Can I get EDD PFL and SDI benefits after being laid off at 7 months pregnant?

Yes! You absolutely CAN claim both SDI for pregnancy disability and PFL for baby bonding after being laid off. Your eligibility is based on your base period earnings (roughly 5-18 months before your claim starts), not your employment status when you deliver. Since you've been paying into SDI for 2 years, you should qualify. I went through something similar last year - laid off at 6 months pregnant. Here's what you need to know: 1) File your DE2501 (disability claim) about 1-2 weeks before you plan to stop working due to pregnancy (usually 4 weeks before due date unless doctor certifies earlier) 2) Your benefit amount will be calculated from your highest quarter of earnings during the base period 3) After disability ends (typically 6-8 weeks after birth), transition to PFL by filing a DE2508 for baby bonding Your severance doesn't impact your eligibility, but make sure to report it correctly when filing.

BE CAREFUL what that other person told you!!!! EDD is SUPER picky about dates and they will DENY your claim if you mess up!!!! I got laid off at 5 months and filed SDI too early and they rejected me saying I wasn't disabled yet just pregnant!!!! Had to appeal and it was a NIGHTMARE!!! WAIT until actually cant work (36-37 weeks) and have doctor verify!!!!!

i got laid off from tech company at 7 months pregnant last yr. biggest advice is start calling EDD early. it took me like 7 call attempts to get a real person to confirm my situation. nobody ever answers there!!!

I'm a bit confused about your timeline. You said laid off end of April with 5 weeks severance, but due in July? So technically your severance runs through end of May/early June, and disability typically starts 4 weeks before due date which would be mid/late June? There's potentially a gap between your severance ending and disability starting. This might actually matter for your health insurance coverage too - have you checked if your employer continues benefits through the severance period only?

When I had my baby I was on unemployment and I still got maternity leave benefits! You need to make sure though that you don't try to claim unemployment and disability at the same time - that's considered fraud. So if you're getting severance until early July, then start disability claim right after severance ends (or a bit before if doctor puts you on bedrest). For what it's worth my benefit amount was less than when I was working full time but it was still something like 60-70% of my average pay from the base period they looked at.

I'm in almost the exact same situation! Due in July and just had my last day last week. The only thing I'm worried about is what happens AFTER the baby bonding leave ends? Since I was laid off, I won't have a job to return to... can we get unemployment after PFL ends? Has anyone gone through that transition?

when i had my baby i just walked into the edd office with all my paperwork instead of doing it online and it was WAY easier! the lady helped me fill everything out right there and explained all the timing stuff. might be worth trying if theres an office near you.

One more thing to consider - make sure you don't file your SDI claim TOO early. Since your severance runs through early July and your due date is mid-July, the best timing might be to have your doctor certify disability starting right as your severance ends or just before. Ideally, you want these to flow: Severance → Pregnancy Disability (SDI) → Baby Bonding (PFL) → Unemployment Typically, disability can start up to 4 weeks before your due date with a normal pregnancy, but your doctor can certify earlier if needed for medical reasons.

I went through something very similar - laid off at 28 weeks pregnant last year. Just wanted to add a few things that helped me navigate this: 1) Keep ALL your documentation organized - severance agreement, last paystub, doctor visits, etc. EDD will ask for proof of everything. 2) Consider filing your SDI claim about a week before your severance officially ends if your doctor agrees you're disabled. This helps avoid any gap in payments. 3) Don't forget that your baby bonding PFL can be taken intermittently if needed - you don't have to use all 8 weeks at once. 4) Start gathering your medical records now. Getting records from your OB can take time and you'll need them for the disability claim. The whole process was stressful but it worked out! I ended up getting about 65% of my previous salary through SDI then PFL. Hang in there - you've got this! 💪

I'm going through almost the exact same situation right now - laid off at 30 weeks pregnant with baby due in August! Reading through everyone's responses has been SO helpful because I was completely panicking about losing benefits. One thing I wanted to add that my friend who works in HR mentioned - make sure you get a copy of your wage and tax statement (W-2) from your employer before you leave, and keep all your pay stubs from the past 18 months. EDD uses these to calculate your base period earnings, and it's much easier to get them now than trying to track them down later when you're dealing with a newborn. Also, has anyone dealt with the timing if baby comes early? I'm worried about what happens if I go into labor before my severance period ends - do I need to notify my former employer or just focus on filing the disability claim? Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's such a relief to know this is possible even after being laid off! 🙏

I'm actually an EDD claims specialist and wanted to clarify a few things I'm seeing in this thread that might help you avoid common mistakes: 1) **Base period calculation**: Your benefits are calculated from quarters 2-5 before your claim starts, NOT your most recent earnings. Since you've been working for 2+ years, you should have sufficient earnings history. 2) **Severance timing**: This is crucial - you CANNOT receive SDI benefits while receiving severance pay for the same time period. You'll need to wait until your severance period ends OR have your doctor certify that your disability began before the severance period. 3) **Filing timeline**: File your SDI claim (DE 2501) when you actually become disabled due to pregnancy, typically 4 weeks before your due date unless medically necessary earlier. Don't file "just in case" - it needs to be when you're genuinely unable to work. 4) **Medical certification**: Your doctor must certify the exact dates you're disabled. Being pregnant alone isn't enough - you need to be unable to perform your regular work duties. The good news is that layoff status doesn't affect your eligibility as long as you have the required earnings history. Just make sure your timeline is clean: severance ends → disability begins → SDI → PFL → unemployment if needed. Feel free to ask if you have specific questions about the process!