Can't reach California Paid Family Leave? 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 here as someone who's been through this whole SDI to PFL transition nightmare! 😅 From what I've learned (the hard way), the Supplemental Certification after SDI ends is usually about one of these things: - They need to verify your actual return-to-work date vs what was on your original paperwork - There's a small overpayment or underpayment they need to reconcile - Your doctor's end date doesn't match when you actually went back to work The frustrating part is they don't always explain WHY they need it, but it's almost always some boring administrative thing rather than a major problem with your claim. Pro tip: When you do get through to them (and you will!), ask them to put a note in your file explaining exactly what the Supplemental Certification is for. That way if you need to call back, the next rep will know what's going on instead of making you start from scratch. Also, definitely don't let this hold up submitting your PFL application! They process them separately, so you can get that ball rolling while this paperwork gets sorted out. Hang in there - the bureaucratic maze is real but you'll get through it! 💪
This is such helpful advice, especially the tip about asking them to put a note in the file! I never would have thought of that, but it makes total sense given how often you have to explain everything from scratch each time you call. The breakdown of the main reasons they request this form is really reassuring too - sounds like it's usually just administrative cleanup rather than anything serious. I'm feeling much more confident about tackling this now. Thanks for taking the time to share all these insights! 🙌
I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Just finished my SDI claim last week and boom - they hit me with a Supplemental Certification request when I tried to start my PFL application. It's so confusing because I thought everything was done with SDI! Reading through everyone's experiences here is super helpful though. It sounds like this is pretty common and usually just administrative stuff they need to clean up. I'm definitely going to try the early morning calling strategy - seems like that's the secret sauce for actually getting through to someone at EDD. Has anyone had luck with just submitting the form without calling first? Or is it better to call and ask what specifically they need it for? I'm trying to decide if I should just fill it out and send it in, or if I should try to get more info first about why they're requesting it. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it makes this whole process feel way less overwhelming! 🙏
Join the conversation
I went through this exact same process in January and totally understand the anxiety! For what it's worth, delivery type (C-section vs vaginal) doesn't affect your PFL baby bonding claim at all - that's completely separate from any pregnancy disability benefits you might have received. Baby bonding PFL is just about taking time to bond with your new child, regardless of how they arrived! My timeline was pretty typical - applied on a Monday, got "under review" status by Wednesday on that automated line, and was approved the following Tuesday (6 business days). The key thing I learned is that the automated phone system updates way faster than the online account, so you're smart to use that instead of constantly refreshing the website. Since you just submitted yesterday, I'd expect to hear something by middle of next week based on everyone's experiences here. The waiting is definitely stressful when you're counting on that income, but the system does work! Just try not to check more than once a day if you can help it - easier said than done, I know! Congratulations on your little one! 💕
Thank you so much Zara! That's such a relief to hear about the C-section not affecting the baby bonding claim - I was worried there might be some overlap or complication with disability benefits. Your 6-day timeline gives me a lot of hope! I'm definitely going to stick with checking that automated line instead of obsessively refreshing my account. It's so hard to be patient when you're stressed about finances with a newborn, but everyone's experiences here are really helping me feel more confident that it will work out. Thanks for the congratulations and for sharing your timeline! 💙
I'm also a new parent going through this exact same process! Just submitted my PFL baby bonding application three days ago for my 4-week-old son and have been anxiously checking my account constantly. This thread is incredibly helpful - seeing everyone's timelines from 3 days to 2 weeks (with most people in the 5-10 business day range) really helps set realistic expectations. I had no idea about the automated status line at 1-877-238-4373 that so many people mentioned! Just called and it shows "claim under review" which is way more informative than the vague "submitted" status on the website. Definitely switching to checking that instead of refreshing my online account every hour. The financial stress while waiting for benefits is so real when you're on unpaid leave. I'm budgeting every penny right now, so having these realistic timelines helps me plan better. One thing I'm curious about - for those who got approved, did you need to do anything special to prepare for the certification process, or is it pretty straightforward once you're approved? Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed experiences. The waiting game with a newborn is nerve-wracking but this thread is making me feel much more confident that it will work out! Fingers crossed I hear back soon 🤞
Join the conversation
I'm in week 7 of waiting for my PFL claim to process and this thread is both validating and depressing! 😩 The system upgrade explanation makes total sense - it explains why so many claims that were filed around the same time are all stuck. I tried the assembly member route that @CosmicCaptain suggested and actually got a response within 24 hours! Their office said they've been flooded with EDD cases lately and are working with the department to push through the backlog. They asked me to send over my claim details and said they'd follow up within a week. Fingers crossed this helps! Also planning to try that claimyr service if I don't hear anything soon - $20 seems totally reasonable compared to the income I'm losing while waiting. Hang in there everyone, hopefully we'll all see some movement soon! 🙏
That's awesome that you got a response from your assembly member so quickly! 24 hours is incredible compared to the weeks of silence from EDD. Really gives me hope that there might actually be a way out of this mess. I'm definitely going to look up my assembly member tonight and send them an email. It's encouraging to hear they're aware of how bad the backlog is and are actively working on it. Week 7 is brutal though - I can't imagine waiting that long without any income! Hopefully between the assembly member pushing and the manual reviews, we'll all start seeing some progress soon. Thanks for sharing the update and keeping us posted! 🤞
I'm dealing with the exact same situation! Filed my PFL claim about 5 weeks ago after my daughter was born and it's been complete silence from EDD. What's really frustrating is that I was getting regular SDI payments throughout my pregnancy and then they just stopped the day I switched to PFL - no explanation, no communication, nothing! 😤 I've been trying to call daily but either get the busy signal or sit on hold for hours just to get disconnected. The online portal is useless - just shows "claim under review" with no timeline or updates. It's so stressful trying to manage with a newborn and no income coming in! After reading through this thread, I'm definitely going to try reaching out to my assembly member tomorrow and maybe give that claimyr service a shot if I get desperate enough. This system is absolutely broken and it's affecting so many new parents when we need support the most. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - at least we're not suffering through this alone! 🤱💪
Join the conversation
This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm actually planning to start my PFL baby bonding in a few weeks and was already wondering about this exact issue. It's so frustrating that EDD doesn't show the return date for PFL when they clearly can do it for pregnancy disability. One question for everyone who's been through this - when you calculated your 56 calendar days, did you include the start date itself or start counting from the day after? For example, if someone starts PFL on a Monday, would day 1 be that Monday or the Tuesday? I want to make sure I'm doing the math correctly when I calculate my own return date! Also, has anyone had experience with splitting their PFL leave (like taking some weeks now and saving some for later)? I'm wondering if that makes the return date calculation even more complicated since you mentioned PFL can be split unlike pregnancy disability.
Great question about the day counting! From my experience, you include the start date as day 1. So if you start PFL on a Monday, that Monday counts as day 1 of your 56 calendar days. This is consistent with how EDD calculates other benefit periods. As for splitting PFL - yes, it does make things more complicated! When you split your leave, you have to track each period separately. For example, if you take 4 weeks now and want to save 4 weeks for later, you'd calculate 28 calendar days for your current period. Then when you start your second period later (within the same benefit year), you'd count another 28 days from that new start date. The tricky part with splitting is making sure you coordinate properly with both EDD and your employer about the gaps between leave periods. Your employer needs to know when you're returning to work temporarily and when you plan to take your remaining leave. I'd definitely recommend talking to both EDD and your HR department before splitting to make sure you understand all the requirements!
I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Just started my PFL bonding leave two weeks ago and was completely baffled when I couldn't find my return date anywhere in the portal. Coming from pregnancy disability where everything was clearly laid out, this feels like such a step backwards in terms of user experience. Thank you all for confirming that we really do have to calculate this ourselves - I thought I was missing something obvious! Based on everyone's advice, I've already reached out to my HR department with my calculated return date and made sure to save all my EDD documentation. One thing I'd add for anyone else going through this - if you're like me and tend to overthink these calculations, I actually found it helpful to use an online date calculator to double-check my math. Just search "add days to date calculator" and plug in your start date plus 56 days. It gave me peace of mind that I wasn't making any silly counting errors when so much depends on getting this right! The fact that we all have to crowdsource this information instead of getting clear guidance from EDD is pretty frustrating, but at least this community makes it so much easier to navigate. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences! 🙏
Connor O'Neill
I'm a new parent dealing with this exact same situation and this thread has been absolutely invaluable! Filed my PFL baby bonding claim about 3 weeks ago and it's been stuck on "pending" with zero updates or communication from EDD. I've made countless calls and either get disconnected immediately or wait on hold for hours with my crying baby in the background until I have to give up. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both reassuring and infuriating - reassuring because it sounds like the 3+ week "pending" status is actually normal processing time for disability-to-PFL transitions (who knew?!), but infuriating because EDD provides absolutely no communication about these timelines to already-stressed new parents. My final pregnancy disability payment came through about 2 weeks ago and still shows "PAID" status, so based on what others have shared, I'm probably still in that waiting period for it to switch to "CLOSED" before PFL can process. I'm definitely going to try the dual phone strategy tomorrow at exactly 8:00 AM with both the main number and disability transfer method. Also planning to call that technical support line (1-833-978-2511) that several people mentioned - I had no idea that existed! The Wednesday afternoon timing tip from @Dylan Wright sounds promising too, along with the "press 0 repeatedly" hack. It's absolutely ridiculous that we need a whole playbook just to access benefits we've already paid into through our paychecks, but I'm so grateful for this community sharing real strategies that actually work. You all have been more helpful than the entire EDD website! Will definitely report back if I manage to get through and learn anything new. Solidarity to all the exhausted parents fighting this bureaucratic nightmare while caring for newborns! 🙏
0 coins
Haley Bennett
•@Connor O'Neill I'm literally going through the exact same thing right now and this thread has been my saving grace! Just filed my PFL claim last week and already starting to stress about the lack of communication. Reading everyone's experiences has taught me more about the actual EDD process than their entire website - it's wild that 3+ weeks of "pending" status is apparently normal but they don't tell us that anywhere! I'm a first-time parent so I had no idea what to expect, but now I know to watch for my disability status to switch from "PAID" to "CLOSED" and that the technical support line might be more helpful than the main PFL number. I'm bookmarking all these strategies for when I inevitably need to start calling - the dual phone approach, the Wednesday afternoon timing, the "press 0" hack. It's insane that we need a battle plan just to talk to someone about our own benefits, but at least this community is sharing what actually works! Thanks for mentioning you'll report back - hearing real results from other parents gives me hope that there's light at the end of this bureaucratic tunnel. We've got this! 🤞
0 coins
Andre Laurent
I'm a new parent going through this exact nightmare too! Filed my PFL baby bonding claim 2 weeks ago and have been panicking about the "pending" status with zero communication. I've called probably 15 times and either get busy signals or sit on hold forever while my newborn needs constant attention. This thread has been absolutely life-saving! I had NO idea that the 2-3 week wait after disability payments end is actually normal processing time - EDD really needs to put this information SOMEWHERE on their website instead of leaving new parents to stress unnecessarily. My final pregnancy disability payment came through about 10 days ago and still shows "PAID" status, so sounds like I'm right in that waiting period for it to switch to "CLOSED." I'm taking notes on all these amazing strategies - the dual phone approach at exactly 8:00 AM, the technical support line (1-833-978-2511), the Wednesday afternoon timing tip from @Dylan Wright, and the "press 0 repeatedly" hack. It's absolutely insane that accessing benefits we've already paid into requires this level of strategic planning, but I'm so grateful everyone here is sharing what actually works! This community has been more helpful in one thread than months of trying to navigate EDD's useless website. I'll definitely try these approaches and report back with any success. Sending solidarity to all the sleep-deprived parents fighting this broken system! 💙
0 coins