California Paid Family Leave
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Federal employee needing more baby bonding time - PFL options with FMLA already used?
I'm so confused about my baby bonding options as a federal employee! I've been on unpaid maternity leave for 12 weeks through FMLA, but I'm not ready to send my 3-month-old to daycare yet. My supervisor said I might be eligible for additional bonding time through California, but I'm pretty sure my federal job doesn't pay into CA SDI so I won't qualify for any paid benefits (which I'm fine with). I just desperately need more TIME with my baby before returning to work. Is there any way to get additional protected baby bonding leave beyond FMLA in California if I don't qualify for PFL? I keep hearing about 8 weeks of bonding time through PFL, but I don't think that applies to me as a federal worker. Has anyone navigated this successfully? I'd take more unpaid time if I could just get it approved and protected!
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Is my CA EDD PFL claim still active? How to check status?
Hey everyone, I'm trying to figure out if my order with California EDD Paid Family Leave (PFL) is still active. I placed it recently but I'm not sure about the status. Has anyone else had trouble keeping track of their PFL orders? Any tips on how to check or what to do if it's not active anymore?
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I feel your pain. Been dealing with PFL issues for months now. The whole system is a joke. Good luck, OP!
Hey Amara! I had a similar issue a few months back. One thing that helped me was checking my mail - sometimes they send paper notices that don't show up online right away. Also, if you're still within your benefit year, your claim should automatically remain active as long as you're eligible. The tricky part is making sure all your paperwork is processed. Have you tried calling the PFL line specifically? It's different from regular unemployment and sometimes has shorter wait times. Hang in there - the system is frustrating but you'll get through it!
Can husband take PFL only Monday-Friday to stretch remaining 2 weeks across 3 weeks?
Hi everyone! Need some clarity on scheduling PFL baby bonding days for my husband. He still has about 2 weeks and a few days of PFL remaining that expires in December 2025. We're thinking about using the rest in October, but we're wondering if he can strategically schedule it Mon-Fri only (not weekends) to stretch his benefits across 3 weeks instead of 2.\n\nBasically, would he get paid for just the 5 weekdays per week (which is fine) vs the full 7 days including weekends? A friend of ours tried something similar where they only claimed Fri-Mon and worked Tues-Thurs, but when they called EDD, they were told they'd only get paid for Friday and Monday (NOT the weekend) because his normal work schedule is Mon-Fri. To get paid for weekends, apparently he needed to take the full week off.\n\nDoes anyone know if this is correct? Can my husband just take weekdays for his remaining PFL and still get the full benefit amount for those days? Thanks in advance!
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This thread has been super helpful! I'm actually in a similar situation with my partner who has about 10 days of PFL left that expires soon. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like the Mon-Fri strategy can definitely work, but the key seems to be: 1. Getting employer approval first (as @Giovanni Marino mentioned) 2. Being crystal clear on the claim forms about normal work schedule 3. Calling EDD ahead of time to confirm the certification process 4. Keeping detailed records of exact dates taken One question I have - for those who successfully did this, did you find EDD payments came through on the normal schedule, or were there any delays because of the intermittent nature? I'm worried about potential processing hiccups that might delay payments. Thanks to everyone who shared their real experiences - this is exactly the kind of practical info that's so hard to find in the official EDD documentation!
Hey @Paolo Conti! I'm also relatively new here but just went through this process with my husband's PFL. To answer your questions: On payment timing - we did experience about a 1-week delay on the first payment compared to when he took consecutive days earlier. The EDD rep told us this was because intermittent claims require more manual review. The second certification payment came through on the normal timeline though. For employer approval, there's no specific form - it's usually just getting HR to approve the intermittent schedule and making sure they complete their portion of the DE 2515 (employer form) correctly. The key is making sure they don't accidentally indicate your wife works different days than she actually does. @Dylan Mitchell your summary is spot on! I d'add one more tip - have your partner screenshot or print out the exact dates they plan to take before submitting the claim. It makes filling out the certification forms much easier later. Also @Liam O Sullivan'- thanks for all your detailed explanations in this thread! Do you happen to know if there s'a limit to how many separate intermittent periods someone can take with baby bonding PFL? Like could someone theoretically take 1-2 days every few weeks until their benefits are exhausted?
Hey @Dylan Mitchell and @Paolo Conti! I m'also navigating PFL for the first time and this thread has been incredibly helpful. Just wanted to add my experience so far - I m'currently in the middle of taking intermittent PFL days Mon-Wed (only to) stretch out my remaining benefits. Regarding payment timing - I did experience about a 5-7 day delay on my first payment compared to when I took consecutive weeks earlier. My EDD rep finally (got through after using that Claimyr service @Dylan Hughes mentioned explained) that intermittent claims sometimes need manual review, which can slow things down initially. For the employer approval question @Paolo Conti asked - there isn t a'separate form, but your wife s employer'does need to complete the employer section of the DE 2508 form accurately. The key is making sure they understand and properly document her normal work schedule and that they re approving'the specific intermittent dates she s requesting.'One tip I learned the hard way: keep screenshots/copies of everything you submit online. My first certification got lost in "their" system and having documentation made it easier to resolve. Has anyone else noticed EDD being more strict about intermittent schedules in 2025 compared to previous years? Just curious if that s been'others experience too.'
This is such valuable information! I'm currently dealing with a similar situation where I have about 12 days of PFL remaining that expire in early 2026, and I was wondering if I could do something like this. Reading through everyone's experiences, it seems like the consensus is that yes, you can take Mon-Fri only to stretch benefits, but the certification process requires extra attention to detail. I'm particularly interested in @Liam O'Sullivan's point about the DE 2508 form being updated for 2025 - that's good to know! One thing I'm curious about that I haven't seen mentioned yet: if your husband takes intermittent days like this, does it affect his ability to take any additional family leave later if needed? Like if there's a family emergency or something? I know there are annual limits on PFL, but I'm not sure how intermittent scheduling impacts that. Also, @ThunderBolt7, please keep us updated on how it goes for your husband! It would be really helpful to hear about the actual experience once he goes through the process. Thanks to everyone sharing their real-world experiences - this kind of practical advice is so much more helpful than trying to decipher the official EDD guidelines alone!
Hi @Amy Fleming! I'm new here but have been following this discussion closely since I'm in a very similar boat with my husband's remaining PFL time. Regarding your question about annual limits - from what I understand, PFL has a maximum of 8 weeks per year for bonding with a new child, regardless of how you schedule it (consecutive or intermittent). So if your husband has already used some of his 8 weeks earlier, the remaining days count toward that same annual limit whether taken all at once or spread out. For family emergencies, that would fall under a different category of PFL (caring for a seriously ill family member), which has its own separate limits. So taking baby bonding days intermittently shouldn't impact your ability to use family care PFL later if needed. That said, I'd definitely recommend confirming this with EDD directly since the rules can be complex. The Claimyr service @Dylan Hughes mentioned seems like it might be worth trying to get through to an actual representative. @ThunderBolt7, I m'also really hoping you ll'update us on how this works out! It would be so helpful to have a real success story to reference. Good luck with getting your husband s'schedule approved!
EDD PFL baby bonding claim approved but only paid for ONE day - what's going on??
Finally got my baby bonding PFL claim approved yesterday (after submitting on Feb 18 for the period from Feb 18-March 31, 2025), but I'm completely confused about the payment. I just checked my account and they only deposited payment for ONE DAY?!? Has anyone else experienced this? I was expecting 6 weeks of payment all at once but instead got barely enough to buy diapers! Is this normal for the first payment? Do they pay the rest later? I tried calling EDD but of course got the 'call volume too high' message after waiting 45 minutes. I'm seriously stressing because I budgeted based on receiving the full amount. My rent is due next week and I have a 3-month-old to care for!
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UPDATE: The rest of my payment just hit my account this morning!! Thank you all for your help and suggestions. For anyone else who encounters this issue - definitely try to speak directly with an EDD rep as they can see exactly what's causing the delay and often fix it immediately. The date discrepancy between what I reported and what my employer reported was causing the system to only pay for the one day they were certain about. So relieved this is resolved and I can focus on my baby instead of stressing about finances!
yay!! so happy for u! thx for updating us - gives me hope my claim will get approved soon
This is such a relief to see resolved! I'm currently dealing with a similar situation where my PFL claim was approved but I'm only seeing partial payment. Your experience with the date discrepancy between what you reported vs what your employer reported is really helpful - I'm going to double-check those dates on my claim. It's frustrating how these small details can cause such big delays, especially when you're already stressed about finances with a new baby. Thanks for sharing the update and congrats on getting it sorted out!
I can definitely relate to the frustration of waiting weeks while your claim just sits in "processing" status! I actually used the Claimyr service that @Connor O'Neill and @Keisha Brown mentioned earlier in this thread. It was honestly a game-changer - I went from spending days trying to get through on my own to actually talking to a real EDD agent in about 20 minutes. The agent could immediately see what was causing my delay and fixed it on the spot. Definitely worth trying if you ve'been stuck calling for days with no luck. The date discrepancy thing seems to be more common than I realized - might be worth checking your original application against what your employer submitted to see if there s'a mismatch there too. Hope you get yours sorted out soon!
I ended up using the Claimyr service after trying to call EDD for days with no success. It was honestly a lifesaver - got connected to a real agent in about 20 minutes instead of wasting hours on hold. The agent could immediately see the date discrepancy issue and fixed it while I was on the phone. Definitely worth trying if you're stuck in the endless phone loop. Hope you get your claim sorted out soon - the stress of waiting for that money while caring for a newborn is no joke!
EDD Paid Family Leave Stuck on 'Pending Medical Provider Form' - Need Help!
Hey everyone, I'm having trouble with my paid family leave claim. The web portal just says 'pending medical provider form' but I've already made sure everything is updated. Has anyone else dealt with this? It's been weeks and I really need this money. Also, I want to switch from the debit card to direct deposit. Any advice?
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I'm going through the exact same thing right now! My claim has been stuck on "pending medical provider form" for over 2 weeks. I called my doctor's office and they confirmed they submitted it, but EDD says they never received it. It's so frustrating because I really need this money to cover my bills while I'm caring for my family member. For the direct deposit switch, I was able to find it in my online account under "Payment Information" - it took a few days to process but it worked. Way better than dealing with that debit card! Has anyone had luck with faxing the form directly to EDD instead of having the doctor do it? I'm thinking about asking my doctor for a copy so I can send it myself.
Issac Nightingale
I know this doesn't help your immediate situation, but I want to mention that there's currently legislation being considered to expand parental leave benefits for federal workers. If you're passionate about this issue (as it sounds like you are), consider contacting your representatives. The more federal employees who speak up about these gaps in coverage, the more likely we are to see meaningful change in the future. There's a Federal Employee Family Leave caucus that's specifically working on these issues.
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Alejandro Castro
AuthorThank you for mentioning this! I'm definitely going to look into advocacy around this issue. It's really opened my eyes to how complicated navigating parental leave can be, especially as a federal employee caught between different systems. I'll check out the Federal Employee Family Leave caucus.
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Freya Christensen
Congratulations on getting those extra 6 weeks approved! That's a huge win, especially given how difficult it can be to navigate federal leave policies. I'm currently dealing with something similar as a new federal employee - it's so frustrating how we fall through the cracks between state and federal systems. Your post has been really educational for me to understand what options might be available. Enjoy that precious bonding time with your baby, and definitely follow the advice about getting everything in writing! It sounds like you really advocated well for yourself and your family.
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