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

So basically I need to pick one? Even if the short term disability is through my old employer's private plan and not through California EDD's SDI program?

The rule about not collecting for the same days applies to California's SDI specifically. For a private employer plan, that's a different animal and EDD's rules may treat it differently - honestly that's something you'd want to ask EDD directly because they'd look at your specific situation. What I know for certain is that SDI from California and unemployment can't overlap for the same period.

Also worth noting - if you're genuinely unable to work because of the injury, you'd be certifying untruthfully if you kept saying yes to being available and able to work on your EDD certifications. That's the part that can really get people in trouble.

How long did it take before you actually got an agent through that? I've been on hold for literally two hours before getting disconnected.

The whole thing gets you off the hold loop - I had an actual conversation with an EDD rep that day. It was the first real answer I'd gotten in weeks of trying.

Two hours and disconnected is basically my entire EDD phone experience summarized. Going to look into that service for my own claim questions.

This is what I was afraid of - the answer isn't as simple as yes or no. So I should report the private disability income when I certify regardless?

Report everything when you certify - that's the safe move every time. EDD then makes the determination about how it affects your payment. Never try to figure out on your own whether something 'counts' or not.

Agreed on reporting everything. The worst case scenario is an overpayment notice later because you didn't report something. That's a much bigger headache than just disclosing it upfront.

This is the right answer. EDD would rather you over-report than under-report. I learned that the hard way on a freelance gig I forgot to report - ended up with an overpayment situation I had to sort out.

Your benefit year is 52 weeks from when your claim started, and that clock keeps moving whether you're certifying or not. So if you're on disability for two months, those two months are part of your benefit year. When you go back to certifying for unemployment, you'll have less time left in your year. The total weeks of benefits available don't change though - just the window you have to use them.

Oh that's not great. So if disability drags on for a while you could lose significant unemployment time just from the calendar moving.

That's actually really important for me to know. My doctor thinks I might be on restrictions for 6-8 weeks minimum.

So in those weeks I literally wouldn't qualify for unemployment benefits anyway, even setting aside the disability question?

That's correct. Unemployment requires being able AND available AND actively looking. A medical restriction that limits your ability to do most desk jobs would likely affect your eligibility for those weeks. EDD is the one who makes that final call, but you can see why the two programs don't typically overlap - they're designed for different situations.

My chiropractor gave me a 'light duty only' note once and I had a whole back-and-forth with EDD about whether I was available. Eventually they said light duty restrictions still count as able to work if there are light duty jobs I could actually do. So it really does depend on what the restriction says.

That's a fair point - partial restrictions vs full inability to work are different situations. EDD makes that determination case by case, which is another reason a direct conversation with them matters here.

So practically speaking - I'd stop certifying in UI Online for unemployment, then go file in SDI Online for the disability period?

That's the basic process, yes. You file for SDI no earlier than 9 days after your disability starts and no later than 49 days after. If you miss that 49-day window you could lose benefits so don't wait too long once you know you're going to need it.

The 49-day deadline is the one that bites people. Most people don't know about it and think they can file whenever they feel like it.

Severance is on EDD's list of income to report when you certify, so you do report it. EDD's own guidance actually says severance paid under a company plan or policy isn't counted as wages for unemployment purposes, so it generally doesn't disqualify you or reduce your weekly payment. But you still report it and EDD makes the final call on your specific situation.

Oh interesting, I reported it when I certified and nothing was reduced. Guess that tracks with what you're saying.

EDD asking you to report it and EDD reducing your payment because of it are two different things - which is exactly what happened in your case. Report first, let EDD sort out the impact.

Three hours and a disconnect is brutal - I had the same thing happen multiple times. Claimyr (claimyr.com) is what finally got me to an actual EDD agent when nothing else was working. For your LTD question specifically, an agent can look at your account and tell you how to handle reporting it.

Does it actually work or is it just another thing that wastes my time

My claim had three weeks of Pending status that nobody could explain until I finally talked to an agent through it - so yes, it worked for me in an actual stuck-claim situation.

I hadn't thought about it at the weekly level like that. My injury happened partway through my current certification period.

Exactly the situation to be careful with. Answer each week on its own facts. For the weeks you couldn't work due to injury, that's when SDI eligibility starts - so you'd want to file SDI from that point, and stop claiming unemployment from that point.

This is a really underrated point. People treat each two-week certification as one block but EDD actually asks about each week separately within it.

That's a relief actually. I was worried I'd have to start completely over with a new application.

Nope - the claim just sits there during your disability period. When you're medically cleared you reopen it and pick back up, as long as the benefit year is still open.

Does EDD need any documentation that you were on disability when you go to reopen? Like do they verify the gap?

You'd want to have your doctor's clearance documentation ready just in case, but EDD's main concern when you reopen is verifying you're currently able and available to work again.

Overpayment notices showing up months later are the worst because by then you've already spent the money. Always better to sort it out in real time.

Exactly - she had to repay it even though it wasn't intentional fraud. Non-fraud overpayments still have to be paid back, just without the extra penalty.

This is exactly what I was afraid of. I haven't done anything yet - still trying to figure out the right path before I mess something up.

Good to know - I definitely have my own injury situation so SDI would be the right one for me, not PFL.

Right, your herniated disc situation is classic SDI territory. PFL wouldn't apply here.

I didn't know both were in the same SDI Online system - that's actually useful information.

I did register in CalJOBS when I first filed. So when I come back from disability I just need to update my profile and start doing the work search activities again?

That's the right idea. EDD expects you to be actively looking for work when you're on unemployment. The SDI period is a pause on all of that.

EDD's pages don't specify exactly how many contacts you need to make each week, but keeping your own record of where you apply is a good habit.

Work-related injuries are workers' comp territory, yes. And workers' comp is on the list of income you'd report when certifying for unemployment. EDD decides how workers' comp payments affect your UI payment. The question of whether workers' comp and SDI can both apply at the same time is complicated enough that you'd really want to ask EDD and potentially a workers' comp attorney.

My situation isn't exactly that but it's close enough that I need to make a phone call to EDD and get a real answer. Using Claimyr to get through since my last four attempts to call ended without reaching anyone.

That's the smarter move than waiting on hold for hours just to get disconnected again.

My doctor already has my imaging from the MRI and all the documentation of my restrictions. So I should be able to get the medical certification part handled pretty quickly.

That's the key piece - doctors who already have documentation on file can usually get the SDI medical portion done without you having to come in for another appointment specifically for it.

Good reminder - I had to track down my 1099G last year and didn't realize it was in UI Online. Much easier than waiting for the mail.

UI Online has them going back five years too, so if you need a prior year's form it's right there.

And you can set up 10% federal tax withholding directly on your unemployment certifications if you don't want a surprise tax bill at the end of the year.

This is really helpful to know - real life confirmation of what people were saying earlier in this thread.

Glad you got a concrete answer. That's exactly why the distinction between private LTD and California SDI matters - they get treated differently.

Took way too long to get there but at least I have an actual answer now for my specific account.

This is basically the summary I needed from the start. Thank you to everyone in this thread - I have a much clearer picture now. Going to call EDD to explain my specific situation before I do anything.

Filing for SDI sooner rather than later is the move if you haven't started yet - that 49-day window moves faster than people expect when you're dealing with an injury.

Agreed - and keep that DE 429Z (the award notice EDD sent when your unemployment claim was processed) handy because it shows your weekly benefit amount and balance remaining, which helps when you're trying to figure out how much you have left when you eventually come back to unemployment.