Need Urgent Help! No OB/GYN at 35 weeks - How to get EDD Pregnancy Disability paperwork signed?

This is absolutely unacceptable medical practice - NO OB should refuse care to a woman at 35 weeks! She needs to call her insurance company IMMEDIATELY and explain the situation. They should be able to intervene and either force the original doctor to take her back or find her emergency placement somewhere. This is potentially dangerous. As for the EDD forms - once she has a doctor (which she needs ASAP regardless), they can sign her Pregnancy Disability claim forms even if they've only seen her recently. The doctor just needs to verify her pregnancy status and expected delivery date. But first priority is getting proper medical care!

omg this happend to my cousin last year!!! she went to the emergency room cause she was having contractions n they admitted her. the hospital ob ended up becoming her doctor and signed all her paperwork. tell ur friend to try the ER if she has ANY pregnancy symptoms at all

I went through something similar during my pregnancy last year, though at 28 weeks not 35. Here's what your friend needs to do: 1. Call her health insurance PATIENT ADVOCATE line (not just customer service). Explain this is an urgent care gap situation. 2. If that doesn't work, contact her county's maternal health services - many have emergency OB placement programs. 3. For the EDD paperwork specifically, she has options. Once she gets a doctor (which she WILL), they can backdate the disability start date. Also, if she ends up delivering before resolving this, the hospital doctors can complete her disability paperwork. The key with EDD PFL is documentation. She should start a paper trail now - emails to doctors, insurance, etc. This will help if there are delays with her claim processing. Don't panic! This is solvable!

This makes me so mad! I work in healthcare (not a doctor) and this kind of thing happens ALL THE TIME. Doctors dropping patients, refusing care... it's disgusting. Your friend should file a complaint with the medical board too, both doctors are behaving unethically. At 35 weeks they're basically abandoning a patient in need. For the disability forms - once she finally gets a doctor (and she will), they can sign based on her medical records from previous care. She should request all her records ASAP from the first doctor if she hasn't already.

I had a somewhat similar issue when pregnant in 2024. Could your friend try an urgent care clinic that has OB services? Some of the larger ones have relationships with hospitals and OBs and might be able to refer her quickly. They can sometimes handle initial paperwork too. Also, if your friend is planning to submit a Paid Family Leave claim after the baby is born for bonding time, that paperwork is separate from the pregnancy disability claim. The disability part is trickier without a doctor, but PFL for baby bonding just requires birth documentation later.

If she's trying to reach EDD to ask about her specific situation, good luck getting through on those phone lines! I spent WEEKS trying to reach someone about my pregnancy disability claim last year. Kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to an EDD rep in about 15 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5. Definitely worth it because the rep was able to tell me exactly what documentation I needed for my unusual situation. Your friend might want to use this service to get specific advice for her case.

Medical professional here. This situation is unfortunately all too common. Your friend has several options: 1. Go to Labor & Delivery at her chosen hospital and explain the situation. They often have on-call OBs who can take emergency patients. 2. Contact her county medical society for emergency referrals. 3. For EDD specifically: If she gets into care within the next week, the new doctor can complete her DE2501 form even if they've only seen her briefly. They'll use her previous medical records to establish pregnancy timeline. 4. Worst case scenario: If she goes into labor without resolving this, the hospital delivering physician can complete her disability paperwork retroactively. The disability benefits can be backdated if there's a legitimate reason for delayed filing. She should document all her attempts to find care - this counts as "good cause" for EDD purposes if her claim is delayed.

Update: My friend found a solution! Sharing in case anyone else faces this nightmare. The hospital where she's registered to deliver has an OB triage clinic that agreed to see her for an emergency visit. That doctor is going to continue her care AND complete her disability paperwork. The hospital actually said this happens fairly often! For anyone dealing with EDD forms without consistent prenatal care - the key was finding a doctor willing to review her previous records and then take over her care, even this late in pregnancy. The doctor said as long as they examine her once before completing the DE2501 form, they can certify her disability. Thank you all for the helpful advice through this stressful situation!

This is such a relief to hear! I'm so glad your friend found a solution through the hospital's OB triage clinic. It's really valuable that you shared this outcome - I had no idea hospitals had these emergency OB services for situations like this. For anyone else who might face this situation in the future, it sounds like the key steps are: 1) Contact the hospital where you plan to deliver and ask about OB triage or emergency obstetric services, 2) Have all your previous medical records ready to transfer, and 3) Don't panic about the EDD paperwork - as long as you get a doctor who can examine you and review your records, they can complete the disability forms even if they haven't been your regular OB. Your friend went through a really stressful situation that no pregnant woman should have to deal with, but I'm glad it worked out and she'll be able to get her benefits sorted out!

Wow, what a rollercoaster situation! I'm so relieved to read in the later comments that your friend found a solution through the hospital's OB triage clinic. As someone new to navigating California's disability benefits system, this entire thread has been incredibly educational. I had no idea that hospitals often have emergency OB services for exactly these situations, or that EDD disability benefits can be backdated for legitimate reasons like this. The advice about contacting patient advocate lines instead of regular customer service, and the tip about county maternal health services, are things I'm definitely filing away for future reference. It's honestly shocking that two different OB practices would leave a woman at 35 weeks without care - that seems both unethical and potentially dangerous. But I'm impressed by how this community rallied with practical solutions and specific resources. The information about how the DE2501 form can be completed by a new doctor who reviews previous records is particularly valuable for anyone facing similar transitions in care. Thanks for sharing this experience and the resolution - it's a great example of how these benefit situations that seem impossible often do have solutions, you just need to know where to look and who to call!