btw if u already had a disability claim for pregnancy before ur baby bonding claim they sometimes dont send a new card. they just load the money on ur old one. happened to me and i kept waiting for a new card but the $ was already on my old card lol

I just went through this exact same situation in February! The debit card message had me so confused too. Here's what I learned from my experience: The automated system mentions the debit card for EVERYONE who calls about PFL, regardless of approval status. It's super misleading! What actually happened with my claim: - Week 1-3: Called daily, heard debit card message, got my hopes up - Week 4: Finally got through to a rep who told me my claim was still "under review" - Week 5: Randomly checked my online account and saw the first payment had been processed! - Week 6: Debit card arrived in mail So the timeline can vary a lot. Since you found that letter asking for your baby's birth certificate, that's probably what's been holding things up. Once you upload that document, you should see movement within 5-10 business days. The good news is that when it does get approved, you'll get all the back pay from when you first filed. Keep checking your SDI Online account daily - that's where you'll see the payment show up first before any card arrives. Hang in there!

Just wanted to share my recent experience since I literally just went through this transition last month! My PDL weekly benefit was $687 and my PFL baby bonding ended up being the exact same amount - $687. So the comments about them being calculated the same way are spot on in my case. One thing that really helped me was calling EDD about 2 weeks before my estimated due date to get the PDL claim started early. They can begin processing it even before you actually go on leave, which helped avoid any payment delays. And definitely second the advice about the DE 4P form - I submitted it with my initial claim and had 10% withheld automatically. Made tax time so much easier! Also, pro tip: keep screenshots of all your EDD online account pages showing payment amounts and dates. The 1099-G they send can sometimes have errors, and having your own records makes it easier to catch and fix any mistakes. Good luck mama! 🍼

Hey Zadie! Congrats on your pregnancy! 🎉 I just wanted to add something that might help with your planning - when you're calculating your budget, remember that the 60-70% benefit amount is based on your highest quarter earnings in your base period, not necessarily your most recent salary. So if you got a raise recently, your benefit might be slightly lower than expected. Also, I noticed someone mentioned the waiting week gets paid at the end - that's actually not entirely accurate anymore. As of recent changes, the 7-day waiting period for PDL is truly unpaid and won't be reimbursed later. Just wanted to clarify so you can budget accordingly! One last thing - if you're planning to breastfeed, you might also want to look into whether your employer is required to provide break time and a private space for pumping when you return to work. California has pretty strong protections for nursing mothers that can help with your transition back. Best of luck with everything! 💕

Adding to what everyone else has said - I'm a newcomer here but went through this exact situation with my PFL claim last month! One thing that really helped me was creating a timeline of all my important dates (baby's birth date, when I started leave, when I filed the claim, etc.) before calling EDD. The rep was able to quickly identify that my issue was similar to @Ethan Moore's - I had filed too early. But having all those dates ready made the call go much smoother and faster. Also, if you end up needing to appeal, don't be intimidated by the process. The hearing officers are actually pretty understanding, especially for baby bonding cases. They deal with these timing mix-ups all the time. One last tip: if you're breastfeeding, you might also qualify for disability benefits during the initial recovery period, which is separate from the bonding leave. Worth asking about if you haven't already! Hope this helps and congrats on your little one! 🎉

Hey James! I just went through a similar situation with my baby bonding claim a couple months ago - totally understand the frustration! 😤 One thing I learned is that you can actually request an expedited copy of your DE 2514 notice by calling the SDI customer service line directly and asking them to email it to you instead of waiting for mail. They can usually send it within 24-48 hours if you explain that you're trying to meet appeal deadlines. Also, while you're gathering info, make sure to check if your employer submitted all the required forms on their end (like the DE 2501). Sometimes disqualifications happen because of missing employer documentation that you have no control over, but it's still your responsibility to follow up on. The appeal process isn't as scary as it seems - I ended up winning mine because it turned out EDD had incorrect information about my employment dates. Just make sure you file within that 30-day window even if you don't have all the details yet! Hang in there and don't let the bureaucracy get you down. You deserve those benefits for bonding with your little one! 👶💙

I'm a single mom who went through this exact situation two years ago! The EDD name change delay is so stressful when you're already dealing with pregnancy anxiety. Here's what I learned: even though the online portal took forever to update (mine took 16 business days!), my benefits weren't delayed at all. The most important thing is that you went in person - that creates an official record in their system that overrides the portal display issues. When I filed my pregnancy disability claim, I wrote "Name change in progress - confirmation #[your number]" at the top of my DE2501 form and attached a copy of my marriage certificate. The EDD processor was able to see the pending change in their internal system and processed everything normally. Also, make sure when you transition to the baby bonding portion later that you reference the same confirmation number on your DE2508 form. You're being so proactive handling this now instead of waiting - that's exactly the right approach! The bureaucracy is frustrating but you've got all the right pieces in place.

I'm a new member here and just wanted to say how reassuring this thread is! I'm currently 28 weeks pregnant and was planning to update my name with EDD after getting married next month, but reading about everyone's experiences has me thinking I should do it sooner rather than later. It sounds like the key takeaways are: go in person (not over the phone), keep detailed records including confirmation numbers, list both names on all forms, and don't panic if the online portal takes weeks to update since the internal system works faster. The advice about writing "Name change in progress - confirmation #[number]" on forms and attaching marriage certificates seems really practical. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's so helpful to learn from people who've actually been through this process rather than just guessing what might happen!

I went through this exact situation 8 months ago! Had complications after delivery and needed extended disability before transitioning to PFL. The consensus here is absolutely correct - DO NOT file for PFL until your disability extension is fully processed and approved. I made the mistake of filing PFL early thinking it would help avoid gaps, but it immediately terminated my disability claim and I had to fight for weeks to get it reinstated. The system treats PFL filing as an automatic signal that you're ready to transition from medical leave to bonding leave. Wait for your doctor's office to submit the extension paperwork, then file PFL after that period ends. Your benefits will be backdated so you won't lose any money, just might have to wait a bit longer for payments. Trust me, the patience is worth avoiding the nightmare of having to fix a premature PFL filing!

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - 4 weeks postpartum with complications that need extended disability. Reading everyone's experiences here is so helpful! I was leaning toward filing PFL early to avoid gaps but now I'm definitely going to wait. One question though - if my doctor's office is being slow with the extension paperwork and my current disability period ends before they submit it, will there be a gap in payments? Or does EDD have some kind of grace period for medical extensions? Really don't want to end up with no income while waiting for doctors to get their act together!