EDD SDI claim extension after failed work return - reapply or reopen?

Same thing happened to me last year. If you're within 90 days of your original disability start date, it's considered a relapse/recurrence and you DON'T need to file a new claim. You DO need to get your doctor to fill out another DE 2501 medical certification form showing your new disability period. When you certify, just truthfully mark which days you worked and which days you were disabled. The system is designed to handle this exact situation, but the EDD website does a terrible job explaining it.

u hav 2 call edd and tell them ur situation before u certify or theyll get confused and mess everything up. happens all the time

Listen, EDD is IMPOSSIBLE to reach right now. I spent 3 WEEKS trying to get through about my recurrent disability situation. Finally used Claimyr.com and got connected to an agent in 25 minutes. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd Totally worth it to speak with someone who can actually note your account about the failed work attempt. Make sure you have your doctor submit that new medical certification ASAP though, because they won't process anything without it.

I had the EXACT same situation in January and let me tell u, its a NIGHTMARE if u dont do it exactly right!!! When I went back to work for 4 days before my back gave out again, I stupidly certified that I was "able to work" for those days WITHOUT calling EDD first. They flagged my account for overpayment investigation and froze all my payments for TWO MONTHS!!!! Make sure u: 1) Get doctor to fill out new form!!! 2) CALL EDD BEFORE CERTIFYING!! 3) When u certify, mark the days u worked as "returned to work" not as "able to work but didn't" The system is designed to punish ppl who are honest abt their situations I swear.

Technically, this is what's called a "recurrence claim" according to EDD guidelines. As long as it's for the same medical condition and within 90 days of your original disability start date, you don't need to serve another waiting period. Here's what you need to do: 1. Have your physician complete a new DE 2501 form indicating the recurrence date (first day you couldn't work again) 2. Contact EDD to notify them of the recurrence (important to do this before certifying) 3. When certifying, report the days you worked accurately 4. For the days you were disabled again, mark them as such If your doctor thinks your condition has worsened significantly or changed, they may consider it a new condition, which would require a new claim. But from what you've described, this sounds like a straightforward recurrence.

When I had a similar situation last year, I found it helpful to explain that I was experiencing a "recurrence" of my disability after attempting to return to work. Also, when I finally got through to EDD, the representative actually recommended I add a note in the comments section during certification explaining the situation. Not sure if that actually helps, but it made me feel better about the process!

my cousin works at edd and says they get this all the time. just call and tell them it's a "failed work attempt" that's the magic words they use internally

I went through this exact situation about 6 months ago with a shoulder injury. The most important thing is to get that new DE 2501 form from your doctor ASAP - they need to specifically indicate this is a recurrence of your original condition. When I called EDD (took forever to get through), I used the phrase "failed work attempt due to recurrence of disability" and the rep knew exactly what I was talking about. They put a note on my account before I certified, which made the whole process much smoother. Just make sure when you certify that you mark the 8 days you worked accurately - don't try to hide them or EDD will flag your account for review. The good news is you won't have to serve another waiting period since it's the same condition within 90 days. Hang in there, the system does work once you know the right steps!

Just went through this same situation with my knee injury about 3 months ago. The key thing that saved me was getting my doctor to write very specific language on the new DE 2501 form - they wrote "patient experienced recurrence of original disability after failed work attempt" with the exact dates. This made it crystal clear to EDD that it wasn't a new condition. Also, when I finally got through to EDD (used the callback feature on their website which worked better than calling directly), I had all my documentation ready including the original claim number and the dates I worked. The rep was actually really helpful once they understood it was a recurrence situation. Your 8 days of work won't affect your weekly benefit amount either since it's just a gap in disability, not earned income while disabled. Hope this helps!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now with a wrist injury! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful. I tried to return to work after 6 weeks on SDI but only lasted 3 days before the pain flared up worse than before. I had no idea about the "failed work attempt" terminology or that there was a difference between marking days as "returned to work" vs "able to work but didn't" on the certification. The advice about getting specific language on the DE 2501 form is gold - I'm calling my doctor first thing Monday to request they use the phrase "recurrence of original disability after failed work attempt" just like others have mentioned. Has anyone had experience with how long it typically takes for EDD to process the new medical certification once it's submitted? I'm worried about running out of money while waiting for payments to resume.

I'm dealing with this exact situation right now too! My chronic pain condition flared up after trying to return to work for just 5 days. Reading through everyone's advice here has been a lifesaver - I had no idea about the 90-day rule or that specific wording on the DE 2501 form could make such a difference. The distinction between "failed work attempt" vs just going back on disability is something EDD really should explain better on their website. I'm planning to use all the terminology mentioned here when I call them: "recurrence of original disability after failed work attempt." It's so reassuring to see that this is actually a common situation that the system is designed to handle, even though they make it unnecessarily confusing. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it's making what felt like an impossible situation seem manageable!

I went through almost the exact same thing with a herniated disc last fall - returned to work after 7 weeks on SDI but had to stop after just 6 days when the pain became unbearable. What really helped me was keeping detailed records of everything: the dates I worked, when the pain flared up, and all my doctor visits. When I called EDD (finally got through using that callback feature others mentioned), I told them it was a "failed work attempt due to recurrence of disability" and they immediately understood. The rep actually thanked me for being so clear about the situation! One thing I'd add to all the great advice here - make sure your doctor notes not just that it's a recurrence, but also documents that your symptoms worsened compared to your baseline. This helped show EDD that my attempt to return wasn't premature but that my condition genuinely deteriorated. Also, don't stress too much about the 8 days you worked - EDD sees this all the time and as long as you're honest on your certification, they handle it routinely. The whole process took about 2 weeks from submitting the new medical form to getting my first payment, and they backpaid everything I was owed. You're definitely on the right track!