As someone completely new to PFL, this thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm actually in the early stages of planning my own PFL application and was feeling pretty lost navigating all the requirements and paperwork. Reading through everyone's real-world experiences here has given me such a clearer picture of what to expect. @Zara Khan - definitely sounds like calling ASAP about that duplicate application is your best bet based on what everyone's shared. The advice about having confirmation numbers ready and asking for notes to be added to your file seems like gold! I'm bookmarking this thread and taking detailed notes on all the strategies people have mentioned - the Tuesday/Wednesday 8 AM calling window, having all documentation ready beforehand, and being prepared for long hold times. These are the kinds of practical tips you just can't find on the official EDD website. Thanks to everyone for creating such a supportive space for navigating this complex system. As a newcomer, I really appreciate how welcoming and helpful this community is! Looking forward to contributing my own experiences once I go through the process myself. 🙏

Hey there! As someone who's completely new to the PFL system, this thread has been an absolute goldmine of information! I'm actually preparing to submit my own PFL application in the coming weeks and was feeling pretty anxious about the whole process until I stumbled upon this discussion. @Zara Khan - it really sounds like you've gotten some fantastic advice here about dealing with that duplicate application situation. The consensus seems clear: call EDD ASAP with both confirmation numbers in hand and ask them to put a note in your file about the cancellation. Based on what everyone's sharing, this is definitely a fixable issue if you act quickly! I'm taking detailed notes on all the strategies mentioned here - calling Tuesday/Wednesday mornings right at 8 AM, having all documentation ready (SSN, employment details, medical docs, bank info), and being prepared for potentially long hold times. These insider tips are exactly what I needed to feel more confident about navigating the system. Thanks to everyone for creating such a supportive environment for PFL newcomers like myself. It's incredible how much clearer this whole process becomes when you have real people sharing their actual experiences rather than trying to decode confusing government websites alone. This community is truly a lifesaver! 🙌

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm actually planning to start my PFL baby bonding in a few weeks and was already wondering about this exact issue. It's so frustrating that EDD doesn't show the return date for PFL when they clearly can do it for pregnancy disability. One question for everyone who's been through this - when you calculated your 56 calendar days, did you include the start date itself or start counting from the day after? For example, if someone starts PFL on a Monday, would day 1 be that Monday or the Tuesday? I want to make sure I'm doing the math correctly when I calculate my own return date! Also, has anyone had experience with splitting their PFL leave (like taking some weeks now and saving some for later)? I'm wondering if that makes the return date calculation even more complicated since you mentioned PFL can be split unlike pregnancy disability.

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Just started my PFL bonding leave two weeks ago and was completely baffled when I couldn't find my return date anywhere in the portal. Coming from pregnancy disability where everything was clearly laid out, this feels like such a step backwards in terms of user experience. Thank you all for confirming that we really do have to calculate this ourselves - I thought I was missing something obvious! Based on everyone's advice, I've already reached out to my HR department with my calculated return date and made sure to save all my EDD documentation. One thing I'd add for anyone else going through this - if you're like me and tend to overthink these calculations, I actually found it helpful to use an online date calculator to double-check my math. Just search "add days to date calculator" and plug in your start date plus 56 days. It gave me peace of mind that I wasn't making any silly counting errors when so much depends on getting this right! The fact that we all have to crowdsource this information instead of getting clear guidance from EDD is pretty frustrating, but at least this community makes it so much easier to navigate. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences! 🙏

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! EDD denied my PFL claim last week claiming I received "full wages" when I was actually only getting 60% pay through my employer's temporary disability insurance. It's so frustrating because their automated system seems to flag ANY payment from an employer as "wages" without distinguishing between actual wages and benefits like sick pay or disability. One thing I learned from my HR department is that EDD often misinterprets how employers report these payments on their quarterly forms. When companies submit their DE-9 and DE-9C forms, sometimes the disability payments get coded incorrectly, which triggers these false denials. I'm filing my appeal this week and planning to include a letter from our benefits administrator explaining exactly what type of payments I received and referencing the specific insurance policy. I'm also going to request that my employer re-submit their quarterly reporting with corrected codes if needed. Have you checked with your wife's HR to see how they reported her sick leave payments to EDD? Sometimes the issue starts there and getting the employer to correct their reporting can actually resolve things faster than waiting for an appeal. Sending you strength during this incredibly stressful time - new parent life is hard enough without EDD making it worse!

I'm so sorry you're going through this nightmare with a newborn! Unfortunately, this is an incredibly common issue with EDD's automated system flagging any employer payments as "wages" even when they're clearly sick leave or disability benefits. A few things that might help speed up your case: 1. **Contact your Assembly member's office** - They have EDD liaisons who can sometimes get responses in 1-2 weeks instead of months. Find yours at findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov 2. **Check your wife's employer reporting** - Ask HR how they coded her sick leave payments on their DE-9 quarterly forms to EDD. Sometimes the issue starts with incorrect employer reporting codes. 3. **Submit an expedited hardship request** with your appeal - Include documentation of overdue bills, low bank balances, and rent/utility notices to potentially cut wait time in half. 4. **Try the 1-800-300-5616 appeals line** - Sometimes has better connection rates than the main number. The good news is that these wrongful denials almost always get overturned once a human reviews the documentation. Make sure your appeal includes pay stubs, employer letter stating it was SICK PAY (not wages), and cite California Code of Regulations Title 22 Section 3302(s)-1. You've got this - don't let EDD's broken system defeat you!

I'm jumping in as someone who just completed this exact process 3 months ago with twins! What really helped me was creating a dedicated email folder for all EDD correspondence and taking screenshots of everything I submitted online. The system can be glitchy and having your own digital trail is a lifesaver. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier: when you transition from PDL to PFL after birth, there's sometimes a gap where you might not receive payments for a week or two while they process the new claim. Plan your budget accordingly! Also, your PFL benefits might be calculated differently than your PDL benefits depending on your base period wages, so don't assume they'll be the same amount. The fact that you're planning this out so thoroughly at 36 weeks shows you're going to navigate this successfully. Just remember to be patient with the system - it's not perfect, but the benefits are definitely worth the paperwork hassle. You're doing everything right by asking these questions now rather than scrambling at the last minute!

As someone who works in HR and helps employees navigate these benefits regularly, I wanted to add a few practical tips that might help! First, when you file your DE2501 for disability, make sure to list your retail job as your "primary employer" since that's the one you're taking leave from. Your data entry job should be listed in the "other employment" section with clear notation that you're continuing it. One thing I always tell employees is to request read receipts when emailing documents to EDD, and if submitting online, print out the confirmation page immediately. The system sometimes doesn't save submissions properly and having proof you filed can save you major headaches later. Also, consider asking your retail job's HR if they participate in the State Disability Insurance (SDI) Enhanced program - some employers pay the extra premium that gives you higher benefit rates. It's worth checking since every dollar counts when you're on leave! You're being so smart to plan this out in advance. Most people wait until they're in labor to figure this stuff out! 😅

This thread is absolutely invaluable! As a first-time parent who just had my baby 3 weeks ago, I'm so grateful I found this before making any decisions about my weekend catering job. I'm currently on PFL from my main office job and was considering picking up a few catering gigs to help with expenses, but after reading about Santiago's $2300 repayment and seeing how strict EDD is about ANY work during leave, I'm definitely not going to risk it. The system really is broken when they give you 60-70% income but penalize you for trying to survive on that reduced amount. Maria, thank you so much for calling EDD and sharing their response - it probably saved me and countless other parents from making costly mistakes. I'm also shocked that you had to use a paid service just to get through to them, but I'll definitely keep Claimyr in mind if I need to contact EDD about anything else. It's heartbreaking that new parents have to choose between financial stability and following confusing rules, but this community is amazing for helping us navigate these impossible situations together!

This thread has been such an eye-opener for me as someone who's currently 5 months pregnant and working both as a physical therapist at a clinic and doing home visits on the side. I had no idea these restrictions existed and was definitely planning to continue some home visits during PFL since it seemed like "different work" from my clinic job. Reading about Santiago's $2300 repayment and all the failed appeals is honestly terrifying - that's more than I'd make in several months of home visits! It's so backwards that EDD reduces our income but then punishes us for trying to survive financially. Maria, thank you for being brave enough to call EDD and share what they told you. Your experience with Claimyr is really valuable - I hate that we have to pay just to get basic information from our own government, but clearly it's worth it to avoid thousands in penalties. I'm definitely going to call them before I apply to get official guidance on my PT situation. This community is incredible for helping parents avoid these costly traps that EDD doesn't clearly explain upfront!