EDD denied my disability claim after one phone call - which official should I complain to?

Your best bet is your State Assembly member. Their offices deal with EDD complaints all the time and usually have dedicated staff for constituent services. I had a similar situation (though with UI not SDI) and my assemblyman's office resolved it in about 10 days. Google "[your city] state assembly member" and you'll find their contact info. Most have online forms specifically for EDD assistance. Make sure you include your claim number, last 4 of SSN, and a signed privacy release form they'll probably send you.

omg the SAME THING happened to my sister last month!!! they asked her ONE question about her medication for her back injury and then denied her claim! its like they're looking for ANY excuse to deny ppl. the whole system is rigged against us. good luck getting anyone to care tho 😠

This is my first time commenting here but I had to say something because I feel your frustration. My doctor approved my pregnancy disability claim but EDD kept making stupid mistakes like losing my paperwork and getting my dates wrong. I ended up filing an appeal but waiting FOREVER. So I wrote to both my state senator AND assembly member. The assembly member's office was WAY more helpful and had someone from EDD call me within 2 days!!! They fixed everything and I got my benefits! So definitely go that route!

While contacting your elected official can help, you should also immediately file an appeal of the denial. You only have 30 days from the date on the Notice of Determination to file your appeal. This maintains your rights within the EDD system while outside help works on your case. The fact that they made a determination after just one brief phone call is unusual. Typically for medical claims, they require more substantial evidence before denying. Make sure your doctor's certification was properly submitted and specifically states that you are unable to perform your regular or customary work. Sometimes the doctor's office submits incomplete information. For your elected official outreach, provide: 1. Claim number 2. Contact information 3. Brief timeline of events 4. Copies of all relevant documentation 5. Signed privacy release Good luck with your claim!

Have you tried using Claimyr to get through to an actual EDD representative? I was in a similar situation with my disability claim and couldn't get anyone on the phone for weeks. A friend told me about Claimyr.com and it got me connected to an EDD agent in less than 30 minutes! They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd. The agent I spoke with was able to see that my claim was incorrectly denied and fixed it on the spot. Might be worth trying before going through the whole elected official route, which can take time.

lol its so sad that we have to contact elected officials just to get whats rightfully ours. my cousin works for the assembly and says they get HUNDREDS of edd complaints every month. the whole systems broken but yeah assembly member is your best bet. senator offices usually too busy with bigger stuff.

I'd recommend doing three things simultaneously: 1. File your appeal immediately using Form DE 2501D (available on EDD website) 2. Contact your State Assembly member's office 3. Request a formal reconsideration from EDD Customer Service For the reconsideration, specifically cite California Unemployment Insurance Code Section 2707.5, which grants you the right to request reconsideration of a determination. This is different from an appeal and can sometimes be faster. Also, request a copy of your claim file through a written Information Practices Act request. This will show you exactly what documentation they have and what they're basing their denial on. Based on your description, this sounds like a case where the disability determination was made without proper medical evidence review, which is a procedural error that can be addressed.

My neighbor had something similar happen with her disability claim and she told me that the EDD people just deny claims hoping people wont appeal!!! Its like a strategy they use to reduce how much they pay out. FIGHT THE SYSTEM!!!

I'm just wondering why they only asked you ONE question? That seems super weird. When I had my disability claim they asked me like 20 questions about my condition. Maybe you got someone new who didn't know what they were doing? Did they give you any denial reason in writing?

Quick update on the elected official route: While Assembly Members can be helpful, remember that the Governor's Office of Constituent Services rarely intervenes in individual EDD cases. They typically refer these matters back to local representatives. Also, when reaching out to your Assembly Member, specify that you're dealing with an SDI claim, not UI. They handle these differently, and being specific helps them route your case to the right staff member who specializes in disability claims. In 2025, the EDD has been dealing with a significant backlog in disability claims, so unfortunately, your situation is becoming more common. The good news is that elected officials are very aware of the problems and many have developed streamlined processes for handling constituent EDD issues.