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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I've been struggling with this exact same issue for the past month! The "maximum callers" message has become the soundtrack to my unemployment nightmare. After reading through all these amazing tips, I'm feeling more hopeful. I had no idea about the assembly member route - that's genius! I'm definitely going to try the 8 AM strategy tomorrow and submit that online contact form. It's honestly both frustrating and comforting to see how many of us are dealing with this broken system. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions - this community is a lifesaver! 🙏 Stay strong everyone, we'll get through this!
Welcome to the club nobody wants to be in! 😅 I just started dealing with this mess too and honestly, finding this thread has been the most helpful thing so far. The shared frustration is real but so are these amazing tips everyone's sharing. I'm bookmarking all of these strategies - the 8 AM calling, assembly member contact, online forms, everything! It's wild that we have to become EDD ninjas just to access basic services. Let's keep supporting each other through this bureaucratic nightmare! 💪
Just stumbled across this thread and wow, I thought I was losing my mind dealing with EDD! I've been getting that "maximum callers" message for over two weeks straight. It's like they designed the system to make us give up. Reading all these strategies has given me renewed hope though - I had no clue about the assembly member office trick or the 1-2-4 button sequence. Going to try the 8 AM calling spree tomorrow and definitely submitting that online contact form today. It's both maddening and oddly comforting to see we're all battling the same broken system. Thanks everyone for sharing what actually works! This community support means everything when you feel like you're screaming into the void. 🙌
Welcome to the EDD struggle bus! 😮💨 I just joined this community too after hitting the same wall for weeks. That "maximum callers" message is like psychological warfare at this point. I'm so grateful for everyone sharing their battle-tested strategies here - taking notes on the 8 AM approach, assembly member contact, and that 1-2-4 trick. It's crazy that accessing unemployment benefits requires a PhD in system hacking! But honestly, seeing everyone's persistence and willingness to help each other gives me hope. We shouldn't have to be detectives just to get basic help, but at least we're not going through this alone. Let's keep sharing what works! 💪
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I went through this exact same situation last year! I had to leave work at 6 months pregnant due to severe hyperemesis and was panicking about money. The good news is you absolutely can still qualify for SDI even though you haven't worked since November - I got approved even after being out of work for 3 months. A few practical tips from my experience: 1) Get your doctor to fill out the DE2501 form ASAP - mine was hesitant at first but once I explained it was for state disability, they were totally fine with it. 2) Make sure your medical records clearly document all your pregnancy complications and ER visits. 3) Don't stress if the EDD website is confusing - I ended up mailing my forms because the online system kept crashing. The weekly benefit amount isn't huge but it was enough to cover my basic expenses until after the baby came. Then I transitioned to PFL for bonding time which gave me another 8 weeks of benefits. Hang in there - you're going to get through this! And congratulations on your pregnancy! 💕
Thank you so much for sharing your story! It's such a relief to hear from someone who went through the exact same thing. I've been feeling so alone and worried about how we're going to manage financially. Your tips are really helpful - I'm definitely going to mention the state disability part to my doctor when I call, and I'm glad to know mailing the forms is an option if the website gives me trouble. It means a lot to hear that the benefits helped you get through until after your baby came. Did you have any issues transitioning from SDI to PFL, or was it pretty straightforward?
Hi Laura! I'm a new member here but wanted to share some encouragement. I just went through this process myself about 6 months ago and was in a very similar situation - had to stop working due to pregnancy complications and was terrified about finances. Everyone here has given you really solid advice about applying for SDI immediately. I just wanted to add that when I called EDD directly, they were actually pretty helpful in walking me through exactly what I needed to do. The wait times are brutal (like 2+ hours sometimes), but once I got through, the representative was knowledgeable and patient. Also, don't feel guilty about not knowing about these benefits sooner. I'm a college graduate and consider myself pretty informed, but I had NO IDEA these programs existed until I desperately started googling when I couldn't work anymore. The system really doesn't make it easy to find this information when you need it most. You're being such a good mom already by researching this and advocating for yourself and your baby. The financial stress is real, but you WILL get through this. Wishing you all the best with your application and your pregnancy! 🤗
Thank you so much for the encouragement and for sharing your experience! It really helps to know I'm not alone in not knowing about these benefits - it's frustrating that they're not more widely publicized when so many pregnant women could benefit from them. I'm definitely going to try calling EDD directly too, even if it means waiting on hold for hours. Your point about being a good mom by advocating for myself really hit me - I've been feeling like I failed somehow by not knowing about this stuff earlier, but you're right that I'm doing the right thing by researching and trying to figure it out now. Thanks for taking the time to write such a thoughtful response as a new member! 💕
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Same exact situation here! I've been at this for 2 weeks straight and it's absolutely ridiculous. What really gets me is that they have all these automated messages saying "we're experiencing high call volumes" - like, when are you NOT experiencing high call volumes?? 🙄 I tried the claimyr.com service that someone mentioned and honestly it was worth every penny of that $20. Saved me literally days of my life sitting on hold. Also discovered that if you call the SDI line first (1-800-480-3287) and then ask them to transfer you to PFL, sometimes they can do a warm transfer that bypasses the main queue. Not guaranteed but worked once for me! This whole system is broken and needs a complete overhaul. Hang in there everyone - we shouldn't have to jump through these hoops just to get help with our own benefits! 😤
Oh wow, the SDI transfer trick is brilliant! I never thought about trying that route. Definitely going to give that a shot along with the claimyr service if I keep striking out. It's so frustrating that we have to become detective-level experts just to access our own benefits. Thanks for sharing these workarounds - this thread is becoming like a survival guide for dealing with EDD! 🙏
Ugh, I'm going through this exact same torture right now! 😩 Been trying for almost a month and it's like they only have one person answering phones for the entire state. I'm starting to think the hold music is just a myth at this point - I've never even heard it! The most frustrating part is that I NEED to update my claim info but there's literally no other way to do it except by phone. Their online system is useless for anything beyond the basics. Reading through all these tips is giving me some hope though - definitely going to try that technical support line trick and the SDI transfer method. At this point I'm willing to try anything! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, at least I know we're all suffering together 😭
I feel you so hard on this! 😫 The "one person for the entire state" comment made me actually laugh out loud because that's exactly what it feels like. I've been in the same boat for about 3 weeks now and was starting to think I was doing something wrong. But seeing everyone's experiences here is both comforting and infuriating at the same time - like, we shouldn't ALL have to become phone ninjas just to get basic help! I'm definitely going to try that technical support number someone mentioned earlier and maybe bite the bullet on the claimyr service. At this point $20 is nothing compared to the hours of my life I've already wasted. Thanks for posting this - misery loves company and this thread is proof we're not alone in this nightmare! 🤝
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I'm a new parent dealing with this exact same situation and this thread has been absolutely invaluable! Filed my PFL baby bonding claim about 3 weeks ago and it's been stuck on "pending" with zero updates or communication from EDD. I've made countless calls and either get disconnected immediately or wait on hold for hours with my crying baby in the background until I have to give up. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both reassuring and infuriating - reassuring because it sounds like the 3+ week "pending" status is actually normal processing time for disability-to-PFL transitions (who knew?!), but infuriating because EDD provides absolutely no communication about these timelines to already-stressed new parents. My final pregnancy disability payment came through about 2 weeks ago and still shows "PAID" status, so based on what others have shared, I'm probably still in that waiting period for it to switch to "CLOSED" before PFL can process. I'm definitely going to try the dual phone strategy tomorrow at exactly 8:00 AM with both the main number and disability transfer method. Also planning to call that technical support line (1-833-978-2511) that several people mentioned - I had no idea that existed! The Wednesday afternoon timing tip from @Dylan Wright sounds promising too, along with the "press 0 repeatedly" hack. It's absolutely ridiculous that we need a whole playbook just to access benefits we've already paid into through our paychecks, but I'm so grateful for this community sharing real strategies that actually work. You all have been more helpful than the entire EDD website! Will definitely report back if I manage to get through and learn anything new. Solidarity to all the exhausted parents fighting this bureaucratic nightmare while caring for newborns! 🙏
@Connor O'Neill I'm literally going through the exact same thing right now and this thread has been my saving grace! Just filed my PFL claim last week and already starting to stress about the lack of communication. Reading everyone's experiences has taught me more about the actual EDD process than their entire website - it's wild that 3+ weeks of "pending" status is apparently normal but they don't tell us that anywhere! I'm a first-time parent so I had no idea what to expect, but now I know to watch for my disability status to switch from "PAID" to "CLOSED" and that the technical support line might be more helpful than the main PFL number. I'm bookmarking all these strategies for when I inevitably need to start calling - the dual phone approach, the Wednesday afternoon timing, the "press 0" hack. It's insane that we need a battle plan just to talk to someone about our own benefits, but at least this community is sharing what actually works! Thanks for mentioning you'll report back - hearing real results from other parents gives me hope that there's light at the end of this bureaucratic tunnel. We've got this! 🤞
I'm a new parent going through this exact nightmare too! Filed my PFL baby bonding claim 2 weeks ago and have been panicking about the "pending" status with zero communication. I've called probably 15 times and either get busy signals or sit on hold forever while my newborn needs constant attention. This thread has been absolutely life-saving! I had NO idea that the 2-3 week wait after disability payments end is actually normal processing time - EDD really needs to put this information SOMEWHERE on their website instead of leaving new parents to stress unnecessarily. My final pregnancy disability payment came through about 10 days ago and still shows "PAID" status, so sounds like I'm right in that waiting period for it to switch to "CLOSED." I'm taking notes on all these amazing strategies - the dual phone approach at exactly 8:00 AM, the technical support line (1-833-978-2511), the Wednesday afternoon timing tip from @Dylan Wright, and the "press 0 repeatedly" hack. It's absolutely insane that accessing benefits we've already paid into requires this level of strategic planning, but I'm so grateful everyone here is sharing what actually works! This community has been more helpful in one thread than months of trying to navigate EDD's useless website. I'll definitely try these approaches and report back with any success. Sending solidarity to all the sleep-deprived parents fighting this broken system! 💙
@Andre Laurent I m'brand new to this community and honestly feeling so relieved to find this thread! I just filed my PFL baby bonding claim last week and was already starting to worry about the lack of immediate updates. Reading through everyone s'experiences here has been incredibly educational - I had absolutely no idea that weeks of pending "status" is actually normal for the disability-to-PFL transition process! As a first-time parent, EDD s'complete lack of communication about expected timelines is so stressful when you re'already sleep-deprived and worried about finances. It s'shocking that we have to crowdsource basic information that should be clearly explained on their official website. I m'saving all these phone strategies for when I inevitably need to start calling - the dual phone at 8 AM, the technical support line, the Wednesday afternoon approach. It s'wild that we need a whole battle plan just to talk to someone about benefits we ve'already paid into! But I m'so grateful this community exists to help each other navigate this broken system. Thank you all for sharing what actually works - this gives me hope that when my time comes to call, I ll'have real strategies instead of just randomly dialing and hoping for the best! 🙏
Ravi Gupta
idk if this helps but I had luck emailing them through the contact form on their website. took like a week to get a response but at least I didn't have to deal with the phone nightmare
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Chloe Delgado
I had a similar issue last year and what finally worked for me was calling the 833-978-2511 number (the disability insurance line) instead of the main PFL number. For some reason it was easier to get through, and they were able to transfer me to the right department. Also, try calling right at 8 AM sharp - I literally had my phone ready to dial at 7:59:59 AM. It's ridiculous that we have to jump through these hoops, but sometimes you gotta work the system. Hope this helps!
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