I'm so sorry you're going through this - I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation! My SDI benefits stopped about 10 days ago and that certification form just vanished from my account. I've been honestly reporting my part-time work at a local restaurant, and it's like the system punishes you for being transparent about income. That DE 2517-25 notice is completely useless - no clear instructions, no deadline, just "complete required documentation" like we're supposed to be mind readers! I've tried calling probably 100+ times with zero success getting through. Reading through all these comments has been both reassuring and frustrating. It's clear this is a massive system-wide issue affecting tons of people. I'm definitely going to try some of the strategies folks have shared: - The late-night login trick to find hidden messages - Calling right at 8 AM with the 1-2-1 prompts - That backdoor employer services transfer approach sounds genius - Reaching out to my assembly member's office It's absolutely ridiculous that we have to become EDD experts and crowdsource solutions just to access benefits we've paid into. But knowing there's a whole community dealing with this broken system makes it feel less hopeless. Thanks for starting this thread, OP! Sometimes just knowing you're not alone in bureaucratic hell makes all the difference. We'll get through this! 💪

I'm dealing with the exact same nightmare! My SDI benefits stopped about a week ago and that certification form completely disappeared from my account too. I've been working part-time at a local pharmacy and reported everything properly, but it's like their system has a meltdown whenever there's any income change. That DE 2517-25 notice is absolutely infuriating - "complete required documentation" but they don't specify WHAT documentation or WHERE to find it! It's like they deliberately made it as confusing as possible. After reading through everyone's experiences here, I tried the late-night login trick around 1 AM and actually found a "pending review" notification that's completely invisible during normal hours. Still can't access whatever mystery form they want though. I'm planning to try that employer services transfer approach tomorrow - calling their employer line and asking to be transferred to disability claims sounds way smarter than hitting the same brick wall on the main number. It's both comforting and maddening to see so many people dealing with identical issues. At least we know it's a widespread system problem and not something we did wrong! Thanks for starting this conversation OP - knowing we're all in this bureaucratic mess together definitely helps. I'll update if the phone transfer trick works! 🤞

Just wanted to chime in as someone who's been through this exact situation! I was on SDI for about 8 months last year after a back injury and was so confused about taxes too. Everyone here is absolutely right - California SDI is NOT taxable and you won't get any tax forms for it. The key thing to remember is that SDI comes from your own after-tax payroll deductions (you can see it listed as "SDI" on your paystubs). Since you already paid taxes on that money when you earned it, they don't tax it again when it's paid out as benefits. It's basically like getting your own money back. Just make sure to keep your SDI award letter and any payment records in case you ever need to prove to the IRS that it was state disability and not some other type of taxable benefit. But for your regular tax filing, you only need to worry about your W-2 from the 5 months you worked!

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who works in tax prep - I see this confusion every single year during tax season! California SDI is one of the most misunderstood benefits when it comes to taxes. The easiest way to remember it: if it came out of YOUR paycheck as a deduction (which SDI does), then it's not taxable income when you receive it back as benefits. You've already been taxed on that money! This is completely different from unemployment benefits, worker's comp settlements, or federal disability programs. Keep your SDI award letter and benefit statements just in case, but you definitely don't need to report any of those payments as income. Your tax situation should be straightforward - just your W-2 from the 5 months you worked and any other normal tax documents (1099s for interest, etc.). Hope your recovery went well!

I just went through this exact same situation a couple months ago! My SDI claim was approved on 8/29 and I didn't receive my card until 9/12 - so about 2 weeks total. What really helped me was calling Bank of America EDD card services at 1-866-692-9374 and asking specifically about card shipment status. They were able to tell me the exact date my card was mailed and even gave me a tracking number. Also, if you're really tight on money while waiting, you can ask them about emergency fund transfers to your regular bank account once the payment shows as issued in your SDI Online account. The whole process is frustrating but the money will definitely come through. Hang in there!

I'm currently dealing with this exact same frustrating situation! My SDI claim was approved on 10/22 and I'm also still waiting for my card to arrive. Reading through this entire thread has been incredibly helpful - I had absolutely no idea about EDD's policy of reusing old cards from previous claims. I'm pretty sure I had an unemployment card back in 2022 that I definitely threw away when it expired, so based on everyone's experiences here, my disability payment probably got loaded onto that old expired card. It's honestly ridiculous that EDD doesn't explain this anywhere clearly - we shouldn't have to play detective just to figure out where our approved benefits went! I'm definitely calling Bank of America EDD at 1-866-692-9374 tomorrow morning like everyone recommended. This thread has provided way better customer service than anything I could get from EDD's official channels. Thank you to everyone who shared their timelines and solutions - it's such a relief to know I'm not the only one dealing with this stressful waiting game. I'll update once I get through to BofA and figure out what's going on with my payment!

I've been dealing with these same E316 and E318 errors for about a week now and this thread is absolutely amazing! 🙌 Reading through everyone's solutions has given me so much hope. I tried the mobile app suggestion from Anna and it worked on my second attempt! What I found helpful was combining a few strategies: I used the mobile app at around 7 AM (thanks to everyone who shared the timing tips!), made sure I was on mobile data instead of WiFi, and completely force-closed the app before trying to log in. It's honestly ridiculous that we need to become tech troubleshooters just to access our own benefits, especially when we're already dealing with disabilities. But seeing this community come together to solve what EDD's IT department apparently can't is both inspiring and infuriating! 😅 For anyone still struggling, don't give up - try combining multiple approaches from this thread. The mobile app really does seem to be more stable than the website. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and creating this incredible resource! 💙

I've been battling these same E316 and E318 errors for over a month and this thread is absolutely incredible! 🙌 You all have basically created the most comprehensive EDD troubleshooting guide that exists anywhere - way better than their official support! I wanted to share my current winning combo after trying almost everything mentioned here: I use the mobile app at exactly 6:45 AM on weekdays (that sweet spot seems perfect for avoiding server overload), but here's my secret weapon - I actually delete and reinstall the app every few days. It sounds extreme, but it forces a completely fresh start and seems to bypass whatever authentication issues build up over time. I also keep detailed notes on what works when, because this system is so unpredictable. Tuesday/Wednesday mornings with the mobile app on cellular data have been my most reliable combination lately. The fact that we're all dealing with disabilities and then have to become IT experts just to access our benefits is absolutely infuriating, but seeing how this community has come together to solve these problems gives me hope. We've literally reverse-engineered EDD's broken system better than their own developers! 💪 Thank you everyone for sharing your solutions - this thread should honestly be pinned as the official "How to Actually Use EDD" guide! Keep fighting the good fight! ✊

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Got my EDD disability card last week after being on leave for a workplace injury, and the whole system has been a complete disaster. Like you, my balance showed $0 even though I could see approved payments in my EDD portal. What ended up working for me was calling the number on the back of the card and specifically asking for the "prepaid card fraud department" - don't let them transfer you to regular Bank of America customer service. Turns out they had put an automatic fraud hold on my account because it was a new card with large deposits. The representative was able to release the hold immediately once I verified my identity. For transferring money, I had the same issues with Venmo and Zelle being blocked. What finally worked was going to prepaid.bankofamerica.com/eddcard (NOT the regular BofA site) and setting up a direct transfer to my checking account. The mobile app is absolutely useless, but the desktop site worked fine. The whole experience has been incredibly stressful when you're already dealing with medical issues. I hope you get it sorted out soon - the money should be there, it's just their overly cautious fraud prevention causing problems. Hang in there!

I just went through this exact same frustration with my EDD disability card! The zero balance issue is incredibly common - it happened to me too even though I could see approved payments in my online portal. Here's what finally worked for me after days of trying: 1. Call the number on the back of your card and immediately ask to speak with the "EDD prepaid card fraud department" - don't let them transfer you to regular BofA customer service who can't help with these specific cards. 2. The zero balance is almost certainly an automatic fraud hold they put on new cards with large deposits. Once you verify your identity with the fraud department, they can release it immediately. 3. For transfers, forget the mobile app completely - it's terrible. Use the desktop version of prepaid.bankofamerica.com/eddcard (not the regular BofA website) to set up direct transfers to your bank account. 4. If direct transfer doesn't work, the PayPal workaround someone mentioned above actually works great - just make sure to use the free 3-5 day transfer option. The whole system is unnecessarily complicated, especially when you're already dealing with pain and mobility issues. But once you get through this initial setup nightmare, the transfers become automatic. Don't give up - your benefits are rightfully yours! Hope your back feels better soon.