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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!
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.
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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!
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This thread is incredibly valuable! I'm currently helping my elderly neighbor navigate the PFL system to care for her husband who has dementia, and we've been running into the exact same draft submission issues. The technical workarounds you've all shared are going to be so helpful - especially the tips about using Chrome, clearing cache, and trying during off-peak hours. What really strikes me is how many people are dealing with these same system glitches. It seems like EDD's 2025 system update created more problems than it solved! I'm definitely going to try the early morning submission approach first, and if that fails, we'll look into the phone options. @Zainab Mahmoud - I'm so glad you got your claim resolved and that your father can get the care he needs during his recovery. Your persistence really paid off! This whole conversation gives me hope that there are solutions, even when the system seems completely broken. Thank you everyone for creating such a supportive and informative discussion. It's communities like this that help us get through these bureaucratic nightmares! 💙
@Andre Moreau That s'so kind of you to help your neighbor navigate this system! The fact that so many people are experiencing the same draft submission issues really highlights how widespread these technical problems are. It s'especially challenging when you re'helping someone who isn t'as familiar with technology - the workarounds that seem manageable to us can feel overwhelming to others. For your neighbor s'situation, I d'definitely recommend trying the early morning approach first since it s'the least complicated solution. If you end up needing to call EDD, maybe offer to be on the call with her for support - having someone there to take notes and ask follow-up questions can be really helpful, especially when dealing with complex caregiving situations like dementia care. The fact that we all have to become EDD system experts just to access basic benefits is frustrating, but I m'grateful for threads like this where people share their experiences and solutions. Wishing you and your neighbor success with the claim process! 🤞
I'm new to this community but wanted to share my recent experience since it might help others facing similar issues. I just went through the PFL application process for bonding leave with my adopted daughter, and I encountered the exact same draft submission problem that @Zainab Mahmoud described. After reading through all the helpful advice in this thread, I tried the early morning submission approach at around 6:30 AM and it worked perfectly! My claim went through on the first try with an immediate confirmation number. I think the server load issue that @Emma Davis mentioned is definitely real - I had tried multiple times during lunch hours and evenings with no success. For anyone still struggling with this, I'd also recommend checking that your browser isn't blocking any scripts or pop-ups from the EDD website. I noticed my browser's privacy settings were pretty strict and might have been interfering with the submission process. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions - this thread was incredibly helpful for a newcomer trying to navigate the EDD system for the first time! The community support here is amazing. 💕
@Anna Xian Congratulations on your adoption! 🎉 I m'so glad the early morning submission trick worked for you - it s'really encouraging to hear another success story using that approach. Your point about browser privacy settings is excellent and something I hadn t'considered. That could definitely explain why some people have success with certain browsers while others don t.'It s'wonderful that this community could help you navigate the system successfully, especially for such a special milestone like welcoming your daughter home. The fact that the 6:30 AM submission worked perfectly really reinforces what others have shared about server load being a major factor in these technical issues. Thanks for coming back to share your positive outcome - it gives hope to others who might be struggling with the same problems! Enjoy this precious bonding time with your new daughter! ❤️
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Friendly reminder to everyone: DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Keep copies of all forms, note down every call (date, time, who you spoke to), and save all emails. It'll save your butt if theres ever a dispute.
THIS. Cannot stress this enough. EDD 'lost' my forms twice. Thank god I had copies.
If the care recipient has a legal guardian or power of attorney, they might be able to sign on their behalf. You'll need to include documentation proving the legal relationship (like court papers or POA documents) along with your claim. I had to do this for my elderly parent and it worked, though it did add a few extra weeks to the processing time. Make sure to include a cover letter explaining the situation too!
This is really helpful! I didn't know about the POA option. Do you happen to know if a medical power of attorney would work, or does it need to be a general POA? My situation involves caring for someone with dementia and we only have medical POA set up right now.
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Quick clarification that might save others some confusion: in California, there are two separate programs: 1. State Disability Insurance (SDI) - this covers your pregnancy disability before birth (if needed) and your recovery period after birth (typically 6 weeks for vaginal delivery or 8 weeks for c-section). This requires doctor certification. 2. Paid Family Leave (PFL) - this covers baby bonding time and gives you up to 8 weeks of paid leave. No doctor certification needed, just proof of relationship to the child. The transition between these two programs is where most people get confused. They are separate claims but both managed through the same EDD system and SDI Online account.
One important note about the PFL portion - if both parents want to take the 8 weeks of baby bonding, they can! My husband and I both got our full 8 weeks each. Just wanted to make sure people know it's not a shared pool of time.
As someone who just went through this transition last month, I can confirm you absolutely DO NOT need new doctor paperwork for PFL baby bonding! The medical certification is only required for the SDI disability portion (your recovery period). Here's what you'll need to do: 1. File a new PFL claim using form DE2508 through your existing SDI Online account 2. You'll need your baby's birth certificate information (not the actual certificate, just the details) 3. Set your PFL start date for the day AFTER your disability ends 4. File about 1-2 weeks before your disability period ends to avoid payment gaps The whole process took me maybe 15 minutes online. No doctor visits, no medical forms, no hassle! Just make sure you don't overlap the dates between your disability and PFL claims. Congratulations on your new baby! 🎉
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idk if this helps but i found this calculator on the PFL website that estimates your weekly benefit amount. saved me a bunch of math headaches lol
Oh that's perfect! Do you have a link?
sure thing! here ya go: [insert fake link here] hope it helps!
Just went through this process a few months ago! One thing I wish I'd known earlier - make sure you calculate your benefit based on your highest quarter earnings in the base period (the 12 months before you became disabled/took leave). Also, if you're planning to take the full 8 weeks consecutively, you might want to coordinate with any disability insurance you might have from pregnancy/childbirth since they can sometimes overlap. The EDD website has a benefit calculator but it's kinda buried - search for "PFL benefit estimator" and it should pop up. Good luck with everything! 🍼
Nora Bennett
This thread is incredibly helpful! I'm currently on maternity leave through SDI and planning to transition to PFL for bonding time in a few weeks. Reading about the certification requirements has been eye-opening - I had no idea PFL worked differently than regular disability payments. I'm definitely going to set up those calendar reminders that Aisha mentioned. It's frustrating that EDD doesn't make this clearer, but at least now I know what to expect. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's going to save me (and probably my husband when he takes his PFL later) from the same payment delays and stress you all went through!
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Grant Vikers
•Welcome to the PFL journey! You're so smart to research this ahead of time. I wish I had known about the certification differences before my husband started his leave. One thing I'd also suggest is taking screenshots of your online account once you submit each certification - it helps you keep track of what you've done and when, especially if there are any disputes later. The transition from SDI to PFL can be a bit confusing administratively, but knowing about the biweekly certifications puts you way ahead of where we were! Good luck with your bonding time when it starts.
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Stephanie
•@Grant Vikers hi hopefully I can get a response. I’m in the same boat. I switched to family paid bonding and only received 2 days worth of pay when I submitted my application. It’s been 14 days today and there’s nothing in my account. My claim is active and the only forms I have are reestablishing bonding and claimant change. I see there is a certification process mentioned. Which form would that be?
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Yara Sayegh
I'm going through a very similar situation right now! My wife just started her baby bonding PFL two weeks ago and we're already confused about the certification process. After reading this thread, I immediately went to check her SDI Online account and sure enough, there's a certification form that's been sitting there for 3 days that we had no idea about. It's absolutely ridiculous that EDD doesn't send any kind of email notification or text alert when these certifications are due. How are people supposed to know? We got so used to the automatic payments during her pregnancy disability that we just assumed PFL would work the same way. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - this thread literally just saved us from weeks of payment delays and frustration. Going to set up those biweekly calendar reminders right now!
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Stephanie
•@Yara Sayegh what does the certification form look like?
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