Can't reach California Disability? Claimyr connects you to a live EDD agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the EDD
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the EDD drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
Just wanted to jump in as someone who's been lurking in this community for a while and finally decided to create an account after seeing so many people going through this exact same frustrating situation! I went through the SDI "pending physician certification" nightmare about 4 months ago and it was absolutely maddening. What I learned from my experience (and wish I had known from the start) is that EDD's medical review process is completely separate from their regular claims processing, and it's been severely backed up since 2020. My claim sat in "pending physician certification" for almost 3 weeks despite my doctor submitting everything correctly on day one. Here's what finally worked for me: 1. Had my doctor call EDD directly to verify receipt and get a confirmation number 2. Asked them to resubmit via both fax AND their online portal (if they have access) 3. Made sure my claim number was clearly written on every page of the medical paperwork The most important thing I learned is that the physician certification review happens in a completely different department than regular claim processing, so even calling the main EDD number won't give you much insight into where your medical paperwork actually is in their system. @Nadia Zaldivar so glad to see your claim finally moved to processing payment! That first deposit will be such a relief. And to everyone else still stuck in this limbo - I know how incredibly stressful it is when bills are due and you're counting on that money. The system is broken but it does eventually work, just unfortunately not on their advertised timeline. Hang in there! 💪
Welcome to the community, Ethan! Thanks for creating an account to share your experience - it's so valuable to hear from someone who went through this same frustrating process a few months ago. The insight about the medical review being in a completely separate department explains so much about why calling the main EDD number feels so unhelpful! I had no idea they had different departments handling different parts of the process. The tip about having your doctor submit via both fax AND online portal (if available) is brilliant - redundancy seems like the way to go with such an unreliable system. I'm definitely going to ask my doctor's office tomorrow if they have access to an online submission portal in addition to fax. It's both reassuring and frustrating to hear that 3+ week delays seem to be totally normal for this stage of the process. Thanks for taking the time to share these specific strategies that actually worked - gives me concrete action steps to take if my claim stays stuck much longer! 🙏
Just wanted to chime in as another newcomer who's unfortunately dealing with this exact same situation! Filed my SDI claim about 10 days ago and have been stuck on "pending physician certification" for the past week, despite my doctor assuring me they submitted everything immediately after my appointment. Reading through this entire thread has been both incredibly helpful and anxiety-inducing - it's amazing how many of us are going through this identical experience right now! The range of timelines people are sharing (from 9 days to 5+ weeks) really shows how unpredictable EDD's processing can be. @Nadia Zaldivar huge congrats on finally getting to processing payment status! That must be such a relief. Your original post perfectly captured the stress we're all feeling when bills are due and we're counting on these payments. I'm definitely going to implement the strategies everyone has shared here - having my doctor double-check the fax number, call EDD directly for confirmation, and possibly resubmit via online portal if available. The tip from @Chloe Martin about timing fax submissions outside peak hours is brilliant, and @Dylan Campbell's tracking sheet idea will definitely help me feel more organized through this process. It's frustrating that in 2025 we're still dealing with such an unreliable system, but this community has been invaluable for setting realistic expectations and providing concrete action steps. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences - makes this bureaucratic nightmare feel much less isolating! 🙏
Join the conversation
My situation this year is even more fun... I was on SDI for 3 months, then transitioned to PFL for bonding with my new baby. So I'll be getting TWO different tax forms? Anyone know how that works?
my wife did both last year and it was all on the same 1099G actually! EDD combines them since theyre both from the same department
Just wanted to share my experience from last year - I was on SDI for 6 months and EDD did mail me the 1099-G around mid-January. The form clearly breaks down your total benefits received, which made filing pretty straightforward. One tip: keep all your SDI payment records throughout the year just in case there are any discrepancies on the form. I compared mine and everything matched perfectly, but it's good to have backup documentation. Also, if you use tax software like TurboTax or FreeTaxUSA, they walk you through exactly where to enter the SDI income, so it's not as complicated as it might seem!
That's really helpful advice about keeping records! I've been saving all my payment notices but wasn't sure if I actually needed them. Good to know the tax software makes it easier too - I was worried about messing something up since this is all new to me. Did you have to pay any taxes on the SDI income or did it end up not affecting your refund much?
Join the conversation
I'm so sorry you're going through this - the stress of dealing with EDD while also managing health issues is absolutely overwhelming. From what I've read in these responses, it sounds like you have several potential avenues to explore. The most important thing right now is getting that detailed breakdown of what exactly you owe and why. When you have your interview this week, definitely emphasize that you never received any notification about the false statement penalty - this could be key to getting it dismissed or reduced. Also, don't forget to ask about financial hardship exemptions since you mentioned needing the SDI money for medical expenses. I've heard these can sometimes reduce or eliminate penalties, especially when there are serious health issues involved. Document everything from your interview and keep pushing for answers. The system is frustrating but there are people here who've navigated similar situations successfully. Hang in there!
This is such helpful advice, thank you! I'm feeling a bit more hopeful knowing there might be options like hardship exemptions. I'm definitely going to document everything during my interview this week and push for that detailed breakdown. It's comforting to know I'm not alone in dealing with EDD's confusing system. I'll make sure to emphasize that I never got any notification about the original penalty - hopefully that will help my case. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and advice here!
I went through something very similar a few years ago and wanted to share what worked for me. EDD did initially try to take my SDI benefits for an old UI penalty, but I was able to get it resolved. Here's what I did: 1) I immediately requested a "Notice of Overpayment" form (DE 1444) which shows the exact breakdown of what they think you owe 2) I filed an appeal using form DE 1000M specifically stating I never received proper notification 3) Most importantly, I requested a financial hardship waiver since I needed the SDI money for medical bills. The key is acting fast - you have limited time to appeal once they officially notify you. During your interview this week, ask specifically for the DE 1444 form and mention that taking your SDI would cause undue financial hardship due to your medical condition. Also ask about form DE 8714 which is the financial hardship waiver request. In my case, they ended up reducing the penalty by 75% and let me pay the rest in installments without touching my SDI benefits. Don't lose hope - there are definitely options available if you're persistent!
This is incredibly helpful - thank you so much for the specific form numbers! I had no idea about the DE 1444 and DE 8714 forms. It gives me so much hope to hear that you were able to get your penalty reduced by 75% and set up a payment plan. I'm definitely going to ask for both of those forms during my interview this week and emphasize the financial hardship aspect since I really do need the SDI money for my medical expenses. Quick question - do you remember roughly how long the appeal process took? I'm worried about how long I might have to wait for SDI benefits if they get tied up in all this. But your success story is exactly what I needed to hear right now!
Join the conversation
I'm dealing with this exact same validation error right now and it's so frustrating! I've been trying to register for SDI for my upcoming maternity leave and the system keeps rejecting my driver's license info even though I know it's correct. Reading through all these comments has been super helpful - I had no idea about things like middle initials, hyphens, and leading zeros making such a difference. I'm going to try entering my info exactly as it appears on my physical license, including trying the all caps suggestion. Has anyone had luck with trying different times of day? Sometimes government websites work better during off-peak hours. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's reassuring to know I'm not the only one dealing with this! 🤞
I never thought about trying different times of day, but that's actually a really smart idea! Government websites can definitely be slower during peak hours. I'd suggest trying early morning or late evening when fewer people might be using the system. Also, based on what everyone's shared here, it sounds like the key is being super methodical - maybe make a checklist of all the formatting variations (with/without middle initial, all caps, hyphens, leading zeros, etc.) and try them systematically so you don't lose track of what you've already attempted. The fact that so many people have eventually gotten through gives me hope we'll all figure it out! Good luck! 🤞✨
I had this same validation error when I was applying for SDI benefits earlier this year! After reading through all these helpful comments, I wanted to add one more thing that worked for me - if you have any suffixes like Jr., Sr., II, III, etc. after your name, make sure you're including those exactly as they appear on your license. I kept leaving off the "Jr." at the end of my name and that's what was causing the validation to fail. Also, if you have a P.O. Box on your license instead of a street address, that can sometimes cause issues too. The system really is incredibly picky about exact character matches. Don't lose hope though - once you find the right combination of formatting, the rest of the process goes pretty smoothly! Sending you patience and good vibes while you work through this! 🍀
Aisha Hussain
Thank you everyone for the helpful responses! I'm going to try calling them tomorrow morning right when they open. If I can't get through, I might try that Claimyr service since I really need to figure out what's going on. I'll update here if I learn anything useful that might help others in the same situation.
0 coins
GalacticGladiator
•good luck! let us know what happens
0 coins
Hugo Kass
I'm going through something similar right now - filed my claim 2.5 weeks ago for a shoulder injury and still stuck in pending. What's really frustrating is that my employer's HR department said they submitted their portion right away, but there's no way for me to verify that on my end. Has anyone found a way to check if the employer paperwork was actually received? I'm wondering if that could be what's holding up some of these claims.
0 coins