Endless EDD phone loop - need urgent help reaching PFL after disability claim resolved

I feel your pain! The EDD phone system is literally designed to make you give up. What worked for me last month was calling exactly at 8:00 AM when they open. Like, have your phone ready at 7:59 and hit dial the second the clock changes. I got through on my second attempt doing this. Also try Wednesday or Thursday - for some reason those days seemed less busy than Monday/Tuesday when I was trying.

omg this is the EXACT thing that happened to me!!! disability was actually easy to reach compared to PFL. i called for TWO WEEKS before getting through. its ridiculous tbh. my baby was almost 3 months by the time my payments started coming in. had to put everything on credit cards 😫

Try using Claimyr. I was in the exact same situation last month with my PFL claim - needed to speak to someone about transitioning from disability to baby bonding and couldn't get through. I was about to lose my mind until another mom in my birthing class told me about this service. It basically calls EDD for you and connects you when it reaches an agent. Saved me hours of frustration! Their website is claimyr.com and they have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5 I was skeptical at first but it worked for me when nothing else did. Got connected to an agent in about 25 minutes instead of endless hangups.

For clarification - there's an important distinction between the SDI department (disability) and PFL (Paid Family Leave). They're administered by the same agency (EDD) but operate as separate departments with different phone lines and representatives. When you transitioned from pregnancy disability to baby bonding PFL, your claim needs to be properly coded in their system. Common issue is that the SDI reps can see your claim but can't make changes to the PFL portion. What I would recommend: 1. Call the main PFL number (not disability) at 877-238-4373 2. Call exactly at 8:00 AM when they open 3. If you get the "call back later" message, immediately hang up and redial 4. Keep doing this for 15-20 minutes - sometimes spots open up as calls are processed 5. If you still can't get through, try calling the general EDD number and requesting a callback specifically for PFL 6. Make sure you have your claim ID, SSN, and date of disability transition ready Hope this helps!

I HATE the EDD phone system with a burning passion. It's absolutely ridiculous that in 2025 they still can't figure out how to have a proper call queue system instead of just hanging up on people. And don't even get me started on their online messaging system that NEVER gets responses. The whole system is broken. When I had my baby last fall, I ended up having to physically go to an EDD office to get my PFL issue resolved because I could never get through on the phone. It was a 2-hour drive each way with a newborn, but it was literally the only way to talk to a human. The system is designed to make you give up on benefits you're legally entitled to. It's disgusting.

hav u tried email them?? sometime that work better then phonecall. took me 3 day to get response but at least i didnt have to keep calling. the email on my claim letter worked

UPDATE: After trying ALL morning, I finally got through!!!! For anyone with the same problem, here's what worked: 1. Called exactly at 8:00am (set alarm for 7:58) 2. Got the busy message 9 times in a row 3. On try #10 at 8:07am, it actually put me in a queue!! 4. Waited on hold for 47 minutes 5. Finally spoke to a rep named Marcus who was super helpful Apparently the system was showing my baby bonding claim as "pending documentation verification" even though I had uploaded everything weeks ago. He manually reviewed and approved it while I was on the phone. Said I should see payment in 24-48 hours! Moral of the story: KEEP TRYING and call right when they open. And huge thanks to everyone here for the advice and solidarity. This system is truly broken. 🙏

Just as a follow-up for anyone reading this thread later - if you're still struggling to get through on the phone for PFL issues, please consider trying Claimyr. Not everyone has the luxury of being able to call 10+ times at 8am (especially with a newborn's unpredictable schedule). Their service saved me hours of frustration with my recent claim, and I've recommended it to everyone in my mom's group who's dealing with EDD issues.

Wow, what a journey! So glad you finally got through and got it resolved. Reading through this whole thread really highlights how broken the EDD system is - it's absolutely insane that new parents have to go through this much stress just to get benefits they're legally entitled to. The fact that your claim was stuck on "pending documentation verification" for weeks when everything was already uploaded is exactly the kind of systemic issue that needs to be fixed. Thanks for sharing your experience and the step-by-step process - this will definitely help other parents in the same situation. Enjoy your bonding time with your little one! 👶