Identity verification for EDD maternity leave stalling my payments - typical wait times?

When I had to verify my identity for pregnancy disability last year, it took them about 12-14 days from when I mailed the documents. But that was for regular mail - if you sent it priority or certified, it might be faster. The key thing is to make sure you included your EDD Customer Account Number on every document you sent. Did you do that? If not, it could take longer as they have to manually match your documents to your claim.

Oh no, I don't think I wrote my account number on the copies themselves, just included it in the cover letter I sent. Do you think that will delay things even more? I'm kicking myself now.

I went thru this exact thing in January!!! They made me verify my identity becuz my married name was on the claim but some of my work history was under my maiden name. It took FOREVER - like almost 4 weeks from when I mailed everything until I got paid. And they didnt tell me anything the whole time! I was 8 months pregnant calling everyday freaking out about money. The system is literally broken!! And then they wonder why pregnant women are stressed out!!!!

Same!! The worst part is they don't even acknowledge they received your documents. You're just left wondering if they got lost in the mail or something.

The identity verification process for SDI claims (including pregnancy disability) typically takes 10-14 business days from receipt of your documents. However, there are a few things that can help or hinder the process:\n\n1. Make sure you sent exactly what they requested - sometimes they want specific documents and will reject others\n2. If they requested your Social Security card and you sent something else as ID, that could delay things\n3. The utility bill needs to be recent (within 90 days)\n\nAs for transitioning to PFL baby bonding after birth, your identity verification should carry over, so you wouldn't need to verify again. But you'll still need to file the separate PFL claim after childbirth.\n\nOne important tip: When your baby is born, file your PFL claim immediately, even while still on SDI. You can mark the future start date for when your SDI ends. This helps prevent gaps in payment between programs.

Thank you for the detailed information! I sent my driver's license, recent utility bill, and a bank statement from last month. They didn't specifically ask for my SS card, so hopefully those documents will be sufficient. Good to know about filing PFL early - I was planning to wait until after delivery, but I'll do it right away instead.

my sister had this problem too. she waited like 3 weeks and nothing happened. she finally got through to someone on the phone and turns out they never even got her documents in the mail! she had to start all over again and ended up faxing everything instead which was way faster. maybe try that?

That's so frustrating! I didn't even think about faxing as an option. Do you know if your sister just faxed to the general EDD number or if there's a specific fax for identity verification?

I got tired of waiting for EDD to process my identity verification for my maternity benefits and found a service called Claimyr that got me connected to an actual EDD representative in about 20 minutes instead of spending hours on hold. The agent was able to see that my documents had been received but were sitting in a queue. They escalated my claim since I was 39 weeks and at risk of missing payments during delivery. Worth checking out their demo video: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5 or website claimyr.com if you're desperate to talk to someone. Definitely better than constantly getting disconnected or waiting for weeks with no updates.

Does this actually work? I've been trying to reach EDD for WEEKS about my maternity leave payments. Their phone system is a nightmare! Has anyone else used this service?

i had my baby 2 months ago and dealt with this exact problem! what worked for me was sending everything AGAIN but this time through certified mail so i could track it. also i included a cover letter explaining it was my second attempt and i was about to give birth. somehow that lit a fire under them and i got paid 3 days later lol. might be worth trying if youre getting close to your due date!

That's smart! I think I'll send everything again tomorrow with certified mail. Honestly, I'm willing to try anything at this point. My due date is in 2 weeks but my doctor thinks it might be sooner.

One thing I wish someone had told me during my pregnancy disability claim: take screenshots of EVERYTHING. Every confirmation page, every status update, every letter you receive. The EDD system sometimes

That's a great tip about taking screenshots! I'll start doing that immediately. And it's good to know about the lump sum payment - that would actually be really helpful right now. Fingers crossed it comes through soon!

The worst thing about the whole identity verification thing is that they dont even tell you when they get your documents!!! I literally mailed mine THREE TIMES because I didn't know if they were received. Such a waste of time and stress when youre already dealing with being super pregnant!!! The whole system needs to be rebuilt from scratch!!

totally agree! my friend had to drive to an edd office in person (2 hours away!) when she was 9 months pregnant just to get someone to look at her file. ridiculous!

Just to follow up on your question about the SDI to PFL transition: It's important to understand that these are two separate programs with separate claims, even though they're both administered by EDD.\n\nFor your current pregnancy disability (SDI):\n- Identity verification usually takes 10-14 business days if all documents are correct\n- Once verified, payments are typically processed within 48 hours\n- Your doctor certified a specific disability period (usually 4 weeks before due date and 6-8 weeks after birth)\n\nFor baby bonding (PFL) after birth:\n- You'll need to file a new claim using form DE2508\n- Your identity verification should carry over, so that process won't repeat\n- PFL provides 8 weeks of benefits that can be used within 12 months of birth\n- Your weekly benefit amount will be the same as your SDI amount\n\nIf you're approaching delivery and still haven't received payment, you should request an expedited review of your claim due to financial hardship.

Thank you for explaining the difference between the programs so clearly! If I don't hear anything by the end of this week, I'll definitely request an expedited review. My doctor certified me for 4 weeks before birth and 8 weeks after (it's a planned c-section), so I'm hoping to get this sorted before delivery. I've already downloaded the DE2508 form so I can submit for PFL immediately after birth.

I used that Claimyr service that someone mentioned above when I was dealing with identity verification for my maternity leave. It actually did connect me with an EDD rep in about 15 minutes after spending literal DAYS trying to get through on my own. The rep told me my documents had been received but were sitting in a backlog. She couldn't process them immediately but did add a note to my file about financial hardship. My payments started about 4 days later. Worth considering if you're getting desperate!

That's really good to know, thank you! I might try that tomorrow if I still can't get through on the regular number. At this point, I just need to talk to someone who can tell me what's happening with my claim.