Denied PFL because of 'open SDI claim' - stuck in appeal limbo since July

This is actually a really common issue with the transition from SDI to PFL. The system doesn't automatically close your SDI claim even though your benefits ended. You need to make sure your doctor submitted the final certification form that officially closes your pregnancy disability claim. For your appeal, they're super backed up right now and it typically takes 8-12 weeks to process. Make sure you submitted form DE1000A with your appeal letter. The good news is they'll backpay you once approved.

omg the EXACT same thing happened to me!!! SDI no problem then PFL denied bcuz 'open claim' or whatever. i ended up having my doctor resubmit the final pregnancy disability paperwork even tho they swore they already did it. magically got approved 2 weeks later. the whole system is completely broken.

I had this EXACT problem in January! The real issue is that your doctor needs to submit the form with the EXACT date your pregnancy disability ended (your due date) and the EXACT date you were eligible for baby bonding (usually the day after). If these dates have even a 1-day gap or overlap, the system flags it and automatically denies your PFL claim. In my case, there was a 2-day gap between my listed end date for pregnancy disability and the start date they put for my baby bonding eligibility. Once my doctor corrected those dates and resubmitted, my claim was approved within 10 days. As for reaching someone at EDD... good luck! I literally called 30+ times over two weeks before getting through.

Have you tried using Claimyr to get through to EDD? I was in a similar situation (different issue but same impossible phone situation) and was going crazy trying to reach someone. Claimyr got me connected to an EDD rep in about 20 minutes after I had spent WEEKS trying on my own. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5 and their website is claimyr.com. Basically they wait on hold for you and call when an agent is ready. In my case, the EDD rep was able to see exactly what was wrong with my claim and fixed it while I was on the phone. Appeals take forever but sometimes you can get it resolved faster by talking to the right person.

The EDD system is DELIBERATELY DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU GIVE UP!!! I went through this exact nightmare last year. They denied my PFL claim because of an "open SDI claim" even though my SDI benefits had ended. Then they made it IMPOSSIBLE to reach anyone to fix it. After TWO MONTHS of trying, I finally reached someone who admitted it was a "known system glitch" that they've had for YEARS but haven't fixed!!! They told me over 30% of new mothers face this exact issue when transitioning from pregnancy disability to baby bonding. It's CRIMINAL how they treat new parents!!! Oh and when I finally got approved? They "accidentally" underpaid me by $1,450 and I had to fight for another month to get the rest. The whole system is BROKEN BY DESIGN.

Have you tried going to an actual EDD office in person? Sometimes that's the only way to get these things resolved. My sister had a similar issue and spent weeks on the phone getting nowhere, then went to an office and had it fixed the same day.

One thing that's missing from this discussion - you should be submitting your DE2501FP form for PFL *before* your SDI claim ends to avoid this gap problem. For future reference for anyone reading this: 1. Your doctor submits the final SDI certification with your recovery end date 2. You submit the DE2501FP form for baby bonding 1-2 weeks before your SDI is scheduled to end 3. The transition should be seamless with no gap in benefits If you wait until after SDI ends to apply for PFL, you're much more likely to run into this "open claim" issue. Unfortunately, EDD reps often don't explain this properly.

UPDATE: I finally got through to EDD! It turns out there was indeed a date mismatch between when my SDI ended and when my PFL should have started. The rep manually closed my SDI claim and reprocessed my PFL claim while I was on the phone. She said I should see the funds in my account within 5-7 business days, and they'll backpay from when I originally should have started receiving benefits. Such a relief! And yes, she confirmed this is an extremely common issue that happens to "almost everyone" transitioning from SDI to PFL. She recommended that for anyone reading this in the future: make sure you call EDD directly the day after your pregnancy disability ends to confirm your SDI claim has been properly closed before you submit your PFL claim. Thanks everyone for the advice!

Congratulations on getting this resolved! Your update is going to be so helpful for other new parents dealing with this nightmare. I'm currently 8 months pregnant and this thread has been a goldmine of information - I had no idea about the SDI/PFL transition issues. I'm definitely going to call EDD the day after my pregnancy disability ends to make sure everything is properly closed before applying for PFL. It's ridiculous that this is such a common problem but at least now I know what to watch out for. Thanks for sharing your experience and I'm so glad you're finally getting your benefits!

As someone who just went through this exact same nightmare 3 months ago, I feel your pain! The SDI to PFL transition is absolutely broken. What worked for me was having my husband call EDD every morning at exactly 8:00 AM when they open - apparently that's when you have the best chance of getting through before the lines get completely jammed. Also, when you do get someone on the phone, ask them to put notes in your file about what they're doing to fix it. I had to call back twice because the first person said they fixed it but nothing actually happened. The second rep could see the notes and knew exactly what still needed to be done. Keep all your documentation handy when you call - they'll want your SDI claim number, your baby's birth certificate info, and the exact dates your disability ended. Having everything ready speeds up the process once you finally get through. Hang in there - you WILL get this resolved and they will backpay you for everything you're owed!

This whole thread is incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now - applied for PFL after my SDI ended and got hit with the "open SDI claim" denial. Been waiting on my appeal for 6 weeks with no word. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like the key things are: 1) making sure there's no date gap between SDI ending and PFL starting, 2) confirming your doctor submitted the final SDI paperwork properly, and 3) actually getting through to EDD to have them manually close the SDI claim. I'm going to try the 8 AM calling strategy and also look into that Claimyr service. At this point I'm willing to try anything to get this resolved - my maternity leave is almost over and I still haven't received a single PFL payment. It's honestly criminal how broken this system is, especially when new parents are already dealing with so much stress and financial pressure. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions!