I'm dealing with this exact situation right now and it's such a relief to find this thread! My PFL claim disappeared about 3 weeks ago and I've been panicking about how to handle my family care responsibilities without that financial support. The advice here is incredibly helpful - I had no idea about the pfl@edd.ca.gov email or the 8 AM calling strategy. I'm definitely going to start that spreadsheet tracking system everyone's mentioned and try the combination approach. It's mind-blowing that we have to become private investigators just to get updates on benefits we've already qualified for, but reading everyone's success stories gives me hope. The assemblyperson option is good to know about too as a last resort. Thanks for creating this lifeline of information - knowing I'm not alone in this bureaucratic nightmare makes all the difference!

I'm going through the exact same nightmare right now and honestly, this entire thread feels like finding a support group I never knew I needed! Filed my PFL claim about 5 weeks ago and it's like it just vanished - no updates, no notifications, nothing. The anxiety is real when you're counting on that support for family care. After reading through everyone's strategies, I'm putting together my battle plan: • Starting the detailed spreadsheet tracking system TODAY • Setting my alarm for 7:55 AM to start calling right at 8:00 AM • Sending that email to pfl@edd.ca.gov with the specific subject format Mei suggested • Gathering all my original documentation and confirmation numbers It's absolutely wild that we need to become project managers and detectives just to track down benefits we've already earned and paid into. But seeing how many people here have eventually gotten through gives me real hope. The assemblyperson option is definitely going in my back pocket for if things don't improve in the next couple weeks. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and actual actionable advice - this community is proving to be more helpful than the actual EDD system! I'll update with my progress and hopefully add to the success stories soon. We've all got this! 💪

I'm currently in the middle of this situation too and wanted to share what I just learned from my experience! My SDI ended last week and I had the same 2-week gap before my planned return date. I ended up calling EDD (finally got through after using that Claimyr service someone mentioned - totally worth it!) and the representative explained something really important that I hadn't seen mentioned here yet. If you have ANY ongoing medical issues from your c-section - even minor ones like incision pain, difficulty lifting, or fatigue that impacts your ability to work - your doctor can potentially extend your pregnancy disability beyond the standard 8 weeks. The key is that it has to be for medical reasons, not just because you want more time off. I was having persistent pain at my incision site and my doctor was able to extend my disability for 2 additional weeks, which covered my gap perfectly. The other thing I learned is that if you do decide to use some PFL bonding time now, you can file it as "intermittent" leave, which means you could potentially use just a few days here and there rather than full weeks. This might help you preserve more of your bonding time for later while still getting some financial support during the gap. Just wanted to throw these options out there since I wish I had known about them earlier in the process!

I'm dealing with this exact same situation and this thread has been a lifesaver! My SDI ends in 3 weeks but I'm not ready to return to work for another month after that. Reading everyone's experiences has given me so much clarity on my options. I think I'm going to try the approach @Norman Fraser mentioned about getting my doctor to evaluate if there are any ongoing medical issues that could justify extending my disability period - I've been having some lingering fatigue and back pain from my c-section that I hadn't really considered "serious enough" to mention, but maybe they are legitimate medical reasons for needing more recovery time. If that doesn't work out, I'm leaning toward using 2-3 weeks of my PFL bonding time now and saving the rest for later in the year. The intermittent PFL option sounds really interesting too - I had no idea that was even possible! One question for those who have been through this: when you filed for PFL to start right after SDI ended, did you need any special documentation from your employer or just the standard PFL paperwork? I want to make sure I have everything ready to avoid any delays. Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences - it's made this whole confusing process feel so much more manageable!

As someone who just went through this exact process 3 months ago, I want to add a few more tips that really helped me. First, if you're calling the PFL number and getting the "high call volume" message, don't hang up immediately - sometimes they'll still put you in the queue even after that recording. Second, I found that calling on Thursdays around 2-3pm actually worked better than the traditional "early morning" advice - maybe because people think it's a bad time so fewer are calling then? Also, make sure you have your doctor's estimated delivery date ready when you call, as they'll need that to properly calculate your transition timeline. The whole process was way less scary once I actually got to talk to someone! Good luck to everyone still trying to get through! 🍀

This thread is incredibly helpful! I'm currently 8 weeks postpartum and dealing with my own EDD nightmare - my PFL claim has been "pending" for 3 weeks now with no updates. I've tried calling multiple times but keep getting the runaround between different departments. Reading through all these strategies gives me hope that I can actually get this resolved. I'm definitely going to try the Thursday afternoon calling tip and the assembly member contact route if that doesn't work. It's so frustrating that we have to become detective-level experts just to access benefits we've already paid into, but I'm grateful for communities like this where people share what actually works. Thank you everyone for taking the time to share your experiences - it really makes a difference for those of us still fighting the system!

That's a perfect plan! One last tip: when you do eventually transition from pregnancy disability to PFL baby bonding, there might be a short gap in payments while the new claim processes. Try to have a small financial buffer for that transition period if possible. Good luck with everything!

Just wanted to add something that really helped me when I went through this process - create your EDD online account BEFORE you need to file! You can set up your account at any time, and it'll save you stress later when you're trying to submit your actual claim. The account setup can take a day or two to fully activate, so doing it early means one less thing to worry about when you're at 36 weeks and ready to file. Also, once your account is set up, you can explore the interface and get familiar with where everything is located. Made the whole process much smoother for me!

I'm new to this community but going through the exact same situation! Filed my FMLA paperwork about 5 weeks ago and complete silence since then. It's such a relief to find this thread and realize I'm not the only one dealing with this. The anxiety of not knowing if your application is even being processed is really getting to me. I'm going to try several of the suggestions mentioned here - starting with checking my spam folder (can't believe I didn't think of that!), then preparing for those long hold times everyone's warning about. The congressperson idea is brilliant - I never would have thought of that as an option. Has anyone had success with sending follow-up emails in addition to calling? I'm wondering if having a paper trail might help move things along. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, it's making me feel less alone in this process!

Just wanted to chime in as someone who's been through this process recently. Filed my FMLA paperwork about 3 months ago and finally got approved last week! Here's what I learned: 1) The spam folder check is CRUCIAL - I found two important updates there that I'd completely missed. 2) Keep a detailed log of every call, email, and piece of mail - it really helps when you finally get someone on the phone. 3) Don't be afraid to escalate if you're not getting anywhere after 6-8 weeks. The congressperson suggestion is legit - I didn't use it but my coworker did and it worked. The waiting is absolutely brutal and the lack of communication is infuriating, but hang in there everyone. The system is broken but your benefits will eventually come through. Stay persistent and don't give up! 💪