I've been lurking on this thread for weeks while dealing with my own EDD nightmare, and I finally have some good news to share! After being stuck in "pending" status for 8 weeks (yes, 8 WEEKS!), I finally got through last Friday using the combination approach that so many of you have had success with. I sent a fax Thursday afternoon using @Sadie Benitez's exact format, then called Friday morning at 7:02 AM using @Diez Ellis's overpayment transfer method. After about 90 minutes on hold, I reached an incredibly helpful rep who discovered my claim was flagged because my doctor's office had submitted incomplete wage information - something that took her literally 45 seconds to override in their system. She was so apologetic about the wait times and explained that they're processing 60% more claims than usual with the same staffing levels from before the pandemic. I should see my backpay and regular benefits deposited by Wednesday. This community literally saved my life during the darkest financial period I've ever experienced. To anyone still struggling: the combination method WORKS, document everything, and don't give up. The system is broken but we're not, and we're all here to help each other through it. Thank you to everyone who shared their knowledge - you're heroes for helping strangers navigate this mess!

This thread has been absolutely incredible to follow! I'm currently on week 3 of my disability claim being stuck at "pending" and was starting to feel completely hopeless until I found all of these success stories and practical solutions. Reading about everyone's experiences - from @Muhammad Hobbs getting through with the silent SSN method to @Scarlett Forster's recent success with the combination approach after 8 weeks - gives me so much hope that there's light at the end of this tunnel. I'm planning to try the fax + phone combination method first thing Monday morning using @Sadie Benitez's format and @Diez Ellis's overpayment transfer trick. It's both inspiring and heartbreaking how we've all had to become experts at navigating a broken system just to access benefits we've already paid into. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their methods and updates - this community is proving that when the system fails us, we don't fail each other. I'll definitely update once I try these approaches!

This thread is absolutely incredible! I just spent the last hour reading through everyone's experiences and strategies, and I'm feeling so much more hopeful about my own situation. I've been stuck trying to get through to EDD about my disability claim for almost 3 weeks now with zero success. The collective knowledge shared here is amazing - from @Justin Trejo's insider timing tips to @QuantumQuasar's brilliant pre-opening call strategy and @Sean Matthews' two-phone backup method. It's like having a complete playbook for navigating this broken system! I'm particularly grateful for all the details about the Medical Services department from @Miguel Ortiz and others. My issue is also certification-related (doctor submitted but not showing in my account), so knowing there's a specialized department that can actually access those records gives me so much hope. Reading the success stories from @Serene Snow, @StarSeeker, and others proves these methods really work when executed properly. The name/data mismatch issues seem incredibly common - I'm definitely going to double-check with my doctor's office about exactly how they submitted my information. I'm planning to try the 7:58am Tuesday approach tomorrow with everything pre-organized and ready to go. This community support has been a lifesaver during such a stressful time - thank you all for sharing your hard-won knowledge and keeping each other's spirits up! 🙏

I've been following this thread for days and finally decided to create an account just to share my experience and thank everyone for the incredible advice! Like so many others here, I was completely lost trying to navigate the EDD system for my disability claim. After reading through all the strategies shared here, I tried the 7:58am pre-opening call method on a Wednesday morning (combining @QuantumQuasar's timing trick with @Justin Trejo's Tuesday-Thursday window). I got through after just 18 minutes on hold! When the rep answered, I immediately asked to be transferred to Medical Services as @Miguel Ortiz suggested, and that made all the difference. The Medical Services specialist found my certification right away - turns out my doctor's office had submitted it with my middle initial, but my original claim didn't include it. She fixed the mismatch on the spot and said my payments should start processing within a week. Such a relief after weeks of stress! A couple of additional tips from my experience: I had my claim number, Social Security number, and doctor's information written on a sticky note right next to my phone so I could answer questions immediately. Also, when I was transferred to Medical Services, the hold music stopped completely for about 2 minutes - I almost hung up thinking I was disconnected, but then the specialist came on the line. This community has been absolutely invaluable. The detailed strategies, success stories, and moral support made all the difference in finally getting through this nightmare. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and helping each other navigate this broken system! 🙏

Just wanted to jump in as someone new to this community who's currently dealing with this exact same driver's license linking nightmare! 😫 This thread has been incredibly helpful - it's amazing to see so many detailed success stories and practical advice. I had no idea this was such a common issue or that there were specific strategies like calling at 8:01-8:02 AM and asking for technical specialists. I'm planning to call tomorrow morning with all my documents ready (SSN, license number, address history, DOB). Really appreciate everyone taking the time to share their experiences and solutions rather than just venting about the problem. This is exactly the kind of community support that makes these bureaucratic headaches bearable! I'll definitely update everyone on how my call goes. Thanks for all the encouragement and detailed tips! 🙏

Hey everyone! Just joined this community after running into this exact same driver's license linking issue 😩 It's so frustrating but reading through all these success stories gives me hope! I love how detailed everyone's advice is - the 8:01-8:02 AM calling strategy, having all docs ready (SSN, license #, address history, DOB), and asking for a technical specialist are all things I never would have thought of. Planning to call tomorrow morning with everything organized. This community is amazing for actually providing solutions instead of just complaining! Will definitely update you all on how it goes. Thanks for sharing your experiences - it makes this bureaucratic nightmare so much less scary! 🙏

Wow, this thread has been such a lifesaver! I'm also expecting and just realized I have the same duplicate account issue - created a second one when I couldn't access my original email. Reading through everyone's experiences has completely calmed my nerves about this! The step-by-step advice from @Kaitlyn Jenkins combined with all the recent success stories from @Chloe Harris, @Malia Ponder, and @Santiago Martinez gives such a clear roadmap. I love how everyone's emphasized the same key points: call right at 8am, ask for "Account Services" immediately, and mention maternity SDI upfront. @Lucas Parker - you're in such good hands with all this amazing advice! The fact that so many people have recently resolved this exact situation successfully (and kept their work history intact) should give you tons of confidence. This community is incredible - I've learned more practical EDD navigation tips in this thread than anywhere else! Definitely going to screenshot all these tips for my own call next week. Thank you everyone for being so generous with sharing your experiences! Good luck with your call and congratulations on your pregnancy! 🤱✨

This thread has been absolutely incredible to read! As someone who's also navigating EDD issues (not pregnancy related, but still dealing with their confusing system), I'm blown away by how helpful and detailed everyone's advice has been. @Lucas Parker, you've truly struck gold with this community! The consistency in everyone's success stories is so encouraging - it really seems like the magic formula is: call at exactly 8am, immediately ask for "Account Services," mention maternity SDI right away, and don't stress about missing old account details since they can find everything with your SSN. What I find most reassuring is hearing from @Chloe Harris, @Malia Ponder, and @Santiago Martinez who all went through this exact scenario recently and got it resolved quickly while keeping their work history intact. That takes away so much of the anxiety about the process! This thread should honestly be pinned as a resource for anyone dealing with EDD account issues. The level of practical, actionable advice here is amazing. Wishing you the best of luck with your call and congratulations on your pregnancy! You've definitely got all the tools you need now! 🤱💪

As someone who recently went through a similar interstate move (relocated from Oregon to California in late 2024), I can relate to the confusion around SDI eligibility! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly educational - I had no idea the base period calculation was so complex when I first started researching this. One thing I'd add that might be helpful: if you're working with the same employer across the move, they might be able to provide you with a projection of your California wages for the rest of 2025. This could help you model different surgery timing scenarios more accurately. My HR department was actually really helpful in running these numbers when I explained my situation. Also, since you mentioned Northern California specifically, depending on where you are, some areas have additional local disability resources or advocacy groups that can help navigate EDD if you run into issues. I found a local nonprofit that offers free consultations on disability benefits - might be worth looking into in your area. The consensus here about waiting until you have more CA wages in your base period definitely seems like the smart move if your medical situation allows for it. Thanks for asking this question - the responses have helped me understand my own situation better too!

This has been such an incredibly helpful thread! As someone who's completely new to California's disability system, I really appreciate everyone taking the time to share their experiences with interstate moves and SDI eligibility. I'm in a somewhat similar situation - just moved to California for work and trying to understand how all this works before I potentially need it. The base period calculation explanation from @Atticus Domingo really cleared things up for me, and hearing real experiences from people like @Yuki Ito and @Carmen Sanchez about the actual timing and benefit amounts is invaluable. One thing I'm wondering about - for those of you who've been through this process, did you find that EDD was generally helpful when you called with questions, or is it really as difficult to get through as some people mention? I'm trying to decide whether to attempt calling them directly or use that Claimyr service that @Isaiah Cross mentioned. Also, @Ivanna St. Pierre, thanks for starting this discussion - it's going to be a great resource for anyone dealing with cross-state moves and SDI eligibility questions!