Confused about SDI after company-paid maternity leave ends and before qualifying for baby bonding PFL

Your SDI (State Disability Insurance) and your company's maternity pay are separate benefits. SDI typically covers you for 4 weeks before your due date and up to 6-8 weeks after birth (8 weeks for c-section, 6 for vaginal delivery). Your company pay is just supplementing the first part of this period. SDI should continue after your company pay ends on February 9 until you're medically cleared to return to work (usually the 6-8 weeks postpartum I mentioned). So you WILL have income during that gap - it just won't be from your employer. Regarding PFL baby bonding: Yes, once you hit your work anniversary on April 2, you can file for the full 8 weeks of PFL even though your baby will be older. You have 12 months from birth to use PFL baby bonding benefits.

im in almost the same situation rn!! my company only gives 4 weeks paid and im not eligible for their parental leave yet either. its so confusing with all these different programs overlapping

Your company policy about needing 1 year before qualifying for baby bonding is their INTERNAL policy. That's about their supplemental pay or job protection they offer. But State Disability Insurance (SDI) and Paid Family Leave (PFL) are STATE programs that have different eligibility requirements. For the state programs: 1. SDI covers pregnancy disability - typically 4 weeks before birth through 6-8 weeks after (depending on delivery type) 2. PFL covers baby bonding - 8 weeks that can be taken anytime within 12 months of birth For STATE benefits, you only need to have paid into SDI through payroll deductions during the base period (roughly 5-17 months before your claim). You don't need a full year at your current job. So yes, you'll have income from SDI after company pay ends on Feb 9 until medically cleared (using your doctor's note that goes until March 22). Then you can apply for PFL after your company's 1-year requirement is met on April 2.

when I had my baby I got denied PFL at first bc I filed wrong form or something... make sure you use DE2501 for disability and then DE2508 for the baby bonding part later!! also my doctor had to fill out more paperwork when I switched from pregnancy to recovery

If you're struggling to get answers from EDD about your specific situation (which can be super frustrating), I'd recommend trying Claimyr. It helped me actually reach a real person at EDD to sort out my maternity leave overlap issues. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92Ay5?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5 Their site is claimyr.com - basically they call EDD for you and connect you when they reach an agent. I was able to get specific answers about my SDI to PFL transition that the website never explained clearly. Totally worth it when I was 8 months pregnant and couldn't sit on hold for 3+ hours!

One important clarification: When your company says you're not eligible for "Parental bonding" until after your 1-year anniversary, they're likely referring to their own company parental leave policy and/or job protection under CFRA (California Family Rights Act) which does have a 1-year employment requirement. However, for state PFL benefits through EDD, you don't need a full year at your employer. You just need to have contributed to SDI through payroll taxes. So while your job protection might not kick in until April 2, you may actually be eligible for state PFL benefits before then. I'd recommend: 1. Double-check with HR exactly what they mean by "not eligible for Parental bonding" 2. Confirm if they're talking about their supplemental pay or actual state benefits 3. Ask specifically about your job protection during baby bonding if taken before 1 year anniversary In California, your SDI claim for recovery from childbirth automatically triggers a notice about PFL availability. You'll need to file the PFL claim separately about 1-2 weeks before your SDI ends.

My friend just went thru this almost exact situation last year!!! She got her regular disability after birth even tho her work didnt cover leave yet, then when she hit 1 yr at the company she did the baby bonding time. Just make sure ur doctor keeps updating ur medical forms for the disability part! And dont let ur company try to make u come back before ur medically cleared!!! they tried that with her and it's illegal!!!!

To follow up on your question about SDI paying you directly - yes, after your company's supplemental pay ends on February 9, EDD will pay you directly for the remainder of your SDI period. The payments come via debit card or direct deposit depending on what you selected. You don't need to file anything additional for this transition from company pay to direct SDI payments, as long as your initial SDI claim is approved and your doctor continues to certify your disability. However, your employer does need to stop reporting wages to EDD (they'll do this automatically when they stop paying you). One thing to watch for: make sure your weekly benefit amount calculation is correct. If your company was paying you in full and reporting those wages to EDD, you might have been receiving reduced SDI payments or none at all (to avoid exceeding your normal wages). Once company pay stops, your SDI should increase to your full benefit amount.

I went through something very similar with my first baby! Just wanted to add that you should also ask your doctor about the timing of when they'll medically clear you to return to work. Sometimes they can be flexible with the dates if you explain your situation with the gap between SDI ending and PFL starting. Also, when you do file for PFL baby bonding after April 2nd, make sure to specify that you want to use it for bonding time (not caring for the baby's health condition) - they're different types of PFL claims and have different requirements. The bonding time is what gives you the full 8 weeks regardless of when you start it within that first year. One more tip: keep ALL your paperwork organized in one place - doctor's notes, company HR communications, EDD correspondence, etc. You'll likely need to reference dates and details multiple times throughout this process!

I'm in a very similar boat and just wanted to share what I learned from my benefits specialist! The key thing is that SDI and PFL are completely separate from your company's policies. Your SDI should definitely continue after your company pay ends - it's based on your medical need for recovery, not your employer's generosity. The state doesn't care that your company stops paying you on Feb 9th; they'll keep paying you as long as your doctor says you're disabled from childbirth. For the PFL timing, I'd double-check if your company is talking about job protection (CFRA) vs actual state benefits eligibility. Many people get confused because companies mix up their own policies with state program requirements. You might actually be eligible for state PFL benefits before your work anniversary - the one-year rule your HR mentioned sounds like it's about their internal policies or job protection, not the state benefits themselves. Also, definitely keep detailed records of everything! I created a simple spreadsheet with all my dates, forms submitted, and who I talked to. It saved me so much stress when I had to reference things later.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who literally went through this exact scenario 8 months ago! The confusion between company policies and state benefits is SO real - my HR department had me convinced I wouldn't get any income for 6 weeks when in reality my SDI continued seamlessly after company pay ended. Here's what actually happened for me: Company paid me through week 2 postpartum, then SDI kicked in directly (same benefit amount I was getting before, just now paid by EDD instead of being offset by company pay). My doctor kept me on disability until 8 weeks postpartum, then I was able to start PFL bonding immediately after since I'd already hit my work anniversary. The key is making sure your doctor knows your situation and keeps your medical certification current. Also, when you're ready to transition from SDI to PFL, file the PFL claim about 1-2 weeks before your SDI ends to avoid any payment gaps. You're going to be fine! The system actually works once you understand that state benefits and company policies are totally separate things. Don't let the stress get to you during these final weeks of pregnancy ❤️

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm 32 weeks pregnant and dealing with almost the exact same confusion about the gap between company benefits and state programs. My employer only provides 6 weeks of paid leave, but I keep hearing conflicting information about when I can access different state benefits. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful - especially the clarification that SDI will continue even after company pay ends, as long as my doctor certifies I'm still disabled from childbirth. I was panicking thinking there would be weeks with no income! One question for those who've been through this: did you have to do anything special to notify EDD when your company stopped paying, or did the transition happen automatically? I want to make sure I don't accidentally mess up the handoff between company pay and direct SDI payments. Also, the tip about keeping everything organized in a spreadsheet is brilliant - I'm starting that today! This whole process feels so much less overwhelming now that I understand the difference between company policies and state benefit eligibility. Thank you all for sharing your experiences! 🙏

I'm currently going through this exact same situation and wanted to share what I just learned from calling EDD directly (after waiting on hold for 2 hours!). The agent confirmed that your SDI will absolutely continue after your company pay ends on February 9th - there won't be a gap in income during your recovery period. She explained that while your company is paying you, EDD just reduces or withholds your SDI payments to avoid overpaying you, but once company pay stops, your full SDI benefit amount will be paid directly by EDD. For the PFL baby bonding eligibility, she said the one-year work requirement your HR mentioned is likely about job protection under CFRA, not the actual state PFL benefits. For state PFL, you just need to have paid into SDI through payroll deductions during the base period. So you might actually be eligible for PFL before April 2nd! I'd definitely recommend calling EDD to confirm your specific situation, but this should give you some peace of mind. The system is confusing but it does work once you understand that company policies and state benefits are completely separate. Hang in there - you've got this! 💪