Therapist licensing requirements for California EDD SDI certification - out-of-state provider issue
I'm on medical leave for severe anxiety/depression and my therapist has been treating me for about 8 months. When I filed my SDI claim last week, I realized my therapist is licensed in Nevada (where I used to live) but not in California. She filled out the medical certification portion of my claim, but now I'm worried EDD will reject it since she's not CA-licensed. Has anyone dealt with this before? Will EDD accept certification from an out-of-state mental health provider? I can't afford to switch therapists right now when I'm in the middle of treatment, and I definitely need this disability income to cover my bills while I'm not working. Getting really stressed about this on top of everything else.
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Romeo Barrett
Unfortunately, California EDD DOES require that your medical provider be licensed in California to certify your disability claim. This is a common issue that trips people up. Your therapist needs to have a valid California license number to put on the form for it to be accepted. If you filed online, you might already have gotten (or will soon get) a notice saying your certification is incomplete or invalid.
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Issac Nightingale
•Oh no... that's what I was afraid of. Do you know if there's ANY exception to this? Like if my primary care doctor in CA co-signs it or something?
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Marina Hendrix
same thing happnd to me but with my chiropractor from Arizona. EDD refused my claim and i had to get a CA doctor to certify instead. total nightmare.
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Issac Nightingale
•That sounds awful. How long did it take you to find a CA doctor who would help? Did they make you start treatment over from scratch?
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Justin Trejo
Actually, there IS a solution! You can have a CA-licensed physician review your medical records and your therapist's treatment notes, then have THEM fill out the medical certification portion. You'll need to find a doctor willing to do this - ideally your primary care doctor who can verify your mental health condition based on your history and the Nevada therapist's documentation. The form doesn't require that the certifying doctor be your only or primary treating physician, just that they're qualified to certify your condition. You'll probably need to schedule an appointment with your CA doctor and bring all your therapy records.
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Issac Nightingale
•THANK YOU!! This gives me hope. I do have a primary care doctor here in California who knows about my mental health issues. I'll call tomorrow and see if they can help with this. Do you know if there's any specific documentation my therapist should provide to make this easier?
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Justin Trejo
•Your therapist should provide: 1) Formal diagnosis with DSM codes, 2) Treatment plan, 3) Session notes showing ongoing treatment, 4) Professional assessment of why you're unable to perform your job duties, and 5) Expected recovery timeline. The more detailed documentation you have, the easier it will be for your CA doctor to certify your claim.
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Alana Willis
the whole california licensing thing is such bs in my opinion. like my doctor in oregon knows me better than some random CA doctor i've never met, but EDD doesn't care about that! they just want their precious CA license number. the system is designed to make us fail i swear.
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Tyler Murphy
•right??!! my sister had same problem with her psychiatrist when she moved from washington. ended up having to pay $300 for a new doctor visit just to get the stupid form signed by someone with a CA license.
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Sara Unger
Have you tried calling EDD to ask about this specific situation? They might have some exceptions or alternatives for out-of-state providers, especially if you're still establishing care in California.
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Issac Nightingale
•I've been trying to call them for two days but keep getting disconnected or told the wait time is over 3 hours. It's incredibly frustrating.
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Butch Sledgehammer
•If you need to reach EDD quickly, try using Claimyr (claimyr.com). I was in a similar situation with an out-of-state doctor issue and needed answers ASAP. They got me connected to an actual EDD agent in about 20 minutes instead of spending days trying to get through. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd. Helped me resolve my certification issue when I was stressing about paying rent.
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Issac Nightingale
•Thanks, I'll check that out! At this point I'm willing to try anything to get some clear answers.
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Romeo Barrett
Another option is to ask your current therapist if they have any colleagues with dual licensure in Nevada and California who could potentially take over your case temporarily just for certification purposes. Some therapists maintain licenses in multiple states specifically to handle these situations.
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Issac Nightingale
•That's a clever idea! I'll definitely ask her about that too. Maybe there's someone in her practice who could help.
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Sara Unger
Quick question - are you doing telehealth with your Nevada therapist? Because that might actually complicate things further since there are interstate telehealth regulations that might apply.
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Issac Nightingale
•Yes, we've been doing telehealth since I moved to California. Ugh, this just keeps getting more complicated!
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Justin Trejo
Update to my earlier comment: I checked the EDD physician/practitioner's guide, and it specifically states the certifying medical provider must be licensed in California. Section 2708 of the California Unemployment Insurance Code requires certification from a "duly licensed physician or practitioner." In California, this means licensed by the appropriate California licensing board. Your best option is definitely getting a CA doctor to review your records and certify your disability.
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Issac Nightingale
•Thank you for checking this! I really appreciate the detailed information. I'm calling my primary care doctor first thing tomorrow.
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Marina Hendrix
let us know what happens! lots of us deal with this stupid problem
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Issac Nightingale
UPDATE: I talked to my primary care doctor in California and explained the situation. She agreed to review my therapy records and fill out a new certification form! I had my Nevada therapist send over detailed notes and my diagnosis, and my CA doctor will submit the certification by the end of the week. She said she's done this before for other patients. Such a relief! Thanks everyone for your help - especially the suggestion to use my primary care doctor instead.
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Romeo Barrett
•That's fantastic news! Make sure to follow up with EDD after your doctor submits the certification to confirm they received it and that everything looks good. Sometimes they need additional information, so stay on top of it!
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Justin Trejo
•Great outcome! This is exactly why it's important to have a good relationship with a primary care doctor - they can often help navigate these complex healthcare/disability situations. Glad it worked out for you!
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Anna Kerber
•So glad this worked out for you! Your story gives me hope for my own situation. I'm dealing with something similar but with a psychiatrist from Texas. Going to try the same approach with my CA primary care doctor. Thanks for sharing the update - it really helps to know there's a solution!
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Zoe Papadakis
•This is such valuable information! I'm bookmarking this thread for future reference. It's amazing how helpful this community is - you got real solutions here that probably saved you weeks of stress and confusion. Hope your recovery goes smoothly and your claim gets approved quickly!
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Lena Kowalski
•This is such a relief to read! I'm actually in a very similar situation - moved from Arizona last year and my therapist there has been helping with my PTSD treatment. I was dreading having to start over with someone new just for the paperwork. Definitely going to contact my primary care doctor here in CA tomorrow and see if they can help the same way. Thank you so much for sharing your solution and giving the rest of us hope!
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Sofia Peña
•This is amazing! I've been lurking on this community for months trying to figure out my own disability claim issues, and this thread has been incredibly helpful. I'm in a similar boat - moved from Oregon last year and my psychiatrist there has been treating my bipolar disorder for 3 years. I was so worried about having to find a new doctor and explain my whole history again. Your solution with the primary care doctor is brilliant! I'm definitely calling mine tomorrow. Thanks for taking the time to update us - it really makes a difference knowing there's a path forward that doesn't involve starting treatment over from scratch.
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Andre Laurent
•This is incredibly helpful! I'm actually going through something similar - my therapist from New York has been treating my anxiety for over a year, but I just moved to California for work. I was panicking about having to find someone new right when I need the stability of continuing with my current provider. Your solution with the primary care doctor gives me so much hope! I'm calling my new CA doctor tomorrow to see if they'll do the same thing. Thanks for sharing your update - it's exactly what I needed to hear right now!
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Logan Scott
This thread has been incredibly educational! I'm actually a mental health counselor licensed in California, and I see this issue come up frequently with clients who've relocated. Just wanted to add that when you're working with your CA primary care doctor, make sure your out-of-state therapist provides a comprehensive treatment summary that includes: current medications (if any), functional limitations specific to work activities, and a clear timeline of when symptoms began affecting your ability to work. This helps the CA doctor write a more detailed and convincing certification. Also, don't be surprised if your primary care doctor wants to do a brief mental health screening during your visit - it's standard practice to document their own clinical observations to support the certification. Really glad this worked out for you, Issac!
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Amina Sow
•This is such valuable insight from a professional perspective! I'm new to this community but dealing with a similar licensing issue with my psychiatrist from Florida. The detailed breakdown of what documentation to provide is exactly what I needed to hear. It sounds like having that comprehensive treatment summary will make all the difference when I meet with my CA doctor next week. Quick question - do you know if there's typically a timeline CA doctors prefer for how recent the out-of-state treatment records should be? My last session with my Florida psychiatrist was about 3 weeks ago.
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