Pregnant and confused: What happens after EDD SDI approval but before leave starts?

congrats on the baby! dont worry too much, EDD is just slow. i went thru this last yr. u prob wont hear anything for 2-3 weeks. then u'll get a letter and a debit card. just make sure u do ur certification when they tell u to

First of all, congratulations on your pregnancy! The process after filing can be confusing, but here's what typically happens: 1. After your claim is received, EDD reviews it along with your doctor's certification 2. You should receive a Notice of Computation in the mail within 14 days showing your weekly benefit amount 3. If approved, you'll get a letter and an EDD Debit Card if this is your first time on SDI 4. About every two weeks, you'll need to complete a continued claim certification form (DE 2500A) either online or by mail The important thing to remember is that there's a 7-day waiting period where no benefits are paid. This waiting period starts from your first day of disability (when your leave begins). You don't need to call unless you haven't heard anything within 14-21 days after filing.

when i was pregnant last summer i waited almost 3 weeks before hearing ANYTHING from edd! then suddenly got aproved and backpay all at once. the waiting is THE WORST especially when ur about to have a baby and worried about $$$. hang in there mama!!

One thing to consider - the date your doctor put on your medical certification determines when your claim officially starts. Make sure that date matches when you actually plan to stop working. If there's a discrepancy, you might need to have your doctor submit an amended certification. This happened to me and caused a lot of confusion!

I work in HR and deal with this frequently. The most important thing is to make sure your last day of work is clearly communicated. If your doctor certified you for a date that's different from your actual last day, it can cause processing delays. Also, make sure your employer has completed their portion of the process. Some employers submit wage information electronically, while others might give you a form to submit. For Pregnancy Disability Leave specifically, you're typically eligible for up to 4 weeks before your due date and 6-8 weeks after delivery (depending on delivery type). After that, you might be eligible for Paid Family Leave (PFL) for bonding time. Keep an eye on your mail - all important communications come that way, not by email.

I had SUCH a nightmare with my pregnancy disability claim last year! Waited and waited, finally called and they said they never got my doctor's certification even though her office SWORE they sent it twice!!! Had to get a third submission and then waited another 2 weeks. If I could do it again, I'd call EDD after a week just to confirm they received everything properly. I tried calling their regular number like 20 times and kept getting disconnected. Finally I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) - they got me connected to an EDD rep in like 20 minutes! They have a video demo here: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd. Seriously saved my sanity because I was about to give birth and panicking about money.

dont forget u need to tell EDD when u actually give birth!! they don't automatically know!! i almost missed out on getting my benefits switched from pregnancy disability to bonding time cuz i didnt know i needed to update them when the baby came. the hospital doesn't tell them for u!

To answer your follow-up question - yes, the 7-day waiting period starts on your first day of disability, which would be the day after your last day of work. So if your last day is next Friday, the waiting period begins Saturday. Regarding notification - your claim is based on the date your doctor certified, so EDDʼs system already has your disability start date. However, itʼs always good practice to make sure this date aligns with your actual last day of work. Also important to note: the 7-day waiting period is unpaid, so your first payment will cover the period beginning on the 8th day of your disability. Your first certification will likely cover a period starting from your 8th day through about two weeks after that.

Just so u know the payments are always behind. Like you'll certify for weeks that already passed. I got confused by this at first and thought i wasnt getting paid lol. Also keep track of EVERYTHING in case there's problems later.

one more thing - make sure u understand the difference between SDI and PFL! The pregnancy part before birth and right after is disability (SDI). Then when ur recovered, u switch to bonding time which is Paid Family Leave (PFL). they're kinda the same but different forms and stuff. i got soooo confused and almost messed up my benefits. also the amount u get paid might be different.

Regarding the transition from SDI to PFL: EDD doesn't automatically notify you when to switch from SDI to PFL. Your pregnancy disability typically ends when your doctor releases you to return to work (usually 6 weeks after a vaginal delivery or 8 weeks after a C-section). You need to file a separate PFL claim for the bonding period. You can do this online through your SDI account. It's best to file this claim a few weeks before your SDI claim ends to avoid gaps in payment. The good news is that there is no waiting period for PFL when it immediately follows an SDI claim. Also, your weekly benefit amount should be the same for both SDI and PFL since they're calculated the same way. I recommend setting a calendar reminder for around 4-5 weeks after your expected delivery date to start the PFL application process.