Confused about transitioning from extended SDI maternity to PFL baby bonding - file now or wait?
So I'm in this weird situation & not sure what's the right move. My regular pregnancy disability is ending this week (had my baby 6 weeks ago), but I'm having some post-delivery complications. My doctor agreed to extend my disability but their office is taking FOREVER with the paperwork. My question is - should I go ahead and apply for baby bonding PFL now since my initial SDI is ending? Or do I need to wait until my disability extension gets approved first? I'm worried about creating a gap in my benefits if I wait, but also don't want to mess anything up by applying for PFL while technically still needing the medical extension. Has anyone dealt with this extended disability-to-PFL transition before? What's the right order to do things? Getting really anxious about this since my regular payments will stop soon!
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Liam O'Connor
Wait for your disability extension to be approved before filing for PFL. If you file for PFL now, it could automatically terminate your disability claim because the system will think you're transitioning to bonding. When your medical extension is approved, then file for PFL after that period ends. This will maximize your total benefit time.
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CosmicCadet
•Thank you! I was worried about the gap between benefits. Will EDD backdate my payments if there's a delay in approving the extension?
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Amara Adeyemi
omg same thing happened to me!! had complications after birth + dr extended my disability. definitely wait!!! if u apply for PFL now it TERMINATES ur disability claim automatically. I made this mistake & had to get my doctor to resubmit everything & it was a nightmare
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CosmicCadet
•Oh no! That's exactly what I was afraid might happen. How long did it take to fix everything once you applied for PFL too early?
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Giovanni Gallo
I had pregnancy complications too last year. My sister-in-law had her baby 3 months before me and she had a completely normal delivery. No complications at all! She was back to her normal weight within weeks while I'm still struggling. She did her disability and then PFL perfectly while I had a mess with my claims. Anyway, I think you need to wait but call EDD to confirm?
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CosmicCadet
•Thanks, I've been trying to call EDD for days but can't get through. It's so frustrating!
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Fatima Al-Mazrouei
Definitely hold off on the PFL application until your disability extension is processed! When you file for PFL, the system automatically closes your disability claim - it's designed that way because normally people transition directly from pregnancy disability to bonding. But in cases like yours with medical extensions, you need to complete the full disability period first. Make sure your doctor submits the extension paperwork ASAP. There shouldn't be a gap in payments as long as the extension is submitted before your current disability period ends. The system will consider it a continuous claim.
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CosmicCadet
•That makes sense, thank you! I'm calling the doctor's office every day trying to get them to submit the paperwork. It's stressful because my current disability period ends in 3 days.
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Dylan Wright
If you're having trouble reaching someone at EDD to confirm what to do, try using Claimyr. It got me through to an EDD agent in about 25 minutes when I had a similar issue with my maternity disability extension last month. They connect you directly to an EDD rep who can see your specific claim situation. Saved me hours of redial frustration! You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5 and their site is claimyr.com. Worth it for peace of mind on something this important.
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NebulaKnight
•Are they legit? I'm always suspicious of services that claim to get you through to EDD. Has anyone else used this??
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Sofia Ramirez
•I used it when my PFL was stuck in pending for 6 weeks and couldn't get through on my own. They did get me through to an actual EDD person who fixed my claim on the spot. Was relieved but also annoyed that we need a service just to talk to EDD!!
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Fatima Al-Mazrouei
One more thing to watch for - make sure you get a clear "end date" for your disability extension from your doctor. When your disability claim ends, you have 41 days to file your PFL baby bonding claim or you risk losing benefits. Many people miss this deadline when they have extended disability situations. Also, unlike regular disability claims, PFL baby bonding can be split up if needed (like taking 4 weeks now, 4 weeks later), but you must complete all PFL time within the first year of your child's birth. Just something to keep in mind for planning purposes.
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CosmicCadet
•Thank you for the additional information! I didn't know about the 41-day deadline. I'll make sure to mark that on my calendar once I know when the extension ends.
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Amara Adeyemi
does anyone know if the 8 weeks of BABY bonding is the same even if u have extendid disabilty? my cousin said she only got 6wks PFL after extended disability but that doesnt sound right???
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Fatima Al-Mazrouei
•Your cousin is confused. The PFL baby bonding benefit is always 8 weeks total, regardless of how long your disability period was. Extended disability doesn't reduce your PFL time. Your cousin likely misunderstood something about her claim or had a partial claim for some other reason.
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NebulaKnight
THE EDD SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!! I went through this exact situation last year and even though I did everything right (waited for disability extension to process THEN filed PFL) they still messed it up and I went 3 WEEKS with NO PAYMENTS!!! Had to call 57 TIMES before I got through to someone who could fix it. Document EVERYTHING and don't trust their automated system!!!
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CosmicCadet
•That's terrifying! What eventually fixed your situation? I'm already stressed about bills and can't imagine going 3 weeks without any income.
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NebulaKnight
•I finally got through to a tier 2 specialist who manually fixed the transition in their system. Make sure you're keeping copies of EVERYTHING - all doctor notes, all confirmation numbers, screenshots of your online account, etc. They tried to tell me I hadn't filed paperwork that I definitely had!!!
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Liam O'Connor
To address your question about backdating - yes, EDD will backdate your disability extension payments if there's approval delay, as long as your doctor certifies the medical need existed during that period. You won't lose money due to paperwork delays, but it might mean waiting longer for the payments to arrive. This is another reason to keep your disability claim active rather than switching to PFL prematurely.
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CosmicCadet
•That's such a relief to hear! Thank you for clarifying. I'll focus on getting the doctor to submit the extension paperwork ASAP and hold off on the PFL application until the extended disability period ends.
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Sofia Ramirez
congrats on your baby! definitely wait on filing PFL. my sister is an HR benefits coordinator and she always tells people to wait until disability is 100% complete before filing PFL. good luck!
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CosmicCadet
•Thank you! That's so helpful to hear from someone with HR experience. I'll definitely wait.
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Mateo Martinez
I went through this exact situation 8 months ago! Had complications after delivery and needed extended disability before transitioning to PFL. The consensus here is absolutely correct - DO NOT file for PFL until your disability extension is fully processed and approved. I made the mistake of filing PFL early thinking it would help avoid gaps, but it immediately terminated my disability claim and I had to fight for weeks to get it reinstated. The system treats PFL filing as an automatic signal that you're ready to transition from medical leave to bonding leave. Wait for your doctor's office to submit the extension paperwork, then file PFL after that period ends. Your benefits will be backdated so you won't lose any money, just might have to wait a bit longer for payments. Trust me, the patience is worth avoiding the nightmare of having to fix a premature PFL filing!
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Paolo Romano
•Thank you so much for sharing your experience! It's really reassuring to hear from someone who went through the exact same situation. I was getting so anxious about the timing, but hearing that multiple people made the mistake of filing PFL too early really reinforces that waiting is the right move. I'll definitely be patient and wait for the extension to be fully processed first. Did you have any issues with the backdating process, or did it go smoothly once everything was sorted out?
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Justin Chang
I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - 4 weeks postpartum with complications that need extended disability. Reading everyone's experiences here is so helpful! I was leaning toward filing PFL early to avoid gaps but now I'm definitely going to wait. One question though - if my doctor's office is being slow with the extension paperwork and my current disability period ends before they submit it, will there be a gap in payments? Or does EDD have some kind of grace period for medical extensions? Really don't want to end up with no income while waiting for doctors to get their act together!
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Cameron Black
•I'm in almost the exact same boat as you! 5 weeks postpartum with complications here. From what I've gathered reading through all these responses, it sounds like as long as your doctor certifies that the medical need existed during the gap period, EDD should backdate the payments even if there's a delay in submitting the paperwork. But honestly, I'd try calling your doctor's office daily to push them on the extension submission - that seems to be the biggest bottleneck for all of us. The stress of potentially having no income while waiting for slow medical offices is real! Hang in there, we'll get through this bureaucratic maze somehow.
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