Just joined this community because I'm having the EXACT same E313 error! Been stuck on this for about 6 days now and I was starting to lose my mind thinking I was the only one. Like literally everyone else here, I also had unemployment benefits during COVID (2020-2021) and can log into my regular EDD account just fine, but the moment I try to file my PFL claim - validation error every single time. Reading through all these comments has been both frustrating and oddly comforting 😅 The pattern is so obvious now! @Ravi Malhotra your experience about the old unemployment claim still being "active" in the system makes total sense - I just checked and my 2021 claim is still showing in my claim history too even though it's been closed for ages. I'm definitely going to try the early morning calling strategy that @Esmeralda Gómez mentioned and see if I can get through to a specialist who can manually clear whatever backend mess is causing this. Also going to start documenting everything with screenshots like you suggested in case I need to escalate to my assembly member's office. Thanks for creating this thread OP - it's honestly such a relief to know there are so many of us dealing with this identical issue. The EDD system is clearly broken but at least we're not going through this nightmare alone! 🤞

OMG I'm so relieved to find this thread! I've been dealing with the exact same E313 error for about 8 days now and was starting to think I was going crazy. Just like literally everyone else here, I also received unemployment benefits during COVID (2020-2021) and can log into my regular EDD account without any issues, but the second I try to start my PFL claim - BAM! Validation error every single time. After reading through all these comments, the pattern is SO clear - we all have previous unemployment claims that are apparently still causing conflicts in their broken system. @Ravi Malhotra thank you for sharing your experience about needing a specialist to manually clear the old claim - that gives me actual hope there's a real solution! I've tried every browser, cleared everything, used different devices, nothing works. The fact that so many of us are experiencing this identical issue with the same background (COVID unemployment) can't be a coincidence. I'm going to try the early morning calling strategy tomorrow and start documenting everything with screenshots. Thanks OP for posting this and thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences. It's honestly such a relief to know I'm not alone in this EDD nightmare! Here's hoping we can all get through to someone who actually knows how to fix this backend mess 🤞

I went through this exact situation 8 months ago! Had complications after delivery and needed extended disability before transitioning to PFL. The consensus here is absolutely correct - DO NOT file for PFL until your disability extension is fully processed and approved. I made the mistake of filing PFL early thinking it would help avoid gaps, but it immediately terminated my disability claim and I had to fight for weeks to get it reinstated. The system treats PFL filing as an automatic signal that you're ready to transition from medical leave to bonding leave. Wait for your doctor's office to submit the extension paperwork, then file PFL after that period ends. Your benefits will be backdated so you won't lose any money, just might have to wait a bit longer for payments. Trust me, the patience is worth avoiding the nightmare of having to fix a premature PFL filing!

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - 4 weeks postpartum with complications that need extended disability. Reading everyone's experiences here is so helpful! I was leaning toward filing PFL early to avoid gaps but now I'm definitely going to wait. One question though - if my doctor's office is being slow with the extension paperwork and my current disability period ends before they submit it, will there be a gap in payments? Or does EDD have some kind of grace period for medical extensions? Really don't want to end up with no income while waiting for doctors to get their act together!

Just wanted to jump in and share my recent experience! I got a similar letter about 3 weeks ago and was totally freaking out about it. When I finally got through (used the early morning call strategy - worked like a charm!), they just needed to clarify some dates on my medical certification and verify my employer info. The whole conversation was maybe 10 minutes once I actually spoke to someone. They were really professional and explained exactly what they needed. My payments resumed within a week after that call. So don't worry too much @Alexander Zeus - it's most likely just standard verification stuff. Have your documents ready and you'll be fine! 💪

I'm in the exact same boat right now! Just got my letter yesterday and I've been anxiously googling what it could mean. Reading through everyone's experiences here is so reassuring though - sounds like it's usually just verification stuff rather than anything scary. I'm planning to call first thing Monday morning with all my paperwork organized. Has anyone had success with specific times of day? I keep seeing people mention calling right when they open, but I'm wondering if there are any other "sweet spots" during the day when the hold times might be shorter. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences - this community is such a lifesaver! 🙏

This is such a helpful thread! I'm actually starting my PFL baby bonding next week and was already stressing about not seeing a clear return date in the portal like I had during my pregnancy disability. It's honestly ridiculous that EDD makes us calculate this ourselves when they clearly have the technology to show it automatically. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like the key things to remember are: 1) Count 56 calendar days from your start date, 2) Keep all documentation from EDD, 3) Give HR plenty of notice with your calculated return date, 4) Don't forget about weekend adjustments for your actual first work day, and 5) Stay on top of those bi-weekly certifications since they don't send as many reminders. Thank you all for sharing your real experiences - this is way more useful than anything I could find on the official EDD website! Saving this thread for reference. 🙌

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 currently in the middle of this situation too and wanted to share what I just learned from my experience! My SDI ended last week and I had the same 2-week gap before my planned return date. I ended up calling EDD (finally got through after using that Claimyr service someone mentioned - totally worth it!) and the representative explained something really important that I hadn't seen mentioned here yet. If you have ANY ongoing medical issues from your c-section - even minor ones like incision pain, difficulty lifting, or fatigue that impacts your ability to work - your doctor can potentially extend your pregnancy disability beyond the standard 8 weeks. The key is that it has to be for medical reasons, not just because you want more time off. I was having persistent pain at my incision site and my doctor was able to extend my disability for 2 additional weeks, which covered my gap perfectly. The other thing I learned is that if you do decide to use some PFL bonding time now, you can file it as "intermittent" leave, which means you could potentially use just a few days here and there rather than full weeks. This might help you preserve more of your bonding time for later while still getting some financial support during the gap. Just wanted to throw these options out there since I wish I had known about them earlier in the process!

I'm dealing with this exact same situation and this thread has been a lifesaver! My SDI ends in 3 weeks but I'm not ready to return to work for another month after that. Reading everyone's experiences has given me so much clarity on my options. I think I'm going to try the approach @Norman Fraser mentioned about getting my doctor to evaluate if there are any ongoing medical issues that could justify extending my disability period - I've been having some lingering fatigue and back pain from my c-section that I hadn't really considered "serious enough" to mention, but maybe they are legitimate medical reasons for needing more recovery time. If that doesn't work out, I'm leaning toward using 2-3 weeks of my PFL bonding time now and saving the rest for later in the year. The intermittent PFL option sounds really interesting too - I had no idea that was even possible! One question for those who have been through this: when you filed for PFL to start right after SDI ended, did you need any special documentation from your employer or just the standard PFL paperwork? I want to make sure I have everything ready to avoid any delays. Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences - it's made this whole confusing process feel so much more manageable!