Can you collect disability and unemployment at the same time through California EDD?

Okay that makes total sense when you explain it that way. So essentially the moment my doctor certified me as unable to work, I should stop doing my UI weekly certifications and switch over to SDI?

Exactly. The date your disability begins (as certified by your physician) is when you should stop UI certifications. You'll then file your SDI claim through SDI Online on the California EDD website and your doctor will need to complete their portion of the claim form. SDI benefits are typically 60-70% of your weekly wages depending on your income level.

this happened to my cousin and she got an overpayment notice because she kept certifying for UI after her disability started. took her months to sort out. definitely stop the UI claims first

Ugh, so I basically just lose that first week entirely? No income at all?

Unfortunately yes, the waiting period week is just gone. It's been that way with SDI for a long time. Make sure your doctor certifies your disability start date accurately because that determines when your waiting period begins and when payments actually kick in.

wait is the waiting period still 7 days? i thought they changed it at some point

That's really helpful to know. I've been trying to call California EDD for three days and can't get anyone. I'll check out that Claimyr service because I really need to talk to someone who can look at my actual account.

seconded on the phone thing, EDD is impossible to reach and for something like this where the dates really matter you want to hear it directly from them not just rely on forum advice

does claimyr actually work or is it one of those things that sounds good but doesnt deliver

RIGHT? This is exactly my problem. I've been on the website for hours and I still wasn't sure if there was any scenario where both could overlap.

And then you try to call and sit on hold for 2 hours and get disconnected. The whole system is designed to make you give up.

lol at 'designed to make you give up' but honestly not wrong

Okay so my situation sounds cleaner than that at least — my UI is already approved and active, so I just need to properly transition to SDI without overlap on certified weeks.

Correct, your situation is actually more straightforward. You have an active UI claim, you become unable to work on a specific date, you stop certifying for UI as of that date, and you file SDI for the period you're disabled. Clean transition.

The messy scenarios are usually when people get hurt and file SDI while their UI claim is still pending adjudication. THAT creates headaches because neither the claimant nor EDD knows which benefit period should apply first.

Oh wow I hadn't even thought about the back end of this — what happens when SDI runs out and I want to return to UI or go back to work. That's a really good point.

yeah get your ducks in a row with your doctor about the return to work date. EDD UI will want documentation that you are now able and available to work before they'll let you resume certifications

This is exactly the kind of thing EDD never explains clearly. The on-ramp back to UI after SDI ends is just as confusing as the transition from UI to SDI in the first place

ok fair enough, ill look into it. i have a similar situation going on with overlapping SDI and UI dates and I really need to talk to someone at EDD

for date-specific questions where you need someone looking at your actual account, phone is really the only way to get reliable answers. the chat feature on myEDD is useless for complicated situations

That's actually a really clear way to think about it. One program requires you to be unable to work, the other requires you to be able and looking for work. Of course they're mutually exclusive.

the SDI payroll deduction thing trips people up too because they think 'i paid into it so i can use it whenever' without understanding the eligibility conditions

Partial disability is actually handled through SDI as well — you might qualify for SDI partial wage replacement if your doctor certifies you can work reduced hours. However you generally still can't stack SDI partial benefits with UI benefits. For your specific situation I'd strongly recommend calling California EDD directly because partial disability scenarios have a lot of variables.

I've heard of people doing voluntary reduced hours through their employer (not disability-related) and collecting partial UI — that's called the Work Sharing program. But that's completely different from a medical disability situation.

okay yeah this is way more complicated than i thought. definitely need to call EDD

This is what I'm dealing with right now. The stakes feel really high — I need to know exactly what date to stop certifying — and I can't get any human being on the phone.

This is specifically why I ended up using Claimyr — claimyr.com — when I had my UI to SDI transition question. The 10 business day message wait is real and honestly sometimes they just send you a form letter that doesn't even address your specific question. For something time-sensitive like an exact cutoff date, you need a phone call.

the 10 day response thing is not even close to accurate in my experience. more like 3-4 weeks if you get a response at all

Oh that's a really good point. I was so focused on the EDD side I didn't even think about notifying my employer formally. Though I was laid off, so maybe this is less relevant for me?

ah right you were already laid off! yeah then you don't have an active employer to notify. your situation is simpler than i was thinking

For OP's situation (already laid off), the FMLA/CFRA job protection piece doesn't apply since there's no job to protect. But for others reading this who become disabled while still technically employed, yes — notify your employer AND file SDI AND look into CFRA if the employer has 5+ employees.

This is super helpful — so I don't necessarily have to stop cold at the start of a week, it can be mid-week if that's when the disability actually started?

Right, UI benefits are calculated per week but the disability onset date is what matters for EDD's records. Just be accurate about which days you were actually able and available vs. which days the disability had already begun.

SDI covers any illness, injury, or pregnancy that your physician or licensed healthcare practitioner certifies is preventing you from performing your regular or customary work. There's no specific approved condition list — it's the functional limitation certified by your doctor that matters, not the diagnosis itself. Your doctor has to certify that the condition prevents you from doing your job.

ok good to know, i was worried there was some complicated approval list

mental health conditions count too right? i know someone who got SDI for anxiety/depression

Three weeks is a long time when you have zero income coming in. Did you have any options to speed that up or was it just a waiting game?

Honestly it was a waiting game. The main thing I'd say is make sure your doctor completes their section of the SDI claim quickly — delays on the medical provider side are super common and EDD won't process your claim without it. Hound your doctor's office if you have to.

Of course there's no way to speed it up. That would be too convenient. Three weeks of zero income because the system is backlogged is just considered acceptable apparently.

SDI benefits are considered taxable income for federal purposes (though not state) and they'd show up on your 1099-G from California EDD at the end of the year. For landlord income verification mid-year, you'd typically just provide your award letter from SDI showing your weekly benefit amount. Doesn't affect credit directly.

oh okay that's not as bad as i thought thanks

Honestly hadn't thought about the tax implications — good to know SDI income gets reported

Thank you for sharing this! How long were you on hold? I'm still trying to get through.

I used Claimyr actually — claimyr.com — after seeing it mentioned in this thread. I'd been calling on my own for a week with no luck. Worth checking out especially for time-sensitive situations where you need a real answer fast.

glad you got through and confirmed the info. always better to have it directly from EDD for something this important

This is a really good point. Always respond to EDD notices even when you think no response is required. Unanswered notices can create flags on your account that cause delays later if you ever need to reopen a UI claim.

I would not have thought of that. So when I stop certifying I should proactively communicate to EDD why, not just let the certifications stop?

Yes — you can send a message through myEDD explaining that you are transitioning to SDI due to a medical condition and the approximate start date. This creates a record and can prevent your UI claim from going into some weird limbo status.

This is an incredibly helpful summary. Thank you so much — I feel so much less panicked now. I'm going to call my doctor today and sort out the onset date, and then follow these steps.

Good luck OP! The process is confusing but it's manageable once you know the steps. The most important thing is not to overlap certified UI weeks with your SDI period.

Good luck! Come back and update us on how the transition went. This is genuinely useful info for a lot of people.