Can you get unemployment while on short term disability in California EDD?

Filing for both at the same time is something a lot of people try when they get hurt while already collecting UI, and the short answer is no, you can't be paid by both for the same days. EDD runs both programs and they know when you're getting DI payments - the systems talk to each other. While your doctor has you on a full work restriction, you don't meet the unemployment requirement of being able and available for work every week you certify. So what most people do is stop certifying for UI once the disability kicks in and file for DI instead, then when the doctor clears you to work again, you reopen your UI claim for the remaining weeks in your benefit year.

Had almost this exact situation play out for me last spring. Got laid off in February, started collecting UI, then had a surgery in March that left me out for two months. The DE 429Z had already arrived with my weekly amount locked in, but while I was truly unable to work there was no point certifying for UI - I wouldn't have been honest answering those availability questions anyway. Filed DI through SDI Online, got that going, and when my surgeon cleared me in May I went back into myEDD at https://myedd.edd.ca.gov/ and reopened the existing claim. Didn't have to refile from scratch.

Weeks on that DE 429Z showed a weekly amount of $390 when I got laid off from my warehouse job last year. Went out on DI a month later for a knee thing and had the same question about whether UI would just keep running. Used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get a live EDD agent on the phone because I could not get through on my own - kept hitting the high call volume message. The agent pulled up my claim and walked me through exactly which weeks were still available, confirmed the DI filing had flagged my UI as paused, and told me to watch for the approval notice from DI before stopping my UI certifications cold. There's a video about reaching a live person at EDD by phone at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 that showed me what to expect. After that call I let the DI payments run, then reopened UI when I got the all-clear from my doctor in writing.

WAIT because I think there's some confusion getting mixed in here. The person asking said short term disability - are we talking about California's SDI program through EDD, or like a private disability policy from their employer?? Those are two completely different animals and the rules aren't the same at all!! If it's a private plan the employer set up, EDD doesn't necessarily know about it automatically and I'm not even sure how they'd handle the overlap. Someone should clarify this before giving all this advice.

Something I got completely wrong when I was going through this: I thought 'short term disability' and 'Paid Family Leave' were basically the same thing. My coworker told me PFL would cover me when I hurt my shoulder and couldn't work, but PFL is actually for taking care of a sick family member or bonding with a new baby - not for your own medical thing. For your own injury or illness it's Disability Insurance through SDI Online. Took me way too long to figure that out and I almost filed for the wrong program entirely.

While on DI there's also the question of what you tell EDD when it asks about your ability to work. When I was certifying for UI before my disability period started, every certification I had to honestly say yes to being able and available. Once the doctor's note said I couldn't work, answering those UI questions honestly would mean answering no - which means you're not eligible for UI that week anyway. So stopping UI certifications when DI starts isn't just a rule thing, it also just reflects your actual situation.

CalFresh is also worth knowing about if the DI weekly amount comes in lower than your UI was. The income requirements are based on your current situation and unemployment benefits count as income when you apply - but so does DI income. The amounts are different programs doing different math. If things get tight while you're waiting for DI to start paying, it's worth applying at BenefitsCal just to see where you land. The county office makes the determination and the application is free.

Does the waiting week rule apply to DI the same way it does for UI? Because with UI there's that first unpaid week before anything gets paid, and I want to know if DI has the same thing built in. The person asking might end up with a double gap if both programs make you wait a week before they start.

The timing of when to reopen UI after DI ends is something to pay close attention to. When my physical therapy ended and my doctor cleared me in writing, I reopened my UI claim through myEDD that same week. I didn't wait around because every week you delay reopening is a week of UI you're not collecting and can't go back and get. The minute the work restriction lifts you should be back in there, available for work and certifying again.

When you go back to certifying UI after DI, do you have to re-register in CalJOBS or is that stuff still active from before? I remember having to do the CalJOBS registration within 21 days of getting the DE 8405 notice when I first filed, and I wasn't sure if reopening a claim starts a new CalJOBS clock or uses the existing registration.

Something I wish I'd known earlier: the DI filing timeline is tighter than it feels. EDD says no earlier than 9 days after disability starts and no later than 49 days. I almost missed the filing window because I kept thinking I'd feel better soon and wouldn't need it. File as soon as you're past day 9 even if you think recovery will be quick.

My layoff situation turned weird because my employer was also offering severance paid out over six weeks and I had no idea how that would interact with UI. Someone told me I had to wait until severance was done before filing, but that's apparently wrong - EDD handles the severance question on their end and you file UI right away. Ended up in a whole mess trying to sort out what I should have reported and when. For anyone reading who has both severance and a disability situation on top of a layoff, just report everything honestly when you certify and let EDD sort it.

EDD's PHONE LINE IS A NIGHTMARE I've called 1-800-300-5616 at every hour imaginable and either get the high call volume message or sit on hold forever. For something as complicated as a DI and UI overlap I really feel like you need to actually talk to someone because the written guides online don't always cover your specific situation. There has to be a better way to actually reach a human being.

Paid Family Leave coming up in this thread is worth a moment because I've seen people on PFL wonder if they can stack UI on top of it too. PFL is for bonding with a new child or caring for a seriously ill family member - and the same logic applies as with DI. EDD pays one at a time. While PFL is running, UI requires you to be available for work, and if you're on PFL leave you're generally not available. Same outcome, different program.

Taxes are another layer nobody mentioned yet. UI benefits get reported as federal taxable income - EDD sends a Form 1099G each January and it's also in UI Online under Payments. DI benefits have their own tax treatment. When you've had both running in a calendar year the 1099G from UI is separate from the DI side. Worth keeping track of which weeks you were collecting which, especially for whoever is doing your taxes.

To the original poster - once you're cleared to work and reopen UI, do you have to do another phone interview because of the medical gap, or does EDD just pick up where it left off? Asking because my situation might end up similar and I'm trying to figure out if reopening triggers a whole new round of adjudication.

For anyone hitting this thread through search: workers' comp is a third thing entirely. If your injury happened AT work, workers' comp is the program, not SDI. EDD's own materials say getting workers' comp and DI at the same time isn't common, though there can be exceptions. And workers' comp counts as income you report when certifying for UI. All three programs - UI, DI, workers' comp - have different lanes and you need to know which lane your situation is in.

The reopen process in myEDD is actually pretty intuitive once you're in there. You look for the option to reopen an existing claim rather than starting a new application - the site makes this distinction clear. The key piece is that you have to meet the availability and work search requirements again from the day you reopen, so if you're certifying that first week post-DI, you need to be genuinely back in job search mode.

Employer notification stuff that might matter here: when you first filed UI, EDD mailed your last employer a DE 1101CZ. The employer had 10 days from that notice date to respond. With a layoff the employer response usually just confirms the separation. When you reopen, there's generally no new employer notice for the same separation. Just flagging this in case anyone worries the employer gets a fresh notification every time you interact with your claim.

The bigger picture for someone in your situation: keep certifying for DI while you're restricted, reopen UI the week your work restriction lifts, make sure CalJOBS is current, and stay honest on every certification about your ability and availability. The two programs are designed to hand off to each other for exactly this scenario - you don't have to choose one and abandon the other permanently. EDD built this for people who get laid off and then get hurt, or get hurt while unemployed. Use both programs in the right sequence and you get the coverage they're meant to provide.