Baby Bonding PFL payments delayed after Pregnancy Disability ended - no money for 3 weeks!
Help! My Pregnancy Disability claim ended 3 weeks ago (April 27th) and I still haven't received ANY baby bonding payments. I filed the PFL claim online a week before my PDL ended and got the confirmation number, but nothing has shown up in my account. Has anyone else experienced this delay between pregnancy disability and baby bonding? I'm starting to panic because we budgeted for this income and my savings are running low. Called EDD 12 times today and couldn't get through to a real person. Anyone know how long this gap is supposed to be or what might be going wrong?
16 comments
Join the conversation
Miguel Diaz
This is totally normal (but super frustrating). There's almost always a gap of 2-3 weeks between PDL ending and PFL baby bonding payments starting. The system treats them as separate claims even though they're related. When I transitioned last year, it took 18 days for my first PFL payment to come through. Did you complete the DE2501F form correctly? Make sure you checked the box for transitioning from disability to PFL.
0 coins
Ava Rodriguez
•Thanks for the reassurance! I thought I filled out everything correctly, but maybe I missed something? I don't remember seeing a checkbox specifically about transitioning from disability. Now I'm worried I messed up the application. Is there a way to check my submission or edit it at this point?
0 coins
Zainab Ahmed
omg same thing happened to me!!! my disability ended march 30 and didn't get baby bonding $ until april 22nd!! almost a MONTH with no payments and i have twins!!! its soooo ridiculous how they make us wait. hang in there mama
0 coins
Ava Rodriguez
•A MONTH?! I can't wait that long! Did you call them or do anything to speed it up? Or just wait?
0 coins
Connor Gallagher
I went through this exact situation in February and it's because the EDD system treats Pregnancy Disability Leave and Baby Bonding PFL as completely separate claims, even though to us it's one continuous leave period. The transition causes delays because: 1. They have to close out your PDL claim first 2. Then process the new PFL claim 3. Verify you're eligible for the transition Calling them directly can speed this up, but as you've discovered, that's nearly impossible right now. Have you tried the SDI Online message center? Sometimes they respond faster there.
0 coins
Ava Rodriguez
•I sent a message through the portal 5 days ago and still nothing... Starting to feel like I'm shouting into the void. Thank you for explaining what's happening though. At least now I understand why there's a delay.
0 coins
AstroAlpha
This happened with my wife too. The problem is they don't tell you there's going to be a gap! We expected seamless transition just like her disability payments were seamless from work to EDD. The whole system is designed to confuse new parents when they're already sleep deprived and stressed!!! It's like they WANT us to fail at getting our benefits.
0 coins
Yara Khoury
•While I understand your frustration, it's important to note that the system isn't designed to be confusing intentionally. The gap occurs because PDL (administered through SDI) and PFL are technically different programs with different funding sources, even though they're both managed by EDD. This creates an administrative transition period that unfortunately results in payment delays. The best approach is to file for PFL 2-3 weeks before your PDL ends to minimize the gap.
0 coins
Keisha Taylor
After trying for DAYS to call EDD about my delayed baby bonding payments last month, I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to a rep in under 15 minutes. They connected me directly to an EDD agent who fixed my transition issue on the spot. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5 Turns out there was a simple flag on my account that needed to be removed to allow the baby bonding payments to start. The agent told me these transition issues are super common but easy to fix once you actually talk to someone.
0 coins
Ava Rodriguez
•Thank you! I've never heard of this service before. Did you have to provide them with your personal EDD info? I'm desperate at this point but also wary of sharing my claim details with a third party.
0 coins
Keisha Taylor
•No, they don't access your EDD account at all - they just connect you with an actual EDD rep through their system. Once connected, you talk directly to EDD. It saved me days of calling and hanging up.
0 coins
Paolo Longo
Why is everyone acting like this is normal?? It's NOT normal or acceptable for the state to just stop sending money to new parents! When I had my baby in 2023, I didn't have any gap between disability and baby bonding. Something is wrong with your claim specifically. Did you file online or using paper forms? The paper forms take WAY longer.
0 coins
Miguel Diaz
•Actually, seamless transitions are the exception, not the rule. The majority of claimants experience a 1-3 week gap between PDL and PFL. You were one of the lucky ones! The system processing time varies significantly based on claim volume, staffing levels, and whether any verification is needed. Online filing is faster, but even then, gaps are common during the transition.
0 coins
Ava Rodriguez
UPDATE: I finally got through to EDD today! The rep confirmed there was nothing wrong with my application, but said there's usually a 2-3 week processing period when transitioning from PDL to PFL Baby Bonding. She said my payment should be issued within the next 5 business days. For anyone else in this situation - it seems like waiting is normal (though super stressful). Thanks everyone for your advice and support!
0 coins
Miguel Diaz
•That's great news! Glad you got confirmation. For future reference (or for others reading this), if you need to transition from PDL to PFL again for another child, file the PFL claim about 2 weeks before your PDL ends. It won't start paying until after PDL ends, but having it pre-processed in their system can reduce the gap significantly.
0 coins
Zainab Ahmed
•congrats!! isnt it SUCH a relief when you finally talk to someone who can help?? enjoy your baby bonding time!! 💕👶
0 coins