Can you collect unemployment if you are on social security disability? California EDD situation

That's actually a relief to hear. So the fact that I'm receiving SSDI doesn't automatically mean EDD thinks I can't work? I do have restrictions from my doctor but I've been doing part-time work within those restrictions for years.

Exactly — SSDI and being able to work part-time aren't mutually exclusive. What EDD cares about is whether YOU can work right now and are looking. The restrictions you mentioned are worth thinking about though: if they limit you to only certain hours or types of jobs, you need to be genuinely available for work within those limits each week you certify.

My neighbor told me EDD and Social Security share databases and they automatically disqualify you if you're on SSDI. Is that actually true or is that just misinformation going around?

That's misinformation. EDD doesn't cross-reference with the Social Security Administration to auto-disqualify people. SSDI is about whether a disability prevents you from doing your previous full-time work — unemployment is about whether you're available for some work right now. Different programs, different standards.

Wait, so SSDI doesn't count as wages for figuring out the weekly benefit amount either? That actually helps clarify things. And yeah I've been having the same trouble getting through on the phone line.

Right, the benefit calculation comes from your actual earned wages in the base period — SSDI payments aren't wages, so they don't factor in. The agent was pretty clear about that for my specific claim.

Glad that worked for you. I might try reaching an agent that way too because I have a similar question about whether my pension is going to reduce my UI amount and I cannot get anyone on the phone.

So someone could technically be on SSDI for not being able to do their old job but still qualify for unemployment because they can do lighter or part-time work?

That's the basic idea, yes. SSDI's standard and unemployment's standard are measuring different things. The tricky part is that you have to honestly certify that you're available and looking each week — if your restrictions are so severe that you genuinely can't take any available job, that's where it gets complicated. But someone doing part-time warehouse work clearly showed they could work within their restrictions.

I was told by someone that SSDI recipients can't collect unemployment because Social Security will count it as 'work activity' and might review their disability case. Is that actually an EDD rule or a Social Security rule?

That's a Social Security question, not an EDD rule. What EDD cares about is on their end: eligibility for unemployment. Whether unemployment benefits could affect your SSDI case is something to check with the Social Security Administration directly — it's outside what EDD handles and not something anyone here should guess at.

That's exactly what I was afraid of doing — accidentally reporting it and messing something up. Good to know it's not on the list at all.

Yeah just go through the certification questions carefully. The income they ask about is wages from work you performed that week, things like vacation pay if your employer paid it out, that kind of thing. SSDI is nowhere in those questions.

Does the certification ask anything about disability status at all or is it purely about work and job search?

From my experience the questions are about work you did, money you earned from working, and whether you were able and available. Nothing asks 'are you on disability benefits' in my certifications anyway.

That's a fair point. My restrictions are mostly about heavy lifting over a certain weight limit. Part-time warehouse work I was doing was lighter duty loading so it did fit. I guess I need to be applying to similar jobs.

Exactly. And keep notes on where you applied just as a habit, not because EDD mandates a specific log — but if any question comes up about your work search you'll have something to refer back to.

Also worth making sure your CalJOBS profile is updated and your resume is posted on there if you haven't already. After a new claim EDD usually requires that within 21 days of the notice they send — the DE 8405 is what that notice is called.

Hearing from someone who actually went through the whole year without a problem is really reassuring. Did you have a phone interview or any adjudication issue come up?

No phone interview for me since it was a straightforward layoff — no quit or firing situation. Everything just processed normally. The only thing I had to do was make sure I was genuinely available and looking each week because I do have restrictions on what I can physically do.

Did your SSDI payments go up or change in any way because of the unemployment income? I'm asking because I'm afraid of triggering a Social Security review.

That's really a question for the Social Security Administration, not EDD. I can only speak to the EDD side of things and over there SSDI was invisible — it didn't affect my claim at all. For Social Security's rules on how UI income interacts with SSDI, that's their department.

The EDD site can be confusing to navigate when you're stressed and looking for a quick answer. The information is there but finding the specific thing you need isn't always easy.

True. And then you end up on forums like this which at least have people who've been through it even if the info isn't always 100% accurate.

Makes sense to treat them as completely separate. I'll focus on doing the unemployment claim correctly on EDD's side and handle any Social Security questions with them directly if something comes up.

Honestly this thread should clear up a lot of confusion. I see this question come up a lot and people always assume it's one or the other.

The confusion makes sense because both programs involve a disability and both involve income when you're not working a full-time job. But the rules really are running on separate tracks.

Good thing you got clarification on the pension — that's actually different from what I had going on. SSDI sounds like it's in its own category.

Yeah the agent drew a clear line between Social Security benefits which don't affect UI and pension or retirement income which can. Important distinction.

How do you even get through to an EDD agent? Every time I call I get the high call volume message and nothing else.

Claimyr is what I ended up using for my own call after failing to get through for a week. Ended up talking to a live EDD agent about my pension question. The site is claimyr.com if you want to look into it.

I haven't received a DE 8405 yet but I'll watch for it. I did already set up a CalJOBS account because I'd read somewhere that most people have to do it.

Good call setting it up proactively. EDD will tell you on the notice if you're exempt but most claimants do have to register. Having the resume posted and the account active just removes one potential issue.

I never got that notice mailed to me and assumed I didn't have to register. Then my payments stopped for a week. EDD told me I did need to register and just hadn't received the notice for some reason. Worth getting ahead of it like you're doing.

My restrictions mostly mean no lifting over 30 pounds and no prolonged standing past a few hours. There are definitely jobs in my area I could do with those restrictions — office work, light assembly, some customer service roles. So I don't think it's too narrow.

Those restrictions sound like they leave plenty of room in the job market. The issue usually comes up when someone's restrictions are so specific that there's genuinely nothing available to them — that's a different situation than yours.

The agent I talked to on my own call mentioned the same thing about availability. EDD looks at whether work exists that you could realistically do — not whether you can do every job. For part-time warehouse workers with common physical restrictions there's usually a broad enough pool.

Hours being cut down counts — you don't have to be fully laid off to file. You'd still certify for the weeks your hours are reduced and report what you actually earn. EDD runs the math: they take your earnings for the week and subtract anything above 25 percent of your weekly benefit amount or $25, whichever is more, and pay you the difference. So you can collect a partial amount while still working reduced hours.

Oh that's really useful to know. So I should file now rather than wait to see if my hours go back up?

EDD says to apply as soon as your hours are cut, not wait. The claim starts from the Sunday of the week you apply so you'd want to file now. If your hours go back up and you're earning too much to get a payment in a given week, you just certify honestly and EDD pays nothing that week — no harm done.

Apply as soon as the hours drop and certify every two weeks reporting what you actually earn. Don't wait — you lose those weeks if you don't file for them.

Good to know. I was actually wondering if I could go somewhere in person to get answers about my specific claim but sounds like it has to go through EDD directly.

Yeah AJCC is great for job search help, workshops, that kind of thing. For what's happening with your actual claim — why something is pending, what's needed — that has to come from EDD themselves, either by phone, through UI Online messages, or the live chat on the Help button in UI Online.

The certification questions ask things like whether you were able to work each day of the week, whether you were available for work, and whether you looked for work. They also ask about any earnings from work during those weeks. Those availability and job search questions are built right into the process — it's not a separate form.

And if I'm on SSDI but honestly able to work part-time and looking — I just answer those questions truthfully and that's it?

Truthfully is exactly right. If you were genuinely able and available and looking, you answer yes. If a particular day you were in the hospital and couldn't work, you answer accordingly. The certification reflects your actual situation each week.

The certification also asks if you refused any work offers that week, which trips some people up. If you declined a job for a reason like it was completely outside your physical restrictions, that might be okay — but be ready for EDD to look into it if it comes up.

How did you know adjudication was happening? Did UI Online show something specific?

My weeks in Claim History were showing as Pending instead of paid. That was the signal that EDD had something to decide before paying those weeks. The DE 4800 notice came in the mail telling me about the phone interview and what it was going to cover.

Pending weeks and a DE 4800 in the mail are pretty common when there's any question EDD needs to sort out. Good reminder to keep certifying even when weeks are showing pending — you need those certifications on file for EDD to pay them once the issue is resolved.

I think I did know about this but I wasn't sure if it still applied. So the first certification covers those two weeks — one unpaid waiting week and then one actual paid week?

That's how it usually works, yes. So your first deposit would reflect that one paid week, not two.

Just to add: the waiting week doesn't take away from your total — if your max is 26 paid weeks, you still get 26 paid weeks plus the one waiting week. It's not counted against your total benefit amount.

This is exactly the kind of specific answer I'd need from an agent. 'Your CalJOBS registration hasn't processed' is so much more useful than just seeing Pending with no explanation.

That's what made the actual call worth it. 'Pending' in UI Online tells you nothing by itself — an agent can actually look at your specific claim and tell you which piece is holding things up.

Does the agent also see whether your CalJOBS account is linked to your EDD claim or do those systems not talk to each other?

The agent in my case could see the CalJOBS status was the holdup, so they do seem to have visibility into that. She also confirmed which weeks were pending and what was needed. Super specific to my own claim.

That reframes it for me. If I'm answering the certification questions correctly and not reporting something I was never supposed to report, there's no misreporting happening.

Exactly. The list of things to report is specific — wages, severance, vacation pay, that kind of thing. SSDI isn't on that list. You can't be overpaid 'because of' income you weren't required to report.

Also worth knowing: if EDD ever does send an overpayment notice and you disagree with it, you have 30 days from the mailing date to appeal in writing using the DE 1000M form that comes with the notice. You don't just have to accept it — you can challenge it with documentation of what you actually reported.

I'm past that three-week point now and have already certified once so I think I'm in the normal flow. Just waiting to see how the pending weeks resolve.

If weeks are still showing as Pending after your first certification cleared, that usually means EDD has something specific to sort out — could be an identity step, could be an adjudication question. Worth checking if you got anything in the mail and monitoring your Claim History in UI Online.

Payment info updates daily in UI Online under Payments, and you can also check by calling 1-866-333-4606 anytime — that line runs 24 hours. If Pending weeks flip to paid it'll show there first.