How to handle extended SDI maternity leave claim before transitioning to PFL baby bonding?

You've done everything right! When your doctor extends your disability period, they submit the medical certification and you update your return-to-work date during certification - exactly what you did. The message to EDD was a good extra step. Your claim should automatically extend based on your doctor's documentation. For transitioning to baby bonding PFL after your disability ends, you'll need to file a new claim using form DE2508. You can't apply for PFL until your disability claim is complete, so your extended SDI end date will become your new starting point for applying for PFL. PFL is a separate benefit with its own application, even though it's administered by the same department. When your disability ends on May 12, you can apply for PFL immediately - don't wait or you might lose benefit days.

This exact thing happened to me last year!!! My dr extended my maternity leave TWICE becuz of postpartum complications. As long as your DR submits the medical stuff you should be fine. But check ur account like every day becuz sometimes EDD will randomly ask for more info and if u dont respond in like 10 days they can close ur claim!!!! Dont worry about the baby bonding part yet, just focus on getting the disability extension approved. Thats the most important part right now. The system is sooooo confusing but ur doing everything right so far.

just went thru this in january... when u transition to baby bonding make sure u have at least 2-3 weeks of savings because there is ALWAYS a gap in payments when u switch from disability to PFL. took them 20 days to approve my baby bonding after my disability ended...

I had a similar situation with my maternity leave extension in February. Here's what you need to know: 1) The doctor's paperwork and your updated return-to-work date are the two critical pieces for the extension. You've done both correctly. 2) Your SDI extension should process automatically, but it can take 7-10 business days to reflect in the system. Keep certifying as normal during this time. 3) For the PFL transition: You'll need to file a completely new claim using form DE2508. This is technically a separate benefit program sharing the same payment system. 4) Pro tip: You can actually apply for PFL up to 9 days before your disability ends to avoid payment gaps. The system is designed to recognize the transition, but only if you indicate that your PFL claim start date is the day after your disability ends. 5) For the documents: You'll need your baby's birth certificate (or hospital documentation if the certificate hasn't arrived) and documentation showing your relationship to the child. Your PFL claim will get a new claim number separate from your SDI claim.

wait I thought the doctor could only extend disability for 6 weeks after vaginal delivery or 8 weeks after c-section? can they really just keep extending it beyond that?

EDD is THE WORST with these extensions!!! When my doctor extended my leave last year, my payments STOPPED for almost 3 weeks even though I did everything right. I had to call them 27 TIMES before getting through. They claimed they "never received" my doctor's paperwork even though she submitted it electronically TWICE. Make sure you keep calling and checking your account status because they will not proactively tell you if something is wrong! And don't even get me started on the transition to baby bonding. That was another nightmare that took forever to process. The whole system is designed to make you give up!!!

I process these types of claims as part of my job, so I can give you some insider perspective. Your doctor extending your SDI claim is very normal, especially after C-sections. Here's what happens behind the scenes: 1. Your doctor submitted what's called a "supplemental certification" that extends your disability period. 2. You correctly updated your return-to-work date during certification. 3. The system should automatically extend your claim based on these two pieces. However, there are a few technical points to watch for: - If the doctor's supplemental certification and your updated return date don't match exactly, it could trigger a manual review. - Sometimes the system flags extensions for review if they go significantly beyond the standard recovery period. - Your messaging the department was smart - but those messages can take 7-10 days to be processed. For your PFL transition: You'll need to file a separate claim through SDI Online using form DE2508. You can (and should) do this about 9 days before your disability ends. On the form, you'll indicate that your PFL start date is the day after your disability ends. This minimizes payment gaps. If you encounter problems or delays, calling EDD directly is unfortunately necessary. The online system doesn't handle complex situations well.

My sister works at EDD and says that most delays in these extension situations come from doctors not filling out the forms correctly. Make sure your doctor specified the correct extended timeframe AND included detailed medical reasons for the extension. Without specific medical justification, they often deny the additional time and just stick with the standard recovery period.

Actually I just remembered I had a friend who accidentally created a gap between her disability and baby bonding by applying for PFL too late. The trick is you have to apply for PFL *before* your disability ends, not after!! If you wait until after disability ends there will be a gap in payments!!

Update: I just checked my online account and the system is now showing my new end date (May 12)! The status says "extension processing" so I guess that means it's working? Will continue to certify as normal and start preparing my PFL application for baby bonding. Thank you everyone for the amazingly helpful advice! I'm definitely going to apply for PFL about a week before my disability ends to avoid that payment gap. I'll update again if I run into any other issues.

Congratulations on getting your extension approved! That "extension processing" status is exactly what you want to see. Just wanted to add a few tips from my recent experience with this same situation: 1. Keep screenshots of your account showing the extension approval - sometimes the system glitches and it's helpful to have proof if you need to call later. 2. When you apply for PFL baby bonding (about a week before May 12th), make sure to select "bonding with new child" as your reason, not just "family leave." The specific category matters for processing. 3. Have your baby's birth certificate ready to upload, but if you don't have the official one yet, the hospital discharge papers with baby's info usually work too. 4. One thing that caught me off guard - they'll ask for your work schedule/hours on the PFL application even though you're already on leave. Just put your normal pre-leave schedule. The transition should be smooth now that your extension is processing correctly. You're doing everything right by planning ahead for the PFL application!

I'm so glad to see your extension is processing! I went through this exact situation 6 months ago with my second baby. The "extension processing" status is definitely a good sign - mine took about 3-4 business days to fully update after I saw that message. One thing I wish someone had told me: when you're getting ready to apply for PFL baby bonding, double-check that your SDI claim actually shows "PAID" status for all your recent certifications before applying for PFL. Sometimes there can be a delay in payments processing even after the extension is approved, and if there are any pending issues with your SDI claim, it can complicate the PFL application. Also, when you do apply for PFL (definitely do it about a week before May 12th like others suggested), the system might ask you to verify your identity again even though you already have an active SDI claim. This is normal - just have your ID ready to upload again if needed. You're handling this so well for your first baby! The whole process is honestly way more complicated than it should be, but it sounds like you're staying on top of everything perfectly.

Congratulations on your baby and I'm glad to hear your extension is processing smoothly! Just wanted to share a few additional tips from someone who recently went through this exact transition: 1. When you apply for PFL baby bonding next week, make sure you apply on a weekday if possible - I've noticed weekend applications sometimes take longer to process initially. 2. Keep your EDD login credentials handy because you'll need to access both your SDI account (to monitor the end of disability) and create/access your PFL claim around the same time. 3. If you run into any technical issues with the online PFL application, try clearing your browser cache or using a different browser. The EDD website can be finicky sometimes. 4. One small thing that helped me stay organized: I created a simple calendar reminder for May 5th (about a week before your disability ends) to submit the PFL application, and another reminder for May 13th to follow up if there are any issues. You're doing an amazing job navigating this system, especially as a new parent! The fact that your extension is already showing as processing means you're definitely on the right track.

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm currently 35 weeks pregnant and trying to understand how this whole SDI to PFL transition works before I need it. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly helpful - especially learning that you need to apply for PFL BEFORE your disability ends to avoid payment gaps. Can I ask a clarifying question? When you all mention applying for PFL "about a week before" disability ends - is that literally 7 days before, or just sometime during that final week? I want to make sure I time it right when my time comes. Also, does it matter what day of the week you apply, or is that just for faster processing? Thank you all for sharing your experiences so openly - it's making me feel so much more prepared for navigating this system when my baby arrives!

I'm so glad your extension is processing smoothly! Just wanted to add one more tip that saved me a lot of stress during my transition last year - when you apply for PFL baby bonding next week, make sure to write down your new PFL claim number as soon as you get it. The system generates a completely separate claim number for PFL even though it's the same department, and you'll need that number for any future correspondence or if you have to call about your claim. I lost mine initially and had to dig through emails to find it when I needed to call about a payment delay. Also, don't panic if your first PFL payment takes a little longer than expected - even with perfect timing, the first payment can sometimes take 2-3 weeks while they verify everything. But since you're being so proactive about applying before your disability ends, you should have minimal to no gap in payments. You're doing everything exactly right! It's clear you've done your research and are staying on top of all the details. Your baby is lucky to have such an organized mom handling all this benefits stuff!

I'm currently 8 months pregnant and this entire thread has been SO incredibly helpful for understanding the SDI to PFL transition! Reading through everyone's real experiences is way more valuable than the confusing official EDD information. I've been taking notes on all the tips shared here - especially about applying for PFL 5-9 days before disability ends, having documents ready (birth certificate/hospital papers), and writing down the new PFL claim number. One question I haven't seen addressed - for those who had C-section extensions like the original poster, did your employer give you any trouble about the extended leave time? I'm worried my HR department might not understand that medical extensions beyond the standard 8 weeks are legitimate and doctor-approved. Did anyone have to provide additional documentation to their employer, or does the EDD approval handle that part? Thank you all for creating such a supportive and informative discussion! As a FTM, navigating these benefits feels so overwhelming, but this community makes it feel totally doable.

As someone who went through this exact situation 8 months ago, I can confirm you've handled everything perfectly! Your doctor submitting the extension paperwork online and you updating your return-to-work date during certification are the two key steps. Just a heads up - even though your account shows "extension processing," keep an eye on your payment status over the next week or two. Sometimes there can be small delays while they update the system, but as long as you keep certifying when prompted, any delayed payments will be retroactive. For your PFL baby bonding transition, I'd recommend applying around May 5th (exactly one week before your new disability end date). Have your baby's birth certificate and ID ready to upload. The application will ask for your normal work schedule even though you're on leave - just enter what your schedule was before you went on disability. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple checklist: 1) Monitor SDI extension processing, 2) Apply for PFL on May 5th, 3) Save new PFL claim number, 4) Continue certifying for both claims as needed. Having it written down made the whole process feel much less overwhelming during those sleep-deprived newborn days! You're doing an amazing job navigating this system as a new parent. The fact that you're planning ahead shows you'll handle the transition smoothly!