One thing to watch out for - make SURE your doctor entered the correct last day worked on your medical certification!!! If there's a discrepancy between what your doctor puts and your actual last day worked, your claim will get flagged for investigation and can be delayed WEEKS. This happened to me because my doctor's office put the day of my appointment instead of my actual last work day. I had to call to get it fixed.

Since this is your first pregnancy claim, another helpful tip: The EDD uses a base period system to calculate benefits that can sometimes be confusing. The base period is NOT the most recent quarters before filing. Instead, they use a specific formula: If you file a claim in January, February, or March, your base period is the 12 months ending September 30 of the prior year. If you file in April, May, or June, your base period is the 12 months ending December 31 of the prior year. And so on. They take your highest-earning quarter during that period and use that to calculate your weekly benefit amount. So if your income varied significantly over the past year and a half, that might explain any differences between what you expect and what they calculate.

wait.......y'all are getting paid? lol i'm on week 4 of PFL and still haven't seen a dime. maybe i should call them?

Update: I just checked my EDD account again and it now shows my next payment date scheduled for 2 weeks from now! So you all were right - looks like it's a quick first payment and then bi-weekly after that. Thanks everyone for helping me understand how this works! It's so confusing being a first-time mom dealing with all this paperwork while taking care of a newborn.

If this disability claim is for the same or related condition as your previous pregnancy disability claim, AND it's within 90 days of your previous disability claim ending, then it should be processed as a \

That's really good to know! My doctor did note it was related to pregnancy complications, but I'm not sure if she specifically linked it to my previous claim. I'm definitely going to try calling EDD tomorrow - if I can't get through, I might try that Claimyr service someone mentioned.

Just to clarify some information here: After your waiting period (11/16-11/24), you become eligible for benefits starting 11/25. The first payment typically covers the period from when your eligibility begins (11/25) through the end of the benefit week. EDD typically processes payments within 14 days after the end of each benefit period, though as others have mentioned, there can be delays. If your claim has no issues, you should receive payment for the period of 11/25 onward, but it may not arrive until mid-December. If you need to check on status, definitely try to reach a representative directly.

Just wanted to follow up - did you end up getting your payment? Any updates? I'm curious because I'm about to file my claim next week and want to know what to expect.

I'm just wondering why they only asked you ONE question? That seems super weird. When I had my disability claim they asked me like 20 questions about my condition. Maybe you got someone new who didn't know what they were doing? Did they give you any denial reason in writing?

Quick update on the elected official route: While Assembly Members can be helpful, remember that the Governor's Office of Constituent Services rarely intervenes in individual EDD cases. They typically refer these matters back to local representatives. Also, when reaching out to your Assembly Member, specify that you're dealing with an SDI claim, not UI. They handle these differently, and being specific helps them route your case to the right staff member who specializes in disability claims. In 2025, the EDD has been dealing with a significant backlog in disability claims, so unfortunately, your situation is becoming more common. The good news is that elected officials are very aware of the problems and many have developed streamlined processes for handling constituent EDD issues.