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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!
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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!
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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.
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I've been lurking here for a while dealing with my own EDD nightmare, and this thread is so relatable it hurts! 😭 The E324 error is the bane of my existence right now. I've tried everything - different browsers, clearing cache, incognito mode, you name it. What finally worked for me (temporarily) was using a different device entirely. Apparently my laptop was somehow "flagged" in their system? Makes no sense but that's EDD for you. Also, pro tip: screenshot EVERYTHING during your application process. Trust me on this one. The number of times I've had to prove I submitted something correctly... Good luck OP, we're all suffering together! 💪
Wow, your laptop being "flagged" is such a bizarre EDD thing! 🤦♀️ I never would have thought to try a different device. The screenshot tip is gold too - I learned that lesson the hard way when they claimed I never submitted certain documents. It's crazy that we have to treat applying for benefits like we're gathering evidence for court! Thanks for sharing your experience, it's oddly comforting to know we're all in this together.
I'm going through the exact same thing right now! The E324 error is so frustrating. I've been trying for three days straight and getting nowhere. Reading through all these comments is actually really helpful - I didn't know about trying different devices or the identity verification issues. I'm definitely going to try clearing my cache and using incognito mode first. If that doesn't work, I guess I'll have to brave the phone lines. It's ridiculous that we have to jump through so many hoops just to access benefits we've paid into. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and tips! 🙏
I'm so sorry you're going through this too! The E324 error really is the worst. I just joined this community after dealing with my own EDD headaches for weeks. One thing that helped me was double-checking that my browser wasn't auto-filling any forms with outdated info - sometimes those saved addresses or old phone numbers can trigger errors. Also, if you do end up calling, I found it helpful to have a notepad ready to write down everything they tell you, including case numbers or reference numbers they might give you. The whole system is so broken, but at least we have each other for support! Keep us posted on how it goes! 💪
Hang in there! I just went through this exact same nightmare last month and it's so frustrating. One thing that worked for me that I haven't seen mentioned yet - try logging out completely, restarting your browser, and then logging back in fresh. Sometimes the session gets corrupted somehow. Also, make sure you're not using any browser extensions that might interfere (like ad blockers or password managers) during the application process. The auto-fill tip from @Sebastian Scott is spot on too - I had an old zip code saved that was causing issues. Don't give up, you'll get through this! 🤞
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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. 🙏
@Amaya Watson Welcome to the community! It s'so refreshing to see newcomers like us supporting each other through this confusing PFL maze. I m'also pretty new to all this and honestly felt overwhelmed until I found this thread. The collective wisdom here is incredible - I never would have known about the Tuesday/Wednesday morning calling strategy or the importance of asking for file notes without everyone s'shared experiences. It s'amazing how much more manageable government bureaucracy feels when you have real people sharing practical tips instead of trying to decode official websites alone. Looking forward to seeing how your PFL journey goes and hopefully we can both pay it forward by sharing our own experiences to help future newcomers! This community really is a lifesaver! 💫
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! 🙌
@Yara Khalil Welcome to the community! It s'so great to see another newcomer who s'finding this thread as helpful as I have been. I m'also completely new to PFL and was honestly feeling pretty intimidated by the whole process before discovering this amazing discussion. The collective wisdom here is incredible - I never would have known about strategic calling times or the importance of having confirmation numbers ready without everyone s'generous sharing of their experiences. It s'such a relief to know that even complicated situations like duplicate applications are totally manageable with the right approach. Thanks for adding your voice to this supportive space - it really does feel like we re'all figuring this out together! Best of luck with your upcoming application! 🤗
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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.
Great question about the day counting! From my experience, you include the start date as day 1. So if you start PFL on a Monday, that Monday counts as day 1 of your 56 calendar days. This is consistent with how EDD calculates other benefit periods. As for splitting PFL - yes, it does make things more complicated! When you split your leave, you have to track each period separately. For example, if you take 4 weeks now and want to save 4 weeks for later, you'd calculate 28 calendar days for your current period. Then when you start your second period later (within the same benefit year), you'd count another 28 days from that new start date. The tricky part with splitting is making sure you coordinate properly with both EDD and your employer about the gaps between leave periods. Your employer needs to know when you're returning to work temporarily and when you plan to take your remaining leave. I'd definitely recommend talking to both EDD and your HR department before splitting to make sure you understand all the requirements!
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! 🙏
That's such a smart idea about using an online date calculator to double-check! I definitely overthink these things too, so having that extra verification would give me peace of mind. It's honestly wild that we have to resort to third-party tools and community forums to figure out something that should be basic functionality in the EDD portal. But you're absolutely right that this community makes navigating all these gaps so much easier. Thanks for the practical tip about the date calculator - I'm definitely going to remember that for future reference!
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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!
This is such valuable insight about the employer reporting issue! I hadn't even thought about checking how my wife's company reported her sick leave payments on their quarterly forms. That could definitely be the root cause of this whole mess. I'm going to contact her HR department tomorrow to ask specifically about how they coded her sick leave payments on the DE-9 forms. If they reported it incorrectly, getting them to re-submit with the right codes could save us weeks of waiting for the appeal process. It's so frustrating that we're all dealing with the same systemic issue - EDD's automated system clearly can't distinguish between actual wages and legitimate benefit payments. You'd think they would have fixed this by now given how common these wrongful denials seem to be. Thank you for sharing this tip and I hope your appeal gets resolved quickly too! This whole situation is exhausting when you're already sleep-deprived with a newborn.
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!
Thank you so much for this comprehensive advice! I'm feeling more hopeful after reading all these helpful responses from everyone. I'm definitely going to contact my assembly member's office first thing tomorrow - I had no idea that was even an option. The point about checking the employer reporting codes is brilliant too. My wife is going to call HR tomorrow to find out exactly how they coded her sick leave payments on the DE-9 forms. If that's where the error originated, hopefully we can get it corrected at the source. I've already started gathering documentation for the hardship request since we're definitely in that category right now. Between the late rent and upcoming daycare payments, this couldn't have come at a worse time financially. It's been so reassuring to hear from so many people who've been through similar situations and eventually got them resolved. This whole process feels overwhelming when you're already exhausted from caring for a newborn, but knowing there are specific steps we can take gives me hope. Thank you again for taking the time to share such detailed guidance!
Miles Hammonds
I'm currently going through the exact same situation and this thread has been a lifesaver! My wife was approved for PFL in January, received 3 payments, then got hit with a denial letter last week saying she didn't meet eligibility requirements. We filed our appeal immediately but I've been panicking about the timeline. Reading everyone's experiences here - especially @Luis Johnson's success story - gives me so much hope that we can get through this. The consistency in the 6-8 week timeline for hearing dates is actually reassuring, even though it feels like forever when you're living it. I'm definitely going to try the Claimyr service that @Tyrone Johnson recommended since calling EDD has been absolutely impossible. Also planning to request our complete claim file like @Oliver Schulz suggested - that's such a smart move to see exactly what documentation they have. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and advice. It's amazing how this community is helping each other navigate this broken system. Will keep everyone updated on our progress, and hoping all of you still waiting get positive outcomes soon!
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Leslie Parker
•I'm so sorry you and your wife are going through this too! It's unfortunately becoming way too common from what I'm seeing in this community. The fact that she received 3 payments before the denial actually gives me hope for your case - it shows EDD initially determined she was eligible, so this is likely a paperwork or verification issue rather than a fundamental problem with her qualification. Definitely try that Claimyr service - I've seen multiple people here say it's the only way they were able to actually reach a human at EDD. The complete claim file request is brilliant too - it could reveal exactly what triggered the reversal. One thing I've learned from reading everyone's experiences is that these initial approvals followed by denials seem to happen A LOT, which suggests this is more about EDD's internal processes being messy rather than people not actually qualifying. Stay strong and keep fighting - from what I'm seeing here, persistence really does pay off with these appeals. Fingers crossed for both of our families! 🤞
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Gabriel Graham
I'm so sorry you're dealing with this incredibly frustrating situation! As someone who works in family law and has seen many clients go through PFL appeals, I can tell you that unfortunately your experience is becoming all too common. The fact that your husband was initially approved and received payments is actually a strong indicator that he does qualify - these reversals are often due to administrative errors or delayed employer verification issues rather than actual eligibility problems. A few things that might help while you wait: 1. Document everything - it sounds like you're already doing this, but keep copies of all correspondence, payment stubs, and screenshots of your online account showing the initial approval status 2. Consider contacting your state assembly member's office - they often have dedicated staff who can help expedite EDD issues and get you answers faster than calling the main line 3. If possible, gather any additional documentation that supports the claim (employment verification, birth certificates, medical records) even if you already submitted them - having duplicates ready for the hearing is crucial The 6-8 week timeline others have mentioned is unfortunately accurate based on what I've seen with clients. The system is absolutely overwhelmed and broken, but don't lose hope. Many people do win these appeals, especially when they were initially approved like your husband was. Hang in there - caring for newborn twins while dealing with this bureaucratic nightmare is beyond stressful, but you're doing everything right by appealing and seeking support here.
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Chloe Zhang
•Thank you so much for this professional insight! It's really reassuring to hear from someone who works in family law and has seen these cases firsthand. The tip about contacting our state assembly member's office is brilliant - I never would have thought of that but it makes total sense that they'd have staff dedicated to helping with EDD issues. We've definitely been documenting everything obsessively since this whole mess started. I think we have enough paperwork to fill a small filing cabinet at this point! Your point about gathering additional documentation even if we already submitted it is really smart - better to be over-prepared for the hearing than scrambling to find something at the last minute. It's both comforting and infuriating to know this is happening to so many people. The system really is broken when families caring for newborns have to fight this hard just to get benefits they were already approved for. Thank you for the encouragement and practical advice - it really helps to hear from someone with professional experience that we're on the right track!
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