Can't reach California Paid Family Leave? Claimyr connects you to a live EDD agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the EDD
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the EDD drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
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This thread is such a lifesaver! I'm currently 34 weeks pregnant and already dreading dealing with the EDD transition from SDI to PFL based on all the horror stories I've heard. Reading through everyone's experiences here has given me a game plan - I'm definitely going to bookmark that Claimyr service and try the early morning calling strategy if I run into the same missing link issue. It's so frustrating that this is such a widespread problem that EDD hasn't bothered to fix. Thank you Dmitry for sharing your whole journey and everyone else for the helpful tips. Hopefully by the time I need this, they'll have gotten their act together, but at least now I know what to do if not!
That's smart to plan ahead! I wish I had known about all these potential issues before I hit the transition period. One more tip - make sure to take screenshots of your EDD account pages throughout your SDI claim, especially near the end. That way if the PFL link doesn't appear, you'll have documentation to show the EDD rep exactly what you're seeing (or not seeing). It helped speed up my call when I could describe exactly what was missing. Best of luck with your pregnancy and hopefully you'll have a smoother experience than the rest of us!
This whole thread is so helpful! I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - I'm on week 4 of SDI and already panicking about the transition to PFL after reading so many stories about gaps in benefits. It's reassuring to know that there are solutions like Claimyr when the EDD phone system fails (which seems to be constantly). I'm definitely going to save all these tips and check my account regularly as I get closer to my SDI end date. It's honestly shameful that EDD's system is so broken that new parents have to rely on third-party services just to access their own benefits. Dmitry, I'm so glad you got it sorted out and thanks for updating us with the solution! This thread should be pinned somewhere for other parents to find.
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Hey OP, how long has it been since you applied? Sometimes it can take a few weeks to process, especially if there's a backlog.
It's been about 3 weeks now. I know they say it can take time, but the lack of communication is what's really getting to me.
Ah gotcha. Yeah, 3 weeks with no word is frustrating. Def try calling if you can.
I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Applied 2 weeks ago for PFL and radio silence from EDD. No emails, no updates in my online account - nothing. It's so stressful when you're depending on that money. I've been reading through all these comments and it sounds like calling early in the morning might be the way to go. Also thinking about reaching out to my assembly member's office like @Mateo Gonzalez suggested. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - at least I know I'm not alone in this mess! 😤
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Pro tip: If you're having trouble with the phone lines, try calling right when they open in the morning. I've had better luck getting through that way. Also, Wednesdays seem to be less busy for some reason. 🤷♂️
Have you considered reaching out to your local state representative's office? Sometimes they can help expedite things or at least get you in touch with the right person at PFL. Worth a shot if you're really stuck!
This! 👆 I did this last year and it actually worked. My rep's office had a dedicated person for dealing with state benefit issues. They got my problem solved in like a week.
That's really good to know! I never thought about contacting my representative's office. Do you just call their main number and explain the situation, or is there a specific department to ask for?
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I went through this exact situation with my partner last year! Just want to add that when filing in November for December leave, make sure your husband has all his documentation ready to go - birth certificate, Social Security numbers for both parents and baby, and his employer's info. EDD gets backlogged during the holidays so having everything submitted correctly the first time will save headaches later. Also, if his employer is still giving him trouble about the 1-week thing, he can show them the official EDD PFL handbook which clearly states there's no minimum time requirement. Some smaller companies just don't know the rules and appreciate having the official documentation to reference.
This is such great advice! I'm definitely going to have my husband gather all those documents ahead of time. Do you happen to know if there's a specific section in the EDD handbook that mentions the no minimum requirement? It would be really helpful to have that exact reference to show his HR department since they seem pretty convinced about the 2-week thing. Also, did you find that December processing actually took longer, or was that just a precaution?
I just went through this with my wife's PFL claim a few months ago and can confirm everything everyone is saying - there's absolutely no 2-week minimum for bonding leave! Your husband can definitely take just 1 week. We had the same confusion with our HR department initially. One tip I'd add: when he files the claim, make sure he selects "bonding with a new child" as the reason (not disability or care for family member). The form will ask for the baby's birth date and birth certificate, and processing is usually pretty straightforward for bonding claims. Also, December timing should be fine as long as he applies by mid-November like others suggested. We applied about 3 weeks before our planned leave and had approval within 10 days. The key is just making sure all the paperwork is complete when submitted - any missing info will delay processing significantly during busy periods.
This is so reassuring to hear from someone who just went through it recently! I'm definitely going to make sure my husband selects "bonding with a new child" when he applies - that's a great detail to remember. The 10-day approval timeframe is really helpful to know too, especially since we were worried about December being a tricky time. Did you have to provide any additional documentation beyond the birth certificate, or was that pretty much it for the bonding claim?
Dylan Baskin
Anyone else notice that these issues always seem to happen when you need the money most? It's like they have a sixth sense for inconvenience 😒
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Lauren Wood
•Murphy's Law of unemployment benefits 🤦♂️
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Elin Robinson
I went through this exact same thing a few months ago! Turned out there was a "waiting period" that I wasn't aware of that affected my first week. The EDD rep explained that sometimes the first 7 days include a waiting period where you don't get paid for the first day, so you only get 6 days of benefits, but if there were other deductions or issues, it could be even less. Definitely call and ask them to break down exactly what days you're being paid for and why. Also, make sure you have your confirmation numbers from when you certified - that helped me prove what I had claimed. Hope this helps and you get it sorted out soon!
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Toot-n-Mighty
•This is super helpful! I had no idea about the waiting period thing. That could totally explain what's happening with my claim. Did you have to do anything special to get them to explain the breakdown, or did they just offer that info once you got through to someone?
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