5 weeks waiting for EDD PFL response - best phone number to actually reach a human?
I'm literally going crazy trying to reach someone at EDD about my Paid Family Leave claim! It's been 5 WEEKS since I submitted my application for baby bonding after my maternity leave ended, and I haven't heard ANYTHING. No approval, no denial, nothing on my account except "pending review." I've called the main number like 20 times but either get disconnected or sit on hold until they close for the day! My savings are almost gone and I'm starting to panic about paying rent next month. Is there a special direct number to reach the PFL department? A secret extension? ANYTHING that actually works?? I'm desperate at this point!
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Ava Martinez
Ugh same boat last year! The regular number is useless. Try calling exactly at 8:01am, that sometimes works better.
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Dmitry Sokolov
•I've tried the 8am thing three days in a row! Still just get the automated message saying "all representatives are busy" and then it hangs up on me. So frustrating!!
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Miguel Ramos
The main PFL phone number is 1-877-238-4373, but it's notoriously difficult to get through. Here are some strategies that might help: 1. Call first thing when they open at 8:00am 2. Try calling mid-week (Tuesday-Thursday) as Mondays and Fridays tend to be busiest 3. If you're getting the "too many callers" message, try the general EDD number (1-800-300-5616) and then ask to be transferred 4. Make sure your online account is completely up to date, sometimes there are messages or document requests hiding in there Also, 5 weeks is definitely too long for a baby bonding claim to be pending without any updates. Have you checked if there are any outstanding document requests or "incomplete information" flags on your account?
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Dmitry Sokolov
•Thanks for the detailed advice! I've triple-checked my online account and there are NO document requests or incomplete info flags showing up. That's part of why I'm so confused. And I've tried all those numbers too... the problem is when I call the general EDD line, they just tell me I need to speak to the PFL department and transfer me, but then I get disconnected during transfer half the time!
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QuantumQuasar
I've stopped using the regualr phone numbers completely. Total waste of time!!! The system is BROKEN. I spent over 120 hours on hold with EDD for my prgenancy disability before switching to baby bonding. They just don't want to actually help anyone. The entire system is designed to make you give up!!!!
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Zainab Omar
•right?? i waited 7 weeks for my pfl claim to process last summer and literally had to start selling stuff to pay bills. this is supposed to be a benefit we pay into but they make it impossible to actually use
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Connor Gallagher
After dealing with similar issues getting through to EDD for my own PFL claim, I discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's a service that basically calls EDD for you and connects you with an agent when they get through. Saved me days of frustration trying to get through myself. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5 My PFL claim was stuck in pending for almost a month, and I was able to get it resolved in one phone call once I actually got through to a human. The agent told me there was a "system flag" on my account that needed manual override.
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Yara Sayegh
•is this a real thing?? never heard of it before but at this point i'll try anything
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Connor Gallagher
•Yes, it's legitimate. I was skeptical at first too, but it worked for me and several other people in my mom's group. EDD doesn't have enough staff to handle all the calls, which is why it's so hard to get through in the first place.
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Keisha Johnson
Hey there! Just wanted to add something important - make sure your employer actually submitted their portion of your claim. That was my holdup with baby bonding PFL! My claim was stuck for 6 weeks because my HR department hadn't completed their verification, but the EDD system didn't notify me of this. Once I contacted my HR director and they submitted the required info, my claim was processed within 3 days. The number I eventually had success with was the alternate PFL line: 1-877-238-4373, but you have to call repeatedly sometimes 20+ times to get through. Not ideal with a baby, I know!
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Dmitry Sokolov
•That's a really good point! I'm going to email my HR department right now to double check they did their part. It's so frustrating that the EDD system doesn't just TELL YOU what's missing or what the hold up is!
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Ava Martinez
The edd website acutally says 2-4 WEEKS is normal process time for pfl claims but everyone i know waited longer. they shouldve told u something by now tho
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QuantumQuasar
DONT GIVE UP!!! You have to call them every single day. That's the only way to get anywhere with these people. I went through this with BOTH my pregnancy disability and my baby bonding claim. You basically have to make harassing them your full time job which is RIDICULOUS when you have a newborn!!! The system is deliberately broken to discourage people from getting benefits!!!!!
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Dmitry Sokolov
•It really does feel that way sometimes! I'm going to keep trying. I called 13 times today already with no luck. Going to try that Claimyr service someone mentioned because I'm desperate at this point. Will update if I get through!
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Miguel Ramos
It might also be worth checking if there was a transition issue between your SDI (pregnancy disability) claim and your PFL (baby bonding) claim, if that applies to your situation. Sometimes there's a paperwork gap when transitioning between these two benefits. Also, one more tip - when you do get through, ask the representative to specifically note in your file what was discussed and any actions they're taking. Get their ID number or name too. This creates a record in case you need to reference the conversation later.
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Zainab Omar
•this is super important! i didn't do this my first time and when i called back nobody had any record of what i'd been told before
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Yara Sayegh
have u tried the online contact form? sometimes they actually respond to those faster than phone
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Dmitry Sokolov
•I submitted THREE online contact forms over the past 5 weeks. First one I got an automated response saying they'd reply in 5-7 business days. Never heard anything. Second one, no response at all. Third one I got another automated message. It's like shouting into the void!
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Dmitry Sokolov
UPDATE: Finally got through today using that Claimyr service someone recommended! It actually worked and got me connected to an EDD rep in about 25 minutes. Found out my claim had a "verification flag" because my last name on my PFL application didn't exactly match what was in their system (I had a hyphen in one place but not the other). Such a stupid reason to hold up my entire claim for 5+ weeks without telling me! The rep manually overrode it and said my payment should process within 24-48 hours. Fingers crossed... and thanks everyone for your help!
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