EDD False Statement Notice after SDI approval - scheduled phone interview. Should I worry?

OK so I actually got one of these notices back in January! It's not necessarily as bad as it sounds. The \

Thank you SO MUCH! This makes me feel a bit better. You're right - I bet it's about the part-time work attempt. I was so careful to report those earnings but maybe it still triggered something in their system.\n\nDid you have to wait on hold forever to talk to someone? My letter says they'll call me, but I'm worried about missing the call since they're notorious for calling from blocked numbers.

dont stress to much, these are pretty routine. my gf got the same thing last yr for her pregnancy disability. they just wantd to confirm some dates that didnt match up with what her doc sent in. took like 10 mins total and she kept getting her benefits no problem

That's reassuring! Did they actually call at the scheduled time? I'm so paranoid about missing their call.

DO NOT GO INTO THIS UNPREPARED!!!! I had one of these interviews after my knee surgery last year and they ended up canceling my SDI and demanding I pay back $4,300!!!! Said I \

OMG this is exactly what I'm afraid of! Were you able to appeal their decision? I can't afford to pay back almost $10k right now!

YES - I appealed and it took FOUR MONTHS to get a hearing. I had to hire a lawyer who specializes in EDD cases ($$$) but we won the appeal. Judge totally overturned it. But it was HELL dealing with it all. My advice - be SUPER careful about what you say in the interview. If you're not 100% sure about something, say \

Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely be careful about what I say. I hope I don't need a lawyer but it's good to know that's an option if things go south.

I think the part-time work is definitely what triggered this. When I was on disability last year for my wrist surgery, I did some very limited work from home (literally just answering emails) and reported those hours. Got the exact same notice as you.\n\nThe interview was actually pretty straightforward. They wanted to know:\n- The exact nature of the part-time work\n- How many hours I worked each day\n- If my doctor had approved the work attempt\n- Why I stopped working again\n- If I had medical documentation supporting that I couldn't continue\n\nHave all this information ready. Also, write down the dates you worked, hours, and earnings so you don't make any mistakes when answering questions. Consistency is important here.\n\nIn my case, everything was resolved during the call and my benefits continued without interruption. But I was incredibly prepared with documentation and clear answers.

This is SO helpful. Thank you for the specific questions they asked - I'll prepare answers for all of these. I do have doctor's notes about the work attempt and why I had to stop, so hopefully that helps my case.

btw has anyone actually been able to reach an edd person on the phone BEFORE your scheduled interview? i tried calling the number on my notice last year when i had a similar situation but kept getting disconnected after like an hour on hold. so frustrating!!

I was in the same boat last month - needed to talk to someone before my interview but couldn't get through on the regular EDD lines. I ended up using this service called Claimyr that got me connected to an EDD rep in about 15 minutes instead of spending hours on hold. They basically keep dialing for you until they get through, then call you when they have an agent on the line. Saved me so much time and stress. Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd\n\nI was able to get some questions answered before my actual interview which helped me prepare better.

I've never heard of this service but it sounds worth checking out. I have so many questions I'd like to get answered before the actual interview. Going to look into this, thanks!

This happened to me last month, and it turned out to be a complete non-issue! The interview was scheduled for 2:30 pm, but they called at 4:15 pm (typical EDD...). The rep was actually very nice and just needed to clarify the dates of my part-time work attempt. \n\nMy advice - have a calendar in front of you with all your important dates marked:\n- When you first became disabled\n- When your doctor certified your disability\n- Exact dates of your part-time work\n- When you stopped working again\n- Any doctor visits related to your disability\n\nThe rep asked me specific questions about why I attempted to return to work and why I had to stop. I explained that my doctor had approved a trial return with restrictions, but my symptoms worsened, so I stopped and my doctor documented this. The whole call took maybe 10 minutes, and my benefits continued without any issues.\n\nStay calm, be honest, and you'll be fine!

Thank you! I'll definitely prepare a calendar with all these dates. Good to know they might call late - I'll make sure to keep my phone nearby all day.

I need to step in here as someone who worked at EDD (not currently, left in 2022). These \

Wow, thanks for the insider perspective! That really helps me understand what's happening. I did follow all the reporting procedures correctly and have documentation from my doctor about the work attempt, so hopefully everything will be fine.

does anyone know if they actually call you at the exact time on the letter? mine said 10:30am but they didnt call til almost noon. nearly missed it cuz i went to the bathroom lol

EDD is NEVER on time for these calls!!! My interview was supposed to be at 9:15am and they called at 2:45pm!!!! I almost missed it because I had to pick up my kid from school. They don't care about your time at all!!

Ugh that's so frustrating. My letter says 11:00am but sounds like I should be available all day just in case. So annoying.

I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago! Got the scary "false statement" notice and was terrified they were going to accuse me of fraud. Turns out it was just a routine verification because I had briefly returned to work part-time (like you did) before my condition worsened again. The interview was actually pretty straightforward - they just wanted to confirm the timeline of when I worked, how many hours, and why I had to stop again. I had all my documentation ready: doctor's notes approving the work attempt, records showing when my symptoms got worse, and my earnings reports from those weeks. Key things that helped me: - Had exact dates and hours worked written down - Brought copies of all my doctor visits and notes - Was completely honest about everything - Stayed calm and answered only what they asked The whole call took about 15 minutes and my benefits continued without any issues. The rep even said these interviews are pretty common when there are work attempts during disability claims - it's just their way of making sure everything was reported correctly. You'll be fine since you reported everything properly! Just be prepared with your documentation and timeline. The fact that you were so careful about reporting your earnings actually works in your favor.

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now - got the same "false statement" notice last week and have been absolutely panicking. Like you, I've been super careful about reporting everything correctly on my SDI claim for my chronic pain condition. Reading everyone's experiences here is really helping calm my nerves. It sounds like these interviews are way more routine than the scary language on the notice makes it seem. I also had a brief work attempt that I reported properly, so I'm guessing that's what triggered mine too. @Lucas Lindsey - have you had your interview yet? I'm curious how it went if you have. My scheduled date is next week and I'm trying to prepare as much as possible based on all the great advice in this thread. The timeline documentation that @Abigail Spencer and @Miles Hammonds mentioned seems really important to have ready. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is a lifesaver when dealing with EDD stress!

I just went through this exact same thing about 3 weeks ago! Got the terrifying "false statement" notice and was convinced they were going to demand thousands back. Like you, I had briefly attempted to return to work (in my case, it was just 4 days of light desk work) before my condition flared up again. The interview ended up being totally fine - they called about 45 minutes late, but the rep was actually pretty understanding. They mainly wanted to verify: - Exact dates I worked - How many hours per day - Whether my doctor approved it - Why I had to stop - If I reported the earnings correctly (which I had) The whole thing took maybe 12 minutes and they said everything looked good. My benefits continued without any interruption. My advice: Don't let that scary notice freak you out too much. Have your documentation ready (doctor's notes, earnings records, exact dates), but it sounds like you did everything right by reporting your work attempt. These interviews seem to be pretty standard when there are any work attempts during a claim. You've got this!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I got my "false statement" notice two days ago and have been absolutely terrified about what it means. Like many of you, I had a brief work attempt during my SDI claim (chronic fatigue syndrome) that I reported properly, but it sounds like that's what triggers these interviews. Reading all your experiences really shows that the scary language on the notice doesn't match the reality of what these interviews are actually like. It seems like they're mostly just routine verification calls to make sure everything was reported correctly. I'm definitely taking all the advice here about preparing documentation - timeline with exact dates, doctor's notes, earnings records, etc. The fact that so many of you had positive outcomes after similar situations gives me hope that this will turn out fine. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories! This community is amazing for supporting each other through these stressful EDD situations.