I'm new to this community but unfortunately not new to the EDD phone nightmare! I just went through this exact same struggle with my PFL claim for caring for my newborn - took me almost a month to get through. What finally worked for me was a combination of the strategies mentioned here: I called at exactly 8:00am on a Wednesday (had to redial about 15 times because it kept saying high call volume), and when I finally got into the queue, I waited on hold for 2 hours and 20 minutes. But I got through! The rep was actually really helpful once I reached her - turns out there was a simple documentation issue that was holding up my claim, and she processed my payments right there on the call. For anyone still struggling, don't give up! The system is absolutely broken and designed to make us quit, but persistence does eventually pay off. Also seconding the advice about keeping detailed notes of your call attempts - I had a whole spreadsheet by the end of it! Hang in there everyone, we shouldn't have to work this hard for benefits we've already paid for, but at least we're not alone in this fight.

I'm also new to this community and currently dealing with my first PFL claim nightmare! I submitted my bonding claim for my newborn about 2.5 weeks ago and have been completely unable to get through to EDD despite calling every single day, sometimes multiple times. Reading through this entire thread has been both incredibly validating and absolutely infuriating - it's clear this broken phone system is failing so many new parents when we need support most. The variety of strategies shared here gives me hope though! I'm definitely going to start with the 8am sharp approach that several people have had success with, and @Sasha Ivanov's detailed breakdown of the Wednesday morning persistence strategy is incredibly helpful. The Claimyr service that worked for @Ethan Clark is also on my backup list, and @Alexander Zeus's Friday afternoon tip is something I hadn't considered at all. What really gets to me is that we're all forced to become phone system experts and develop military-level strategic plans just to access benefits we've literally already paid for through our own paychecks - while we're sleep-deprived, recovering from childbirth, and trying to bond with our newborns. It's beyond cruel and clearly designed to make us give up. But finding this supportive community has been such a lifeline. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and keeping each other motivated through this broken system!

I work in HR and deal with this stuff all the time. Sometimes the issue is on the employer's end. Might be worth checking with your company's HR to make sure they've submitted everything correctly on their side.

I had this exact same error a few months ago! Turns out my SSN was somehow corrupted in their system - like one digit was wrong on their end even though I was entering it correctly. The only way I found out was by finally getting through to someone on the phone who could see the discrepancy. They had to file some kind of correction form and it took about 2 weeks to fix, but then my PFL application went through no problem. Definitely try the early morning calling strategy others mentioned - it really does work better than calling later in the day.

my sister just went thru this... her doctor submitted everything wrong and she had no idea until she called! turned out the doctor put the wrong date on the form and that caused the whole thing to get stuck in processing. def call and check, there could be something small holding it up

Just checking back - were you able to contact EDD? What did they say about your PFL transition?

I'm going through this exact same frustrating experience right now! Applied for PFL 6 days ago after my baby was born and the complete lack of status updates is driving me crazy. It's 2025 and we literally have better tracking for pizza deliveries than for our own government benefits! Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful though - sounds like 2-3 weeks is unfortunately the norm, and there are actually some workarounds to get through to EDD. I'm definitely going to try that Claimyr service if I don't hear anything by next week, and I just set up the text alerts that someone mentioned (had no idea that was even an option). It's so reassuring to know I'm not the only one dealing with EDD's stone-age system, but also infuriating that new parents have to go through this stress when we're already exhausted and worried about finances. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions - this thread is going to save my sanity over the next week or two!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Applied for PFL 5 days ago after my daughter was born and the waiting is already making me anxious. It's so frustrating that there's literally no way to track what's happening with your application - like others have said, we get better tracking info for food deliveries! Reading through everyone's experiences here has been super helpful though. Sounds like 2-3 weeks is unfortunately normal, which is longer than I was hoping but at least now I know what to expect. I'm definitely going to set up those text alerts that were mentioned and try the Claimyr service if I don't hear anything by the end of next week. It's crazy that new parents have to deal with this kind of stress and uncertainty on top of everything else, but at least there seem to be some workarounds that actually work. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this thread is going to help me stay sane while I wait for EDD to get their act together!

I work for a mid-sized company and we see this driver's license error fairly regularly with employees filing PFL claims. What I've noticed is that EDD's system sometimes creates "ghost accounts" during their verification process, especially if someone starts an application but doesn't complete it. The license gets flagged as "in use" even though no active account exists. The fastest resolution I've seen is when employees contact their state assemblyperson's office - most have constituent services that can escalate EDD issues directly. It's free and they often get responses within 48-72 hours versus weeks of trying to call. Your assemblyperson's office can be found at findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov. Worth trying alongside the other suggestions here. Congrats on the twins and hope your husband gets his bonding time soon!

I'm a new parent dealing with this EXACT same issue right now! My wife gave birth to our son 2 weeks ago and I've been trying to file for baby bonding PFL but keep hitting that same "driver's license already assigned to account" error. It's incredibly stressful when you're already sleep-deprived and trying to support your partner and new baby. Reading through all these responses has been a lifesaver - I had no idea about the Identity Verification unit at (866) 401-2849 or the option to contact our assemblyperson's office. I'm definitely going to try both of those tomorrow. It's really encouraging to see that Isabella got her issue resolved with Claimyr too, though I wish we didn't have to pay a third party to access our own government benefits. The "ghost account" explanation makes total sense - I actually did start filling out some forms online a few weeks before our son was born just to see what the process looked like, but never submitted anything. That's probably what triggered this mess. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions. It gives me hope that we can get this sorted out soon. The bonding time with your newborn is so precious and it's heartbreaking that these system glitches are eating into that time for so many families.