To answer your original question about the DE2501 form - that's actually for Disability Insurance claims (like pregnancy disability). For baby bonding PFL, he needs the DE2508 form for Paid Family Leave. And he doesn't need any forms from his employer beforehand - he just needs to apply online, and the EDD system will send the necessary notices to his employer automatically. They'll verify his employment and last day worked after he submits the claim.

good luck with everything!! babies grow sooo fast, it's amazing your husband can take bonding time. my hubby only got 2 weeks off when our little one was born in february and it wasn't nearly enough. make sure he soaks up every minute of that bonding time!!! 💖👶

Update: My husband found his claim on SDI Online! It says "pending" so I guess that means they received it. Still no approval yet but at least it's in the system. He's going to call tomorrow morning to check if they need anything else from us. Thanks everyone for your help! I'll let you know what happens. Trying to enjoy these newborn days but the financial stress is real!

Can I ask a related question because I'm so confused about all this??? If I'm on pregnancy disability leave right now (baby due in 3 weeks), do I AUTOMATICALLY transition to baby bonding PFL or do I need to file a whole new claim? My doctor put me out at 36 weeks for high blood pressure and nobody at my work explained any of this!!!!

I just remembered something else! Check if your claim was assigned a different claim ID after you gave birth. Sometimes they create an entirely new claim for the post-birth recovery period rather than continuing your pre-birth disability claim. If this happened, you might be looking at the wrong claim status. Try going to your claim history and see if there's another claim that was opened around your delivery date.

update?????? did u get thru to anyone? im curious if that claimyr thing actually works cause im about to start maternity leave next month and im already nervous about dealing with edd again

Does ne1 know if he can still get the full 8 weeks even if he applies late? like if he waits 2 weeks after baby born to apply does he still get all 8 weeks?

One more important thing I forgot to mention - when your fiancé files, he'll need to provide your information as the birth mother and indicate his relationship to the child. The EDD system will likely cross-reference with your pregnancy disability claim (if you filed one) to verify the birth. Also, he should select "Bonding with new child" as the reason for leave, NOT "Care for a family member" which is a different type of claim. I've seen people make that mistake and have their claims delayed.

Have you contacted the American Cancer Society? They sometimes have resources for families dealing with cancer including transportation assistance and financial guidance. Might be worth calling them while you sort out the EDD situation.

Coming back to add: Be very careful how you phrase things in your interview. If you say "I can't work because I'm caring for my husband," that's an automatic disqualification for UI. Instead, explain that you are actively seeking work that accommodates your constraints, such as remote positions, flexible scheduling, or evening/weekend hours. Be prepared to provide examples of jobs you've applied for that would work with your caregiving responsibilities. This shows you're making a good faith effort to find suitable employment while balancing your caregiving duties. However, I want to set realistic expectations - with only one quarter of earnings, the monetary qualification will likely be the biggest hurdle, regardless of availability issues. Benefits are calculated based on your highest quarter earnings in the base period, and you need a minimum amount across multiple quarters to qualify.