Can you have unemployment and disability at the same time? California EDD rules explained

So I should stop certifying UI immediately and switch over to SDI? Do I lose all the weeks I already got paid?

The weeks you already received UI while you were able and available, those are fine. It's going forward that matters - once you're medically unable to work, that's when you stop certifying UI and file for SDI instead. Your UI claim doesn't disappear, it just pauses. When your doctor clears you, you can go back to it.

How long does SDI take to actually start paying? I've heard it can take forever.

SDI processing varies but EDD says you file no earlier than 9 days after the disability starts and no later than 49 days after. After that there's a 7-day waiting period for SDI as well. Worth getting the paperwork in fast.

Wait does the UI claim just sit there frozen the whole time you're on SDI? Like do the weeks not expire?

The benefit year itself is 52 weeks from when you first filed. The weeks on SDI count against that calendar year, so if your injury eats up two months of your benefit year, you have two fewer months left on UI. The actual dollar balance of your claim should still be there, but the clock keeps ticking on the year.

That part about the year running out is the thing nobody tells you. I wish I'd known that when I had a knee surgery situation going on.

The phone line is exactly my problem - I tried twice and got cut off after 45 minutes. Good to know I can get an actual answer about which week to use as my start date, that's what I'm most confused about.

The start date question is real, the agent was pretty specific about it on my case. The week my doctor officially put me on restrictions was the cutoff for my UI certifications.

The hold time situation is brutal this year. Worth knowing that option exists for people who keep getting disconnected.

Oh that's a relief, I thought I'd have to start the whole application over. So SDI Online is totally separate from myEDD?

Yes, SDI Online is its own login separate from UI Online. Same EDD, different portal. You'd create an SDI Online account if you don't have one already.

Can you actually reopen a UI claim after SDI or do you have to file a new claim? I keep hearing different things.

If your benefit year is still open, you reopen the existing claim. Only if the year has expired do you file new. UI Online has the option to reopen when you're within the year.

Wait I always thought unemployment came out of my paycheck. I've been telling people that for years lol.

Super common misconception. The CASDI line on your check is SDI, not UI. Employers pay the UI tax separately on their end, nothing comes from the worker's check for it.

Genuinely did not know this either. Makes sense why they're two separate portals and programs.

Yes, that's the concern. If you certified that you were able and available for work during weeks when a doctor had you on restrictions, EDD could technically view those as improperly certified weeks. That's why stopping as soon as the medical situation changes matters. If the injury just happened and only one or two certifications have gone out, talking to EDD directly about the overlap dates is the right move.

Mine just happened recently so I think I only certified once since the injury. I need to sort this out fast.

Yeah definitely don't certify again until you've talked to EDD and have the SDI filed. Better to have a gap than to have an overpayment situation later.

Mine started about 2.5 weeks ago so I'm still inside the window. Filing today.

Good, and your doctor has to certify it too so get that form to them quickly - some offices take a few days to complete the medical certification.

The doctor part is what delayed mine by like a week. Some offices don't prioritize these forms so you might need to follow up.

Wait SDI could actually pay more than unemployment? I thought disability was always less.

It depends on what you earned. SDI is a percentage of your wages too so high earners can get more from SDI. It's not a flat rate. EDD's SDI page has a calculator similar to the UI one.

How long does SDI last though? Is it also 26 weeks?

SDI runs as long as you're medically unable to work, up to 52 weeks for most conditions. It's not tied to a fixed week count the way UI is - your doctor has to keep certifying that you're still disabled.

I actually did confuse these when my mom was sick last year. I called it disability when I was applying and the EDD rep had to redirect me to PFL. Same portal, different boxes to check.

Exactly - easy to mix up since both are in SDI Online and both funded by that CASDI deduction. The initial screen when you apply asks which one applies to you.

Both programs have an unpaid waiting week? That stings. So basically I'm looking at no income for at least one week during the switch.

Unfortunately yes. The SDI waiting period is 7 calendar days from when the disability began. And the UI waiting week is served once at the start of that claim - since you've already served it, reopening UI later won't have another one. The SDI waiting period is the new gap.

Is there any way to get the SDI waiting period waived? Like if hospitalized?

EDD's SDI rules do mention exceptions to the waiting period for hospitalization and certain situations but how that applies is case by case. Worth asking EDD directly about OP's specific back situation.

This is reassuring. How complicated was reopening the UI claim after SDI ended?

Honestly not bad. UI Online had a reopen option when I logged in. I had to certify again and there was a short wait while they processed it but it wasn't a full application. Took about a week to get back into payment mode.

Mid-certification period overlap sounds like a nightmare to figure out on your own. Good that an agent could just look at the account and tell you.

Exactly, and she could see the pending weeks on my claim and confirm none of them would become overpayments given my SDI start date.

CalJOBS is a UI requirement, not an SDI requirement. You registered in CalJOBS because of your unemployment claim. While you're on SDI and not certifying UI, you don't need to keep doing UI-related work search activities. That said, keeping your CalJOBS profile updated for when you return to job searching isn't a bad idea anyway.

That makes sense, I was confused because I thought CalJOBS was an EDD-wide thing for all programs.

Understandable confusion since EDD runs both programs. CalJOBS is specifically about labor market connection for UI claimants - SDI is a wage replacement program for people who literally can't work, so work search requirements don't apply there.

That's certifying that you're able and available when you're not, which is exactly the kind of thing that creates overpayments and potentially fraud issues. EDD can and does cross-reference SDI and UI records. Not worth it, especially when SDI exists specifically for this situation.

Yeah that's fair, I figured there had to be a reason the two programs exist separately. Just asking because I know people who've done it.

Those people may not have faced consequences yet but EDD's systems do catch overlapping claims. The penalty side of overpayments is a lot worse than just repaying the money.

SDI and UI are completely separate programs with separate eligibility rules and separate base periods. SDI history doesn't affect UI eligibility. When you file a new UI claim in the future it looks at your wage history from that period, not at whether you ever used SDI.

Good to know, I was worried about some kind of permanent record situation.

SDI isn't taxable income though right? I thought California disability was tax-exempt.

SDI paid for your own disability is generally not federal taxable income unless your employer pays the premiums, which isn't the standard California situation. The 1099G you get from EDD covers UI, not SDI. So yes, usually SDI is not taxed but UI is.

Good to know going into tax season. The UI checks I got before the injury will still show up on the 1099G I assume?

Correct, whatever UI you received this year will be on the 1099G by January 31. It'll be in UI Online under Payments too.

This is accurate. EDD's systems do eventually reconcile the two but the responsibility starts with the claimant answering the certification questions honestly. If you're medically unable to work, you can't certify UI for that week - that's the actual rule, the SDI filing just happens to be the right next step.

Right, and that's why talking to EDD about the transition dates is worth doing - so you know exactly which weeks fall where and nothing gets flagged later.

That's helpful to hear. I keep putting off filing SDI because it feels unfamiliar and I know UI. Good push to just do it.

Start the SDI Online account today and get the process going. The piece that takes longest is usually waiting for your doctor to submit their part, so the sooner you get them involved the better.

The doctor online submission thing is relatively new I think? When I had my knee surgery the medical form was still paper. Good that they've updated it.

So the UI balance showing intact is something the agent can literally see and confirm on their screen?

Yes, she could see the remaining balance and the weeks, and confirmed the SDI filing hadn't erased anything. It was just sitting there waiting.

Does an EDD agent need any specific account info from you when you call in?

They pull things up with your Social Security number and identity verification over the phone. Standard stuff.

This is the clearest summary of everything in this thread. Filed for SDI today, got my doctor sending in the medical cert. Feel a lot better about all of this.

Glad it helped. Keep your UI Online login handy for when you're cleared to return - reopening is straightforward when the benefit year is still open.

Bookmar - wait I'm not supposed to say that. Anyway this thread answered a question I've had since I had a similar situation two years ago and never fully understood what the right move was.

The UI-SDI crossover is genuinely confusing because both programs are under EDD but have completely different rules. Glad OP got a clear path forward.