Can you collect short term disability and unemployment at the same time? California EDD question

Okay that makes a lot more sense now. So the pending weeks in UI Online — could those be flagged because I certified while already under the doctor's restrictions? I did certify for one week after my doctor told me to take it easy.

Hard to say exactly what triggered the pending status since EDD doesn't detail that in UI Online — it just shows Pending. But certifying for a week when you couldn't truly be available for full-time physical work is the kind of thing that can cause a hold. Worth contacting EDD to clarify those weeks.

the doctor restrictions thing is so important and people miss it all the time, glad someone spelled it out clearly here

Wait so SDI is the thing taken out of my paycheck every pay period? I always wondered what that was for. So I should have been filing for that instead of unemployment once I got hurt?

Exactly, the CASDI line on your old pay stubs is what funded your DI eligibility. And yes, once the injury made you unable to do your normal work, DI becomes the right fit. Unemployment is for people able and looking for work; DI is for people who physically can't work right now.

didnt know casdi covered disability I always thought it was just some random deduction lol

The 49-day deadline is something I did not know about at all. If my injury was two weeks ago I should be okay still, right? And I'm guessing SDI Online is where I go to start the DI claim?

Two weeks in you're still inside the window, so file through SDI Online as soon as you can. Don't wait because every day matters when you're close to that outer limit.

my DI claim also had a wrong date issue, took me calling three times before anyone fixed it

Is there any crossover period though? Like the week the injury happened, can they split it somehow?

EDD decides how to handle the transition week — it's not something anyone can calculate in advance. That's genuinely a question for EDD directly since it depends on the specific dates on the claim.

The transition week is what I'm most worried about honestly because that's the week I certified even with the doctor's note in hand.

That's actually a huge relief to hear. So the UI claim just kind of sits there waiting while DI covers me?

Essentially yes. The 52-week benefit year on your unemployment claim keeps running whether or not you're certifying. When you're medically cleared and looking for work again, you reopen it rather than filing a whole new claim.

I wish I had known this last year. I let my benefit year lapse because I thought I had to file all over again when I got better.

How did yours end up getting resolved? Did EDD eventually fix the pending weeks or did they just deny them?

Mine got paid eventually after I sent a message through UI Online explaining the medical situation. Took about three weeks after that message. Not fast but it did work.

three weeks for a message response is somehow better than what most people report lol

My doctor gave me a pretty detailed note but I don't know if that translates to what SDI Online actually needs. Is it a specific form the doctor fills out?

There's a physician section built into the SDI Online claim — your doctor fills it out electronically or gets a paper form depending on how their office handles it. When you file your part of the claim online, EDD sends the doctor their section. So make sure your doctor knows to expect it and actually completes it promptly.

my doctor's office forgot to submit their section and my claim sat for weeks, definitely remind them

I did register in CalJOBS right after I got the DE 8405 notice, within the first couple weeks. But honestly I hadn't been doing much active job searching once my back went out. Does that affect those pending weeks?

Whether you were able and available and genuinely looking for work during those pending weeks is exactly what EDD could ask about in a phone interview if one gets scheduled. Being honest about your physical limitations during those weeks is the right call even if it means some of them don't get paid.

This is accurate — availability for work isn't something you can sort of meet. You either could work that week or you couldn't, and certifying that you could when a doctor had restricted you is the kind of thing that creates problems later.

You stop certifying for unemployment when you switch to DI. You don't certify for UI during weeks you're on DI. EDD's systems eventually reconcile it, but the claimant's action is to simply not submit UI certifications for the weeks covered by DI.

Got it, so I'd stop certifying through Tele-Cert or UI Online and just focus on the DI process. Makes sense.

Exactly that. And keep whatever documentation your doctor gives you because EDD may ask for more information about the transition period.

So basically both programs have an unpaid first week? That's rough. Does that mean I'll have a gap with no payment at all during the transition?

Potentially yes, there's usually a gap during the switchover. That's just the reality of moving between the two programs. It's not forever but it's something to plan around financially.

the double waiting week situation is brutal and I don't think EDD explains this clearly anywhere upfront

CalJOBS registration doesn't expire the same way a claim does. Your account stays there. When you reopen the UI claim you'd just need to make sure your profile and resume are still current in the system.

okay good, I was worried I'd have to do that whole process again from scratch

I hadn't even thought about comparing the amounts. My DE 429Z shows my UI weekly amount but I have no idea what DI would come out to.

EDD has a DI benefit calculator on its site too. Put in your quarterly wages and it'll give you an estimate. The actual amount comes in your DI claim determination but the calculator gives you a ballpark.

This is the kind of practical info that should be in EDD's FAQ and somehow isn't. I had no idea the two programs used different calculations until I was already on DI and confused about why the amount was different.

Usually one Notice of Determination covers the issue, not individual week-by-week notices. The notice explains the reason and comes with the Appeal Form DE 1000M. If it goes that route, there's a 30-day window from the mailing date to appeal in writing.

Okay that's helpful, so it would be one notice with an appeal option rather than a pile of separate denials.

I really hope it doesn't get to that point but it's good to know there's an appeal path if EDD denies those weeks. I'd want to explain the medical situation on record somewhere.

Wait so I should keep certifying UI even if I get a denial notice, as long as I'm still appealing? Or does that conflict with switching to DI?

Once you're on DI you stop certifying UI. But if the denial is for the past pending weeks and you're appealing those specific weeks, those are already certified. The keep-certifying-during-appeal advice applies to future weeks on a live UI claim, not past ones already certified.

This distinction matters a lot — past certified weeks that are denied can be appealed without additional certifications needed. You're appealing what was already submitted.

Didn't know doctors have to recertify disability for DI. How often does that happen?

It depends on what your doctor estimated for recovery time. If they said you'd be out four weeks and you're still disabled at four weeks, they have to submit a new medical certification extending it. EDD waits for that before continuing payments.

yeah I've seen that bad info too, people assume that because they're different programs they can stack them. they can't.

Correct. File for both if you're in a gray area situation, but EDD decides which one applies to each day and won't pay from both simultaneously. The programs are designed to cover different circumstances, not to double-pay the same period.

Glad I asked here before I did something wrong assuming I could get both at once. Would have made the pending situation way worse.

I did get verified through ID.me when I first applied so I don't think that's my issue. But useful to know for other people reading this.

Worth double-checking your Claim History in UI Online just in case. Sometimes the identity verification shows as an action needed there even if you thought you were already clear.

How do you update direct deposit for DI? Is that also in myEDD or is SDI a separate login?

myEDD handles it — the same place you manage your UI Online access. Payment method settings are in there for both programs from what the agent told me.

SDI Online and UI Online are separate systems but myEDD kind of sits above both of them. Worth logging in there to verify your payment method when you file the DI claim.

This is basically the action plan I needed. Thank you. I'm going to file the DI claim today and send a message through UI Online about those certified weeks where I was already on doctor's orders.

Sounds right. Keep records of everything — the date your doctor restricted you, the DI filing date, any messages you send through UI Online. If EDD ever questions the transition period you'll want to show the timeline clearly.

The timeline documentation point is really important. EDD's phone interview, if one gets scheduled about those pending weeks, goes a lot better when you have exact dates rather than 'around when I got hurt.

Rooting for a smooth DI approval and a quick answer on those pending UI weeks. The back injury on top of a layoff is a rough hand to be dealt.