New EDD SDI claim needed for same arm re-injury after returning to work?

Yes, he'll need to file a completely new claim with EDD SDI since this is technically a new injury with a different cause, even though it's the same body part. The key factor is that he was cleared to return to work and then sustained a new injury. Your husband's doctor will need to complete a new medical certification (DE 2501) form indicating the new injury, diagnosis, and expected recovery period. As for EDD being suspicious, they may review the claim more carefully, but as long as the medical documentation clearly shows this is a legitimate new injury requiring surgery, he should be approved. Make sure the doctor clearly documents that this is a new incident that occurred after returning to work.

OMG the exact same thing happened to my brother last year!!! He hurt his back at work, was on disability for like 2 months, went back for ONE WEEK and then reinjured himself moving furniture at home. Such a nightmare with paperwork!!

To answer your question about the waiting period - yes, unfortunately he will have to serve a new 7-day waiting period for this claim since it's considered a separate disability event. The waiting period is required for each new claim, regardless of how recently he had a previous claim. Make sure his doctor thoroughly documents that this is a distinct injury event requiring surgery, even though it affects the same body part. Be prepared that EDD might take longer than usual to process this claim due to the unusual circumstances of it being so soon after the previous one. They may conduct a more thorough review of the medical documentation.

youll be fine just make sure the doctors notes are really clear that its a new injury and need surgery now. my cousin had something kinda like this with her disability and it was approved but took longer than normal

This happened to me in 2023!!! Not exactly the same but I had a back injury, was on disability for 4 months, returned to work for 2 weeks, then had to go back on disability when my condition worsened. EDD flagged my claim for review and I couldn't get ANYONE on the phone for THREE WEEKS while we had NO INCOME! It was a complete nightmare trying to get through to someone who could help. I finally broke down and used a service called Claimyr that got me connected to an actual EDD representative in about 25 minutes (after spending days trying on my own). They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd Once I got someone on the phone, they were able to see my medical documentation and approve my claim. The EDD rep told me these situations get flagged automatically in their system but are usually approved once a human reviews the medical evidence. Just be persistent and make sure your documentation is solid!

THE EDD SYSTEM IS COMPLETLY BROKEN!!! My husband had almost the EXACT same situation and they denied his second claim saying it was "pre-existing" even though it was a NEW INJURY to the same body part!!!! We had to file an appeal and wait 11 WEEKS with NO INCOME before they reversed the decision. The whole time they keep telling us "someone will call you back" and NOBODY EVER DID. This system is designed to make people give up!!!

quick question - was the first injury covered by workers comp since you mentioned it was work-related? or was he just on regular SDI for it? that might affect how the new claim is handled

Based on your additional information about the workers' comp situation, here's what I recommend: 1. File the new SDI claim immediately - don't wait. Your husband is eligible from the date the doctor certifies he's disabled again. 2. Make sure the doctor clearly documents this as a NEW injury event with a NEW diagnosis, even if it's the same body part. 3. On the application, there's no need to explain the complex situation with the previous workers' comp dispute - that will just confuse matters. 4. Be prepared that EDD may take longer than the standard 14 days to process this claim due to the unusual circumstances. 5. If your claim gets stuck in processing (which happens often with complicated cases), you'll need to be persistent about following up. The key is having the doctor be very explicit that this is a new disabling condition with a specific date of injury after returning to work. The medical documentation will make or break this claim.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this stressful situation! I went through something similar about 6 months ago with my wife. She had been on SDI for a knee injury, returned to work for about 2 weeks, then had a completely unrelated car accident that injured her back. Here's what I learned from our experience: definitely file a new claim as others have mentioned, but also be prepared for potential delays. EDD's system automatically flags cases where someone files multiple claims in a short timeframe, which can add 2-3 weeks to processing time. One thing that really helped us was having the doctor include a brief statement in the medical certification explicitly saying something like "This is a new injury unrelated to patient's previous disability claim." Our doctor initially just filled out the standard form, but when we asked him to add that clarification, it seemed to help the claim move through faster. Also, make sure you apply online if possible - it's generally faster than mailing paper forms. You can do it through EDD's SDI Online portal. Best of luck with everything!