EDD SDI certification question - automatic payments or bi-weekly certification required?

Good news! SDI works differently than unemployment. Once your claim is approved, payments are generally automatic until either your claim period ends or your doctor releases you to return to work. You don't need to certify every two weeks like with UI benefits. Depending on how long your doctor initially certified you for, you may need to submit a supplemental medical certification if your recovery extends beyond that initial period. Did your doctor specify an expected recovery date on your initial paperwork?

your confusing SDI w/ unemployment!! with SDI u dont gotta certify every 2 weeks, its auto until the end date on ur claim or till ur doc says ur good. thats why they call it DISABILITY not unemployment lol

What everyone is saying is right - SDI doesn't require bi-weekly certification like unemployment. BUT there's one important thing to know: if your doctor initially certified you for less time than you end up needing, you'll need to get another medical certification before your current one expires. Otherwise, your payments will stop automatically at the end of your initial certification period. I had a similar back surgery last year and my doctor initially certified me for 8 weeks, but I ended up needing 12 weeks total. I had to get my doctor to fill out another certification form around week 6-7 to extend my claim. Don't wait until the last minute because processing can take time!

I went through this exact situation with my knee replacement in January. SDI is mostly automatic, but there are some situations where they might send you forms to fill out: 1. If they need to verify your continued disability (random checks) 2. If you're approaching the end of your initial certification period 3. If anything changes with your claim Make sure you keep an eye on your mail AND your SDI Online account. Sometimes they send notices to one but not the other. And watch out for the EDD debit card - if this is your first claim, they'll send you one even if you selected direct deposit. You'll need to activate it and transfer any funds from it to your bank account, as sometimes payments get split between direct deposit and the card.

The system is DESIGNED to be confusing! I was on disability last year and everything was fine until suddenly my payments stopped. No warning, nothing. Turns out they sent some random verification form to my old address even though I updated my info online. When I called, the rep admitted this happens ALL THE TIME but they keep doing it anyway! The whole system is a mess and they WANT people to miss deadlines so they don't have to pay.

Just wanted to share something helpful - if you do need to contact EDD about your disability claim (which you probably won't need to for regular payments), I recently used a service called Claimyr when I needed to talk to someone about my extension paperwork not being processed. Saved me hours of busy signals and automated hangups. Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd It got me through to an actual person in about 20 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. Just thought I'd mention it in case anyone needs to actually reach EDD.

wait so lets say my doctor certified me for 3 months but I feel better after 2 months and want to go back to work early... do I need to tell EDD or just start working?? will I get in trouble if I don't tell them??

One other thing to watch for - around the time your claim might need extension, you'll often get a form called the "DE 2525XX" (Continued Claim Certification) in the mail. This is NOT the same as regular UI certification. It's basically asking if anything has changed with your medical condition or work status. Complete and return this form right away if you get it, as your payments can be delayed or stopped if you don't. Some people confuse this with regular certification and ignore it, thinking their payments are automatic. The form is simple but important.

im on pregnancy disability and its totally different from regular disability just fyi. for pregnancy you DO have to submit forms every time even when its automatic for regular disability. the EDD website is super confusing about this!!! i almost lost a payment because i didnt realize this.

Congrats on getting your first payment! Just to add to what others have said - you're right that SDI is automatic once approved, but I'd recommend setting up text alerts through your SDI Online account if you haven't already. This way you'll get notified about any important updates or if they need additional documentation. Also, keep all your medical records and correspondence organized in case you need to reference anything later. With back injuries especially, recovery timelines can be unpredictable, so having everything documented will help if you need to extend your claim or if EDD has any questions down the line. Hope your recovery goes smoothly!

Thanks for posting this question! I went through the same confusion when I first started receiving SDI payments. Everyone here has given you great advice - SDI is indeed automatic once approved, unlike unemployment benefits. One small tip I'd add: if you're using direct deposit, double-check that your bank account information is correct in your SDI Online account. I had a friend whose payments got delayed because there was a typo in her routing number that didn't get caught until after approval. It's worth logging in just to verify everything looks right. Also, since you mentioned you have 6 more weeks of recovery, you're well within your initial 8-week certification period, so you should be all set. Just focus on healing and don't stress about the payments - they should continue automatically. Best of luck with your recovery!

This is such helpful information for anyone new to SDI! I'm actually in a similar situation - just started my disability claim for a work-related shoulder injury and was wondering about the same certification requirements. One thing I learned from my case worker that might be useful: if you have any complications during your recovery or your condition changes significantly, make sure to let your doctor know right away so they can update your medical records accordingly. This becomes important if you need to extend your claim later or if EDD requests updated medical information. Also, @FireflyDreams, since you mentioned this is for back surgery, you might want to ask your doctor about any work restrictions when you do eventually return. Sometimes they'll certify you for modified duty before full release, which can affect your SDI claim timing. Just something to keep in mind as you get closer to that 6-week mark! Wishing you a smooth recovery!

Just wanted to chime in as someone who's been through the SDI process a couple times - everyone's given you great advice! One small thing I'd add is to keep your login credentials for SDI Online handy and check it occasionally even when everything's running smoothly. Sometimes they'll post notices there about system updates or changes that could affect your payments. Also, since you mentioned looking through the EDD website and getting mixed messages - that's totally normal! The site has information for both UI and SDI mixed together, and it's easy to accidentally read the wrong section. When in doubt, anything specifically labeled "SDI" or "State Disability Insurance" is what applies to your situation, not the unemployment stuff. Sounds like you're all set though - enjoy not having to stress about bi-weekly certifications like the unemployment folks! Focus on healing up that back.

Just wanted to add one more thing that might be helpful - if you're worried about keeping track of everything, I'd recommend creating a simple calendar reminder for about a week before your initial 8-week certification period ends. That way you'll have time to touch base with your doctor about whether you need an extension before your current approval expires. I made this mistake on my first SDI claim - I assumed everything would just automatically continue and didn't realize I needed to be proactive about getting my doctor to submit new paperwork if my recovery took longer than expected. Ended up with a gap in payments that could have been avoided with better planning. Also, since you mentioned direct deposit is working well, just be aware that if you do need to extend your claim later, sometimes there can be processing delays that might temporarily switch you back to the EDD debit card until the system catches up. It's annoying but not uncommon, so don't panic if it happens! Glad to hear your first payment came through smoothly - that's always a relief when you're dealing with an injury and can't work. Take care of yourself and focus on healing!

This thread is so helpful! I'm actually dealing with a similar situation - just got approved for SDI after a work injury and was totally confused about whether I needed to do anything ongoing. One thing I wanted to add that I learned from my experience: if you're getting SDI through a work injury (workers' comp), the process might be slightly different than regular SDI. In my case, I had to coordinate between EDD and my workers' comp insurance, and there were some additional forms to make sure I wasn't getting duplicate benefits. But for regular SDI like yours, @FireflyDreams, everyone's advice here is spot on - it's automatic once approved! The contrast with unemployment is so confusing at first. With UI you're basically proving you're actively looking for work every two weeks, but with SDI you're proving you CAN'T work, so the ongoing requirements are totally different. Really glad this community exists to help navigate all the bureaucracy. Hope your recovery goes smoothly!