Will EDD approve my SDI claim while under UI penalty? Need urgent advice

UI and SDI are separate programs within EDD, so your penalty in one shouldn't automatically affect the other. The key thing for SDI eligibility is that you were either employed or actively looking for work when you became disabled. Since you were on UI (which means you were certifying that you were looking for work), you should meet that requirement. One important note - if you had wages during your base period (typically 5-18 months before your disability), you should be eligible for SDI regardless of your UI situation. The medical condition is what matters for SDI, not your UI status. File your claim ASAP because SDI has a 7-day waiting period before benefits begin, and they calculate from your filing date, not your surgery date.

When I switched from ui to disabilty last summer it was a pain in the butt!!! They made me wait like 3 weeks befor approving anything and I had to call like 20 times!!!! Nobody picked up the phone and my bills were piling up! Just becarful the might ask you about the penalty thing when you certify for disabilty. They dont like to pay people who broke rules lol

I had the exact opposite experience last year. Was on UI, then needed surgery, applied for SDI, and got approved in 9 days. They're completely separate systems! The only thing they check is if you have enough wages in your base period to qualify (which is like the 5-18 months before your claim). The fact you have a UI penalty doesn't matter AT ALL for SDI. If your doctor already completed the medical certification form, just file the claim immediately online through SDI Online. Don't wait - you're just losing potential benefit days since they won't backdate it if you delay filing.

I'm going through something similar now and just wanted to share that I found a service called Claimyr that really helped me get through to an actual EDD representative when I had questions about transitioning from UI to SDI. I was worried about my claim getting flagged because of some UI issues, but I needed to talk to someone directly. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video demo (https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd) that shows how it works. It's basically a callback service so you don't have to stay on hold for hours. I got a call back from EDD within 30 minutes and was able to explain my situation and get confirmation that my SDI claim wouldn't be affected by my UI issues.

THE SYSTEM IS RIGGED!!! I had almost IDENTICAL situation in 2024 and they DENIED me saying I was "not available for work" because I was serving a penalty on UI. Had to APPEAL and wait 2.5 MONTHS to get paid!!! The EDD website LIES about UI and SDI being separate - they absolutely communicate with each other and will use ANY excuse to deny benefits!!! DON'T believe the optimistic comments here! Better be prepared to APPEAL and DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!!!

I process disability claims and can confirm UI penalties don't automatically disqualify you from SDI. They're different funding sources and eligibility requirements. UI comes from employer contributions while SDI comes from employee payroll deductions. However, there is one technical issue you need to be aware of: when you apply for SDI, you must report that you were receiving UI benefits. The system will then verify your last UI payment date. This helps determine when your SDI benefits can begin (they can't overlap). The penalty won't matter, but the timing might. Complete your claim application accurately, upload any supporting medical documentation directly through SDI Online, and you should be fine. For gallbladder surgery with a 6-week recovery, the medical documentation is straightforward.

My cousin had a baby last year and she had UI fraud investigation happening when she tried to go on pregnancy disability. They made her wait FOREVER and kept asking for more paperwork. Just be ready for them to maybe give you extra scrutiny because your account is already flagged in their system!

Just wanted to follow up - did you end up submitting your SDI claim? How did it go? I'm curious because the information about how UI penalties affect SDI eligibility seems really mixed based on the responses here. It would be helpful for others to know your outcome.