Reopening EDD SDI claim for recurring knee injury - waitress returning to work too soon
I'm really frustrated with my situation and hoping someone can help. I've been a waitress for 6 years and developed severe knee pain (torn meniscus) that finally got so bad I couldn't walk through my shifts anymore. My doctor put me on disability in January 2025, and I received SDI benefits for about 4 weeks. At my follow-up, my doctor said I was 'good enough' to return to work, so I did, thinking I was healed. Well, after just 2 weeks back on the job with all the walking and carrying heavy trays, my knee pain is WORSE than before! I'm literally limping by the end of each shift and taking maximum doses of pain meds just to function. Do I need to file a completely new disability claim since I already returned to work? Or can I somehow reopen my original claim since it's the same injury? My doctor admits he cleared me too soon but I'm confused about the paperwork process. This isn't a workers comp situation - just my aging knees giving out after years in food service.
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Haley Bennett
You'll need to file a new claim since you returned to work, even though it's the same condition. This is considered a 'recurrence' in EDD terms. Have your doctor complete a new medical certification form (DE 2501) indicating this is a continuation of your previous condition. Make sure they document that you attempted to return to work but the medical condition persisted/worsened. There's no waiting period if it's within 60 days of your previous claim for the same medical condition.
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Rami Samuels
•Thank you so much for explaining! I was worried about the waiting period. Do you know if I can do this all online through my existing SDI account? Or do I need to start over completely with paperwork?
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Douglas Foster
same thing happened to me but with my back. had to file whole new claim and wait another 2 weeks for money. sucks.
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Rami Samuels
•Ugh, that's what I'm afraid of. Did they at least process your second claim faster since they already had all your information?
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Nina Chan
I went through something similar last year with my shoulder - doctor cleared me for work WAY too early and I ended up making it worse. Your doctor needs to file a new certification, but here's the thing most people don't know: if you file within 60 days of your last claim for the SAME condition, you DON'T have to serve another waiting period! That's important because it means you'll get paid for that first week. The EDD website doesn't make this clear AT ALL.
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Ruby Knight
•Is that really true about the waiting period?? I'm in almost the exact situation with a back injury (grocery store work) and my doctor just put me back on disability. I already served a waiting period in February 2025 so this would be huge if I don't have to lose another week of pay!
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Diego Castillo
When you file your new claim, make sure to mention that this is a recurrence of your prior claim in the additional information section. Also, if you're having trouble getting through to EDD to ask questions about this process (which is very common), I recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's a service that gets you through to an actual EDD agent without the hours of waiting on hold. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd. I used it for my disability recurrence issue and got through in about 15 minutes instead of spending days trying to reach someone.
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Rami Samuels
•That sounds like a lifesaver! I've been trying to call EDD for two days and either get disconnected or told the call volume is too high. I'll check out that service because I really need to sort this out before my rent is due next week.
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Logan Stewart
NOBODY at EDD knows what their doing!!! I had same problem went back to work with broken ankle to soon and they denied my second claim saying I was trying to FRAUD the system???? had to appeal and wait 6 weeks with NO MONEY. EDD is completly broken system!!!!
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Haley Bennett
•That's unfortunate you had that experience. For a recurrence claim, it helps to have your doctor clearly document that you attempted to return to work but were unable to continue due to the same medical condition. Without proper documentation, EDD might suspect claim fraud, especially with back-to-back claims.
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Mikayla Brown
I'm a bit confused about something - is this a workers comp situation or regular disability? Because if you injured your knee AT work, you should be filing for workers comp, not SDI. But if it's just general knee problems that weren't caused by a specific work incident, then SDI is correct. Just want to make sure you're filing the right type of claim.
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Rami Samuels
•It's definitely regular disability (SDI). My knee problems are from years of waitressing but not from any specific injury event at work. My doctor says it's degenerative meniscus damage from repetitive stress over time.
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Ruby Knight
Hey just wondering how this turned out for you? I'm in a similar situation with my disability claim and wondering if I should just try to push through at work even though I'm in pain because dealing with EDD seems impossible sometimes...
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Rami Samuels
•I ended up filing a new claim and got approved! Used that Claimyr service someone mentioned here to talk directly with an EDD rep who explained everything. Since it was within 60 days of my previous claim ending, I didn't have to serve another waiting period, and they approved it within 10 days. Don't push through the pain - it only makes things worse (I learned that the hard way).
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