EDD wrongly denied my SDI claim, saying employer pays full salary. How to appeal ASAP?
Hey everyone, I'm having some issues with my disability benefits and I'm hoping someone can help me out. I got this letter saying I'm not eligible for payments because my employer is continuing my full pay, but that's not accurate. They're only paying a portion to bring me up to 100% of my usual salary. Has anyone dealt with this before? How do I appeal or fix this ASAP? I really need to get paid!
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Nathaniel Stewart
Ugh, I've been there. The EDD system is such a mess! 🤦♂️ Have you tried calling them? It's a pain, but sometimes that's the only way to get things sorted out.
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Lola Perez
•I've been trying to call for days but can't get through. It's so frustrating!
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Riya Sharma
•Pro tip: call right when they open. Set an alarm and start dialing at 7:59 AM. Sometimes you can get through before the lines get jammed.
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Santiago Diaz
•lol good luck with that. i tried for weeks and never got anyone on the phone 🙄
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Millie Long
I found a way to actually get someone on the phone! I used this site's (claimyr.com) calling tool that dials the phone menu, stays on hold, waits for a live agent to pick up, then sends the call to my phone. It does cost $20, but it works. Here's a video about it: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ
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KaiEsmeralda
•Sounds too good to be true. Does it really work?
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Millie Long
•Yeah, it actually does! I was skeptical at first too, but I was desperate. Got through in about 2 hours.
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Debra Bai
•20 bucks tho? That's kinda steep when were already struggling 😬
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Millie Long
•I get it, but for me it was worth it. Spent way more than that in gas driving to the office and waiting in line all day.
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Gabriel Freeman
Here's what you need to do: 1. Gather all your documentation - pay stubs, the letter from EDD, and anything from your employer about the partial pay. 2. Write a clear, concise appeal letter explaining the situation. Be specific about the percentage your employer is paying. 3. Submit your appeal online through your EDD account if possible, or mail it in with delivery confirmation. 4. Follow up with a phone call (use the trick someone mentioned above to get through). 5. If you have a union rep or HR person who can confirm your situation, get a statement from them too. Don't give up! The system is frustrating but you can get it sorted out. Good luck!
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Lola Perez
•Thank you so much for this detailed advice! I'll start working on this right away.
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Laura Lopez
•This is solid advice. I'd add: keep copies of EVERYTHING you send them. The EDD has "lost" my documents before. 🙄
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Victoria Brown
have you tried contacting your local state representative? sometimes they can help push things through faster
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Samuel Robinson
OMG the exact same thing happened to me last year! It took forever to fix but I finally got it sorted. Hang in there!
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Lola Perez
•That's good to hear! How long did it take you to get it fixed?
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Samuel Robinson
•It took about 6 weeks 😩 But I got backpay for everything once it was sorted out.
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Camila Castillo
This is why I always tell ppl to double check there paperwork b4 sending it in. The EDD is looking for any excuse to deny claims smh
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Brianna Muhammad
•Facts 💯 They're probably hoping people will just give up and not appeal.
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JaylinCharles
I work in HR and deal with this stuff all the time. Your employer needs to provide a breakdown of what they're paying vs what SDI should cover. Make sure they've done that correctly on their end too.
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Lola Perez
•Thanks for the insider info! I'll double check with our HR department.
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Eloise Kendrick
am i the only 1 who thinks its crazy we gotta jump through all these hoops just to get the benefits we paid into? 🤔 systems broken yo
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Lucas Schmidt
•Preach! 🙌 It's like they make it complicated on purpose.
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Freya Collins
•for real tho. we need to vote for ppl who will fix this mess
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LongPeri
Quick question - did you check if your employer filed the correct info with EDD? Sometimes the mixup is on their end, not EDD's.
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Lola Perez
•I didn't even think of that! I'll ask them tomorrow. Thanks for the suggestion!
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Tyrone Johnson
I went through something similar a few months ago! The key thing that helped me was getting a letter from my employer's payroll department that clearly broke down exactly what they were paying vs. what I should be getting from SDI. Make sure it shows the percentage breakdown and states that you're NOT getting full salary replacement. Also, when you appeal, reference the specific law - California UI Code Section 2626 covers partial wage continuation. Having that legal reference seemed to get their attention faster. The whole process took about 3 weeks once I had all the right documentation. Don't let them wear you down - you're entitled to those benefits!
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Giovanni Rossi
•This is super helpful! I didn't know about the specific UI Code Section 2626 - that's exactly the kind of detail that might make the difference. Getting that breakdown letter from payroll sounds like a smart move too. Thanks for sharing your experience and the timeline, it gives me hope that this can actually get resolved relatively quickly with the right approach!
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Grace Durand
•This is exactly what I needed to hear! I've been so frustrated with the whole process, but knowing there's a specific code section to reference makes me feel like I have some actual ammunition now. I'm definitely going to ask payroll for that detailed breakdown letter first thing Monday morning. Really appreciate you taking the time to share the specifics - it's so much more helpful than just "call them" (which obviously hasn't been working 😅). Fingers crossed I can get this sorted in 3 weeks like you did!
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Gemma Andrews
I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! My employer is doing the same thing - topping me up to 100% but EDD thinks I'm getting full salary replacement when I'm not. What's really frustrating is that I've been paying into SDI for years and now when I actually need it, they're making it so difficult. Has anyone had luck submitting the appeal through the online portal vs mailing it in? I'm worried about documents getting lost in the mail but also don't want to deal with their website if it's going to cause more delays.
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Summer Green
•I've had experience with both methods and honestly, the online portal worked better for me. You get an immediate confirmation that they received your documents, and you can track the status. With mail, even certified mail, things can sit in processing for weeks before anyone even looks at them. Just make sure to save screenshots of everything you submit online - I learned that the hard way when I had to resubmit something and couldn't prove I'd already sent it. The website can be glitchy sometimes, but at least you know right away if something didn't go through vs wondering if your mail got lost somewhere.
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Olivia Harris
I went through this exact same mess about 8 months ago! The confusion happens because EDD's system doesn't distinguish between full salary continuation and partial wage continuation properly. Here's what worked for me: I had to get a very specific letter from HR that showed my regular weekly wages, what percentage the company was paying, and what percentage SDI should cover. The magic words to use in your appeal are "partial wage continuation under UI Code Section 2626" - this tells them you're NOT getting full salary replacement. Also, submit everything through their online portal if you can - I tried mailing first and it disappeared into a black hole for 6 weeks. Once I resubmitted online with the right documentation, it took about 10 business days to get approved. Don't give up, this is totally fixable once you have the right paperwork!
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Mohammad Khaled
•This is incredibly detailed and helpful! I'm definitely going to use those exact magic words "partial wage continuation under UI Code Section 2626" in my appeal. It's so frustrating that we have to know these specific legal phrases just to get what we're entitled to, but I really appreciate you sharing what actually worked. The timeline you mentioned gives me hope too - 10 business days sounds way more reasonable than the horror stories I've been hearing about people waiting months. Going to get that HR letter sorted out ASAP and submit everything online. Thanks for taking the time to write out such a comprehensive response! 🙏
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Aaliyah Reed
I had almost the exact same situation happen to me last year! The EDD letter made it sound like I was getting 100% salary replacement when my employer was only covering about 60% and I needed SDI for the rest. What really helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet showing my normal weekly pay, what my employer was actually paying me, and what the gap was that SDI should cover. I attached that to my appeal along with recent pay stubs that clearly showed the reduced amount. The whole thing got resolved in about 2-3 weeks once I submitted it online. Make sure to keep checking your EDD account for updates too - sometimes they approve it but don't send notification emails right away. You got this! 💪
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Grace Johnson
•The spreadsheet idea is brilliant! I never would have thought of that but it makes so much sense - having a visual breakdown that clearly shows the gap would make it impossible for them to misunderstand the situation. I'm definitely going to create something similar when I submit my appeal. It's also good to know about checking the account for updates since their notification system seems unreliable. Thanks for sharing your success story - it gives me confidence that this is definitely solvable with the right approach!
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