Confused about paternity leave forms - do doctors sign PFL baby bonding paperwork?

There's definitely confusion happening here. For PATERNITY LEAVE (baby bonding under PFL), you DON'T need a doctor to sign anything! Sounds like the rep was confusing baby bonding PFL with pregnancy disability. Here's what you should do: 1. Fill out form DE2508 (Paid Family Leave form) NOT the SDI form 2. Include a copy of the birth certificate with SSN written on it 3. If you already submitted the wrong form (DE2501 disability claim), that's probably why they're asking for doctor info Paternity leave is through the Paid Family Leave program, which is different from disability. No medical certification needed - just proof of relationship (birth certificate).

lol classic EDD mixup, they always confuse the forms. happened to my brother last year too. def sounds like u filled out the pregnancy disability form (DE2501) instead of the baby bonding form (DE2508). just send in the right one asap with birth certificate

The EXACT same thing happened to me! Complete nightmare. I spent 3 DAYS trying to reach someone at EDD to explain why my paternity leave claim was stuck saying "medical certification needed" when it was baby bonding! The automated system is terrible and kept giving wrong info. I finally got through using Claimyr (claimyr.com) - saved me hours of redial hell. They got me connected to an EDD agent in about 30 minutes who sorted it all out. Check out their demo video: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5 The agent explained that their system sometimes auto-classifies new claims incorrectly. She removed the medical certification requirement from my file and processed my claim right away. Might be faster than starting over with a new application.

Doctors DO NOT sign paternity leave paperwork!! The EDD rep gave you incorrect information. My husband just went through this in January 2025. For baby bonding (which includes paternity leave), you need form DE2508 and proof of relationship (birth certificate). That's IT. No doctor involved. For PREGNANCY disability, you need form DE2501 with doctor certification. Lot of people get confused because maternity leave is actually TWO SEPARATE CLAIMS: 1. Pregnancy Disability (before/after birth) - requires doctor 2. Baby Bonding PFL (after disability ends) - NO doctor But for dads, it's ONLY baby bonding PFL - no disability claim needed!

UPDATE: I finally got through to EDD! You all were right - we submitted the wrong form (pregnancy disability instead of PFL). The agent was really helpful and said we need to: 1. Fill out the DE2508 (Paid Family Leave form) 2. Write "CORRECTION - REPLACES ERRONEOUS DE2501" at the top 3. Include baby's birth certificate 4. Write my husband's SSN on everything She said they'll link it to our original submission date once they process it. Thank you all for your help!!

this is why the whole system is broken. my wife handled all our baby paperwork cause when i tried it was just too confusing. why cant they just make ONE FORM for baby leave??? why does it matter if its the mom or dad??? so stupid.

For the benefit of others finding this thread later, here's a quick reference for EDD forms related to new children: - DE2501: State Disability Insurance (SDI) - Used for pregnancy, childbirth recovery, or your own medical condition. Requires doctor certification. - DE2508: Paid Family Leave (PFL) - Used for bonding with new child (mothers AND fathers) or caring for ill family members. NO doctor certification needed for baby bonding, just proof of relationship (birth certificate). Dads only use DE2508 for bonding. Moms typically use DE2501 first (pregnancy/recovery), then DE2508 for bonding after recovery period ends. Common mistakes: 1. Using wrong form 2. Missing proof of relationship document 3. Not including SSN on all documents 4. Filing too early (must file within 41 days after leave begins, not before

Just wanted to add - make sure you keep copies of EVERYTHING you send to EDD! I learned this the hard way when they "lost" my first submission and I had to prove I'd sent it on time. Also, when you write your SSN on the birth certificate copy, use a pen (not pencil) and write it clearly in the top right corner. The processing center sometimes has trouble reading handwriting and will reject documents for being "illegible." One more tip - if you're mailing the corrected DE2508 form, send it certified mail with return receipt. It's a few extra dollars but gives you proof of delivery date, which can be crucial if there are any timing disputes later. Good luck with the rest of your claim process!

As someone who just went through this exact situation last month, I can confirm everything everyone else is saying - you definitely filled out the wrong form! The EDD rep who told you about needing a doctor was completely wrong about paternity leave. Here's what worked for me when I had the same mix-up: 1. Called EDD and explicitly told them I needed to "withdraw my incorrect DE2501 disability claim and file a new DE2508 PFL claim for baby bonding" 2. They gave me a withdrawal confirmation number (write this down!) 3. Submitted the correct DE2508 form with birth certificate copy 4. Made sure to reference the withdrawal in my cover letter The whole process took about 2 weeks once I submitted the correct paperwork. Don't stress too much about the delay - they backdated my claim to when I originally started my leave, not when I filed the correct form. Pro tip: When you call, ask specifically for the "PFL department" not just general EDD. They transfer you to agents who actually know the difference between disability and family leave programs.

Just went through this nightmare myself 2 months ago! The confusion between disability and PFL forms is SO common - EDD really needs to fix their website because it's not clear at all which form to use. A few things that helped me get through it faster: 1. When you resubmit the DE2508, include a brief cover letter explaining the mix-up. Something like "This DE2508 PFL application replaces the incorrect DE2501 disability claim submitted on [date]." 2. Make sure to sign AND date the new form - I forgot to date mine the first time and it got rejected. 3. If you have your baby's Social Security card already, include a copy of that too along with the birth certificate. Some processors ask for it. 4. Don't panic about the 3-week delay - they're pretty understanding about form confusion and will backdate your claim. Just be prepared for the whole process to take 4-6 weeks total once you submit the correct paperwork. The system is frustrating but you'll get through it! Hang in there.

Hey there! I just went through this exact same confusion with my partner's paternity leave claim last month. You're absolutely right to be frustrated - the EDD system is incredibly confusing and their reps often give conflicting information. From my experience, here's what likely happened: you submitted the DE2501 (State Disability Insurance) form instead of the DE2508 (Paid Family Leave) form. The disability form requires doctor certification because it's meant for people who can't work due to their own medical condition. But paternity leave is about bonding with your baby, not a medical disability, so no doctor signature needed! A few things that helped us resolve this quickly: 1. Called EDD and specifically asked for the "Paid Family Leave department" (not just general customer service) 2. Explained we needed to "correct a form submission error" rather than just asking about claim status 3. The agent walked us through withdrawing the incorrect claim and filing the right one 4. They gave us a reference number for the withdrawal - definitely get this if you call! For the birth certificate, yes you can mail it now with the SSN written clearly in the top right corner. Use a pen, not pencil, and consider sending it certified mail so you have proof of delivery. Don't worry about the timing - they backdated our claim to when the leave actually started, not when we figured out the paperwork mess. The whole thing was resolved in about 3 weeks once we submitted the correct DE2508 form. You've got this! The system is broken but you'll get through it.

I went through this exact same confusion back in November 2024 when my daughter was born! The EDD website is absolutely terrible at explaining which form to use - I ended up submitting the wrong paperwork too. Here's what I learned: For paternity/baby bonding leave, you need form DE2508 (Paid Family Leave), NOT DE2501 (State Disability Insurance). The disability form is only for when YOU have a medical condition that prevents you from working - like pregnancy, surgery, illness, etc. Baby bonding is completely different and doesn't require any medical certification. The good news is that EDD is pretty understanding about this mix-up since it happens ALL the time. When I called to sort it out, the agent told me they see this mistake multiple times per day! A few practical tips: - Call and ask specifically for "Paid Family Leave claims" to get to the right department - Get a confirmation number when you withdraw the incorrect claim - Include a brief note with your new DE2508 explaining the correction - Send everything certified mail with tracking They backdated my claim to my original leave start date, so don't stress about losing benefits due to the delay. The whole process took about 3 weeks once I submitted the correct form. Hang in there - you're almost through the worst part!

This is such a common problem with EDD! I went through the exact same confusion when my son was born in December 2024. The website makes it sound like all baby-related leave needs medical certification, but that's completely wrong for dads. Here's what I wish someone had told me upfront: Paternity leave = baby bonding = form DE2508 = NO DOCTOR NEEDED. The only people who need doctors to sign anything are birth mothers using disability benefits for pregnancy/recovery (form DE2501). When I called to fix my own mix-up, I found the magic phrase is to say "I need to correct a baby bonding PFL claim that was incorrectly filed as disability." That gets you to the right department immediately instead of being transferred around. One thing nobody mentioned yet - make sure your baby's name on the birth certificate copy matches EXACTLY what you write on the DE2508 form. They're picky about spelling and will reject for any discrepancies. You'll get through this! EDD's system is frustrating but they do eventually get it right once you jump through all their hoops.

Just wanted to add my experience from last month - I made the exact same mistake! Filed DE2501 instead of DE2508 and spent two weeks wondering why they kept asking for medical certification for my paternity leave. The key thing that saved me time was when I called EDD, I immediately said "I accidentally filed a disability claim but I need paid family leave for baby bonding." The agent knew exactly what happened and fixed it in one call. Also pro tip - when you resubmit the DE2508, write your original submission date somewhere on the form. The agent told me this helps them backdate properly so you don't lose any benefit days. Don't let this process discourage you! The actual PFL program is great once you get past the paperwork nightmare. You'll be getting those benefit payments soon!

Just dealt with this exact same nightmare in February! The EDD system is absolutely terrible at explaining the difference between disability and family leave - I also submitted the wrong form initially and got the same confusing "doctor signature needed" message. Here's what worked for me: Called EDD and said exactly "I need to withdraw an incorrect disability claim and file a new baby bonding PFL claim." Got transferred to the right department immediately. The agent explained that paternity leave is ONLY form DE2508 (Paid Family Leave) and requires zero medical input - just proof of relationship. A couple extra tips based on my experience: - When you mail the corrected DE2508 + birth certificate, write "CORRECTED SUBMISSION" at the top of the form - Include a simple cover letter: "This DE2508 replaces incorrect DE2501 filed on [date]" - Get a confirmation number for withdrawing the old claim - They'll backdate to your actual leave start date, not when you fix the paperwork The whole mess took about 4 weeks to resolve but they paid everything retroactively. Hang in there - you're definitely not the first person to fall into this form trap!

Had the EXACT same issue with my wife's maternity leave last year! The EDD website is so poorly designed - it's like they want people to file the wrong forms. What helped us was calling first thing in the morning (around 8:01 AM) when the phone lines open. Way better chance of getting through than calling later in the day. Also, if you get disconnected, call right back immediately - sometimes you get lucky and slip through. For the birth certificate, definitely mail it certified with your husband's SSN written clearly in the top right corner. We learned the hard way that regular mail sometimes gets "lost" in their system. One more tip - keep detailed notes of every call including agent names and confirmation numbers. EDD reps sometimes give conflicting info and having documentation helps if you need to escalate later. The good news is once you get the right form (DE2508) submitted with proper documentation, the PFL benefits are actually pretty reliable. Just getting past their terrible intake process is the hard part!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - submitted what I think was the wrong form for my paternity leave about 2 weeks ago and keep getting confusing messages from the EDD automated system. Reading everyone's experiences, it sounds like the key things are: 1. Call early in the morning (8:01 AM) and ask specifically for "Paid Family Leave department" 2. Use the magic phrase: "I need to withdraw an incorrect disability claim and file a new baby bonding PFL claim" 3. Get a withdrawal confirmation number 4. Submit DE2508 (NOT DE2501) with birth certificate and clear documentation One question for those who've been through this - when you called to withdraw the incorrect claim, were you able to do that and file the new claim in the same phone call? Or did you have to wait for the withdrawal to process before submitting the DE2508? Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences - this is exactly the kind of real-world guidance that the EDD website completely fails to provide!