Can you file for unemployment and disability at the same time with California EDD?

Okay that makes a lot more sense. So my UI claim just kind of goes on hold while I'm on SDI? And I can pick it back up after? I was terrified I'd have to start the whole process over from scratch.

This is accurate. The benefit year is 12 months from your initial claim date, so make sure you track when that expires. If your SDI period pushes you close to that 12-month mark, you may need to file a new UI claim when you're ready to return to the job search.

wait does this mean OP was technically lying on the UI cert forms if they were saying they were available when they werent? asking for a friend lol

Thank you this is really reassuring to hear from someone who actually went through it. Did you have to call EDD to reopen the UI or could you do it online?

I had to call to get the UI reopened and that part was kind of a nightmare tbh. took me like two weeks of trying before I got through to anyone

I've been trying to call for three days straight and keep hitting the 'we cannot take your call due to high volume' message and getting hung up on. I'll definitely look into this.

seconding this, used claimyr when my adjudication was dragging on forever. got through way faster than doing it myself

does it actually work or is it just like... putting you in the same hold queue everyone else is in

I hadn't even thought about comparing the amounts. My UI weekly benefit is around $420, do you know if SDI would likely be higher or lower than that?

SDI is calculated differently - it's based on your highest quarter of wages in a specific base period. If you made decent wages, SDI often comes out higher than UI. You can use the SDI benefit calculator on the California EDD website to get an estimate before your claim processes.

this is really helpful info, I never knew EDD administered both programs. I always thought they were totally separate agencies or something

When your UI payments are paused because you're unable to work, the job search requirements are also paused. You're not certifying for UI while you're on SDI, so there's nothing to report. The job search requirements only apply during weeks you're actively certifying for UI benefits.

oh ok that actually makes sense. I was picturing someone with a broken leg trying to go to job fairs lol

lmaooo same I was wondering about that. the image of filing job applications from a hospital bed

There's actually a program called DI (Disability Insurance) through California EDD that can cover partial disability situations but it gets complicated fast. Generally if you can work in some reduced capacity, UI gets tricky because you have to report any earnings and your benefit gets reduced. Your best bet is to talk to your doctor specifically about how they'll characterize your work status in any certification, and potentially call EDD to ask about your specific situation before filing anything.

that's what I'm afraid of - I really need to talk to an actual EDD agent about my specific case before I do anything. The online info is so general it doesn't help for complicated situations like mine

For exactly this reason - call situations where you need to talk through something specific before making a move - Claimyr is genuinely useful. claimyr.com connects you with EDD agents without you sitting on hold for hours. I used it when I had a complicated question about my claim and got real answers quickly instead of guessing.

Honestly this is exactly my experience. The website keeps referring me to 'contact EDD for more information' for every specific question I have, which is useless when you literally cannot get anyone on the phone.

And don't even get me started on the callback system. I requested a callback THREE TIMES and never once actually got called back. Just disappeared into the void.

the callback system is broken lol I've never met anyone who actually got a callback from EDD

How do I find out when my benefit year expires? Is that shown somewhere in my UI Online account?

Yes, if you log into your UI Online account and look at your claim details, it should show your benefit year start and end dates. The end date is exactly 12 months from your initial claim date. Make a note of this and plan accordingly if you think your recovery might extend close to that date.

good tip about the benefit year, that's something I never would have thought to check

Essentially yes. Your UI claim has a maximum benefit amount (your weekly benefit x 26 weeks typically, though this can vary). Whatever weeks you've already received subtract from that total. When you return and reopen the claim, you'd have the remaining weeks/dollars available, subject to the benefit year still being active.

ok that's actually a relief to know. I've been nervous about using any UI weeks because I thought I might need them later

One thing to note - California recently adjusted some UI parameters so if you haven't looked at your claim details in a while it's worth logging into UI Online to see your exact remaining balance and benefit year expiration.

SDI does have a waiting period - it's a 7-day waiting period before benefits begin. This is sometimes called the 'non-payable' waiting period. So the first week of your disability period won't be paid. This is similar in concept to the UI waiting week but applied to SDI instead.

ugh so theres a gap in both programs essentially. first week of UI unpaid, first week of SDI unpaid, and presumably some gap when transitioning between them too

The waiting week for UI was actually temporarily waived in recent years but has since been reinstated. And yes, the SDI waiting period is also back to standard. Planning for that gap in coverage is smart financial planning when you're dealing with this kind of situation.

Oh no. Six weeks with nothing coming in is terrifying. I have maybe 2-3 weeks of savings. Did they eventually backpay you for the waiting period or did you just lose that income?

they did backpay once it was approved, but waiting for that was so stressful. my advice is file the SDI as early as possible and make sure your doctor submits their part of the form right away because delays on the doctor side are really common and they'll hold everything up

the doctor delay thing is SO real. my doctor's office took two weeks just to fax a form that was like one page

The overpayment thing really scares me. How would an overpayment even happen in this scenario?

It could happen if, for example, EDD processed both claims simultaneously due to a system error, or if there was a timing issue where payments overlapped. It can also happen if someone answers the weekly cert questions inaccurately during the transition. If you get paid for a week of UI when you were also receiving SDI, EDD will eventually catch it and send an overpayment notice. Accurate certification is your best protection.

this is why I'm terrified of the whole system. too many ways for things to go wrong even when youre trying to do everything right

the virtual assistant is pretty useless for anything complicated in my experience. it just regurgitates the FAQ stuff and when you ask something specific it either can't help or gives you a canned 'contact EDD' response

SAME. It's basically just a FAQ search engine with a chat interface. Absolutely useless for anything involving your specific claim situation.

that's what I figured. So really the only option is to actually speak to a human agent which brings us back to the whole impossible-to-reach-EDD problem

Changes in your medical status should be reported promptly. For SDI specifically, if your condition improves to where you can work, even part time, you need to notify EDD as that affects your SDI eligibility. Failing to report changes can result in overpayments and in serious cases, fraud findings. Your friend should contact EDD about this, ideally with their doctor's updated assessment in hand.

yeah that's what I told them. better to report it and figure out the implications than to just hope nobody notices

definitely report it. the Claimyr service (claimyr.com) is actually useful for this type of situation where you need to speak to an EDD rep about a mid-claim change. Instead of trying to get through the phone lines on your own, it handles the queue navigation and gets you to an actual agent. My friend used it to report a change in her availability status and said it saved her hours of frustration.

Glad the thread is helpful! It was really reassuring for me too to hear from people who actually went through the UI to SDI transition and came out the other side okay.

the fact that UI just pauses rather than canceling is the key thing I needed to know. I thought getting sick would just wipe out my claim entirely

This is so helpful thank you for reporting back!! And yes the tip about getting the doctor to be specific about your limitations is huge - I'm going to make sure my own doctor documentation is really clear.

Good advice from the EDD agent. The doctor's certification language is genuinely important and specific wording about 'unable to perform regular duties' vs 'restricted from some activities' can make a significant difference in how claims are processed.

glad the Claimyr thing worked for you. I'm going to try it for my friend's situation

20 hours is honestly not even shocking which is the sad part. I've heard of people spending way more than that

It really is unacceptable. The system seems designed to make it difficult rather than easy to access benefits people paid into through their working years.

and half of those calls end in getting hung up on or told to call back at a different time. the system is genuinely broken

This is an incredibly helpful summary, bookmarking this whole thread. Thank you to everyone who responded - you have no idea how much less stressed I feel after reading all of this.

Great summary. I'd just add that claimants should verify current rules directly with EDD since program details can change, and their specific wage history and claim details may affect how things work out in their individual case.

pinning this to my brain forever just in case. health stuff is unpredictable and knowing this safety net exists is genuinely comforting