totally honest about it. The rep will ask a few questions to determine which income sources had SDI taxes withheld, but it won't disqualify you from benefits. My benefit calculation ended up being based solely on my W-2 income since I hadn't elected into coverage for my photography business. Isabella, sounds like you're getting great advice here! The early morning call strategy definitely works. Best of luck with your spinal fusion - you've got this! 💪

I went through this exact situation when I had my hip replacement in October! The confusion about filing before surgery is so real - I spent days stressing about it until I finally got through to someone at EDD. Here's what I learned: You absolutely CAN file before your scheduled surgery, but only by calling, not online. The online system has this annoying limitation where it won't accept future dates, but the phone reps can process your claim to start on your surgery date. I called at 8:00 AM sharp on a Wednesday and got through after about 40 minutes. For your self-employment situation - definitely be honest about it! I had a similar setup (regular W-2 job plus some freelance consulting work). The rep explained that since I hadn't elected into SDI coverage for my freelance income, only my W-2 wages would count toward my benefit calculation. It didn't disqualify me at all, just meant my benefits were based on my regular job's income, which was totally fine. Make sure your neurosurgeon has completed their certification form with your surgery date and expected recovery timeline before you call. Having that ready made my phone appointment go super smoothly. Also, definitely ask for an email confirmation with your claim number - that documentation saved me later when I had questions. Good luck with your spinal fusion! The surgery recovery is tough, but getting the SDI sorted beforehand will be one less thing to stress about. You've got this! 🙏

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! 🙏✨