How long does PFL take after pregnancy disability ends? SDI was fast but now worried about PFL timeline
Just transitioned from Pregnancy Disability (SDI) to Paid Family Leave for baby bonding and getting anxious about timing. My SDI claim was approved pretty quickly (within 2 weeks), but I've been hearing horror stories about PFL taking forever to process. I submitted all my PFL paperwork through the online portal last Friday and haven't seen any updates yet. My last SDI payment just hit my account yesterday, so I'm getting worried about a potential gap between benefits. Does anyone know if PFL typically takes longer to process than disability? I can't afford weeks without income while caring for my newborn. For reference, my doctor completed the DE2501 form right after delivery and I submitted the DE2508 for the PFL portion as soon as I got home from the hospital.
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Hazel Garcia
My PFL went thru in like 3 days but that was back in January. My freind just had her baby in April and it took 6 weeks!!! EDD is totally unpredictable 🤷♀️
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Salim Nasir
•6 WEEKS?? That's terrifying! Did she call them to find out why it was taking so long?
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Laila Fury
In my experience, PFL typically takes 10-14 business days to process if everything is submitted correctly. It's usually faster than disability claims because they've already verified most of your information during the SDI portion. However, there are some common issues that can delay processing: 1. If your doctor didn't clearly indicate your recovery end date on the DE2501 2. If your employer information doesn't match between your SDI and PFL applications 3. If you filed your PFL claim before your disability claim officially ended I recommend checking your online account daily and look for any "Request for Information" notices. Those can be easy to miss but will stop your claim from moving forward until addressed.
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Salim Nasir
•Thank you so much for the detailed response! My doctor was very clear about my recovery end date (exactly 6 weeks postpartum), and I waited until that date to file my PFL claim. I triple-checked all my employer info too. I guess I'll just keep checking the portal and hope for the best...
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Geoff Richards
•One thing to watch out for is that sometimes the system doesn't automatically recognize the transition from SDI to PFL even when everything is done right. My wife ended up having to call and have them manually connect the claims. The PFL money came through like 2 days after that call.
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Simon White
PFL is THE WORST!!!! My disability went through in 9 days but PFL took THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS!!!! I called over and over and just got the stupid recording saying they were experiencing high call volumes. By the time I finally got through, they told me there was a "system flag" on my account that nobody bothered to tell me about. THE ENTIRE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!!
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Hugo Kass
•This happened to me too, but I managed to get through to a rep using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's a service that basically calls EDD for you and connects you when they get an agent. Saved me hours of redial hell. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5. The agent I spoke with was able to remove the system flag immediately and my payments started processing the next day.
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Salim Nasir
•Oh no, that's what I'm afraid of! Did you ever find out what the "system flag" was for? I'm going to check my account again right now to see if there's anything I missed.
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Nasira Ibanez
I've filed for PFL twice (have 2 kids) and had totally different experiences each time. First time it took about 3 weeks, second time it was approved in 5 days. I think it really depends on their current workload and whether your application has any red flags or missing info. One thing that might help - did you use the same bank account info for both your SDI and PFL claims? Sometimes people change their payment preferences between claims and that can trigger additional verification steps.
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Salim Nasir
•Yes, I used the same bank account for both. It's so frustrating not knowing where things stand! I just wish there was more transparency in the process.
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Khalil Urso
it took my pfl like 10 days i think? but my friend had to wait like a month... i think it really just depends on how busy they are and if everything on your application looks good. did you get the disability for pregnancy and now switching to the bonding time? thats usually faster becuase they already have all your info
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Salim Nasir
•Yeah, I had pregnancy disability first and now I'm switching to bonding time. That makes me feel a little better that it might be faster since they already have my info. I'm just anxious because my last disability payment was yesterday and I don't want to go weeks without income!
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Laila Fury
Quick update - I just checked the EDD website, and they're currently reporting a 10-15 day processing time for PFL claims filed online. That's their target, but of course individual claims can vary. If you're approaching the 15 business day mark with no updates, that would be the appropriate time to follow up.
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Salim Nasir
•Thanks for checking that! I'm only at business day 3, so I guess I need to be more patient. I'll give it another week before I start to panic.
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Hazel Garcia
ok so didnt u say ur last SDI payment just came thru? thats actually good news! that means the system knows ur done with the disability part and should be moving to PFL. mine took longer because they didnt process my last SDI payment for like 3 weeks so the PFL couldnt start. ur probably fine!
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Salim Nasir
•That's a great point I hadn't thought of! Yes, my final SDI payment came through yesterday, which means they've processed my disability claim as complete. That makes me feel better!
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Geoff Richards
My wife just went through this whole process. Her PFL took about 9 days to process after her SDI ended. The EDD website never updated properly though - she got a payment before the website even showed her claim was approved. So don't trust the website 100%.
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Salim Nasir
•That's really good to know! I'll keep an eye on my bank account as well as the website. 9 days would be amazing compared to some of these other stories!
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