EDD SDI confused me by sending certification forms after brief work return - potential overpayment?

youre overthinking it! this is actually how the system is supposed to work. as long as you didnt certify for the days you were working (feb 15-23) then everything is fine. edd is smart enough to know that you returned to work and then got reinjured, thats why theyre only asking for certification starting feb 24th

This is actually standard procedure and you have nothing to worry about. When you have a brief return to work followed by a related disability, EDD treats it as a continuation of your claim rather than a completely new claim. This is beneficial because: 1. You don't have to serve another 7-day waiting period 2. Your benefit amount stays the same 3. You don't need to file a completely new claim (just the supplemental medical certification) As long as you only certify for the days you were actually disabled (which it sounds like you're doing), there's no overpayment concern. The certification form they sent starting February 24th matches your new period of disability according to your doctor's supplemental certification. The system is working as designed in your case. Just make sure you always accurately report any work/wages during certification periods going forward.

The previous responses are mostly correct, but there's an important detail to understand about how EDD SDI handles brief returns to work. Under California SDI regulations, if you return to work for fewer than 15 working days before becoming disabled again due to the same or related condition, it's treated as a continuation of your previous claim without a new waiting period. Since you only worked 8 days before your condition worsened, EDD is correctly processing this as a continuation claim. The certification form for Feb 24-March 12 is perfectly appropriate. However, you should know that EDD does verify employment dates with employers, so make sure your last day worked (Feb 23) matches what your employer reports. As long as those dates align, you won't have any overpayment issues.

I had almost THE EXACT same situation back in November!!! I went back for like 10 days then my back gave out again. What a nightmare trying to figure it out. I kept calling EDD and NEVER got through. Just busy signals and disconnects CONSTANTLY for days!!! So frustrating!!!!

Yeah this is normal. EDD systems actually do work correctly sometimes! Your doctor submitted the supplemental certification which triggered their system to send you the new forms starting from your new disability date. As long as you didn't certify for the days you worked (which you said you didn't), you're fine. One thing to watch for - sometimes the system has glitches where they might send you certification forms that overlap with your work period anyway. If that happens, just don't certify for days you worked and note it on the form. And make sure your employer didn't accidentally report you as still on leave during that 8-day period when you did work. That could cause confusion later.

Thank you all for the helpful responses! This has been a huge relief. I'm going to certify for the period starting Feb 24th as requested and make sure I keep all my paperwork organized in case there are any questions later. The 15-day rule info was particularly helpful - I had no idea that was the cutoff for continuing a claim vs starting a new one. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to share their knowledge and experiences!