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I had my baby in March and just wanted to say congrats!!! The transition was confusing for me too but it all worked out. Apply today and enjoy your baby snuggles! They grow so fast... my little one is already trying to crawl and it feels like I just brought her home yesterday.
One more thing - make sure you've already set up your SDI Online account before applying for PFL. If you've been receiving disability, you should already have this set up. When you log in, you'll see an option to file a PFL claim. It's much faster than paper applications. And yes, apply today for the smoothest transition.
did anyone have issue with getting the full 8 weeks of baby bonding? i heard they sometimes only approve 6 weeks and you have to fight for the other 2?
California PFL provides 8 full weeks of baby bonding benefits. If you're only seeing 6 weeks approved, it's usually due to one of these issues: 1. Incorrect date calculation (particularly common if you had State Disability Insurance before PFL) 2. Confusion with the older program rules (it used to be 6 weeks before 2020) 3. An actual system error If you're approved for less than 8 weeks, call EDD immediately to have it corrected. This is a common error that they can usually fix without a formal appeal.
Update: My PFL claim was just approved this morning! That was faster than I expected based on everyone's comments. Looks like I'll receive my first payment next week. Thanks to everyone for the helpful advice - I left my disability claim alone and everything processed smoothly on its own.
Just an update for you - I checked my records from my pregnancy last year. My timeline was: - Doctor submitted SDI claim: February 15, 2024 - Claim showed as "received" online: February 22 - Claim approved: February 28 - EDD Debit card arrived: March 5 - First payment on card: March 7 So about 3 weeks total from submission to money in hand. But knowing exactly when your doctor submitted is critical. They told me they submitted it one day, but when I called EDD, they hadn't received it until a week later. Doctors' offices can be very busy and sometimes paperwork sits on someone's desk.
hey just wondering when your baby is due? my sister said if its less than 9 weeks away you should be ok money-wise because they backpay you from when dr took you off work, but if its further out than that you might wanna look into emergency assistance programs just in case
Just an update for anyone reading this thread - I checked with a friend who works at an HR department that processes a lot of EDD claims, and she confirmed they're seeing 4-5 week processing times consistently for PFL baby bonding claims right now. Sadly, this delay seems to be the new normal, especially for claims transitioning from pregnancy disability to PFL. One thing that might help: if you're experiencing serious financial hardship, you can submit a request for expedited processing. You'll need to speak with a representative and explain your situation, but they can flag your claim for faster review if you're at risk of things like eviction, utility shutoffs, or inability to buy necessities.
Vera Visnjic
Great to hear! One more tip: after you file your PFL claim, check your online account daily to make sure it shows up as
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Saanvi Krishnaswami
That's great advice, I wouldn't have known the difference between those statuses. I'll definitely keep an eye on it!
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