PFL baby bonding approval timeline after SDI ends - worried about delays

Mine took exactly 10 calendar days to go from pending to paid status when I transitioned from SDI to PFL last month. The good news is that PFL baby bonding claims are typically processed faster than initial SDI claims because they already have most of your information in the system. As long as you filed the DE2508 form correctly and your employer responded promptly to their verification request, you should be fine. The EDD online account should update with an estimated payment date once it's approved.

congrats on the baby! i had to wait 3 whole weeks for my baby bonding to kick in after disability. no idea why it took so long, the online status just sat there saying "pending" forever. so frustrating!!

The standard processing time for PFL baby bonding claims is supposed to be 7-14 days, especially when transitioning directly from pregnancy disability. However, I've noticed a pattern where claims filed at the end/beginning of a month sometimes take longer due to EDD's payment processing cycles. A few tips that might help: 1. Make sure the last day of your SDI claim and first day of your PFL claim don't overlap at all 2. Check that your employer information matches exactly on both claims 3. Verify your identity documents are still valid in their system (they expire after 90 days) 4. If you haven't received communication by day 10, call them directly Also, don't forget you're entitled to 8 weeks of PFL baby bonding time that can be taken continuously or intermittently within the first 12 months of your child's birth.

Your return-to-work date on the DE2508 form should indeed be exactly 8 weeks from your PFL start date if you're taking continuous leave. You did it correctly. Just make sure your employer doesn't accidentally report a different return date, as mismatches can trigger manual reviews and delays.

omg i totally had this exact problem last year with my second baby!! my SDI took forever then my PFL got "lost" somehow and i had to refile everything which was a NIGHTMARE with a newborn and toddler. i still don't understand why they can't just automatically transition us from one benefit to the other since its all the same department!!!! anyway it took like 4 weeks before i saw any money from PFL. the systems are sooooo broken.

If you're really worried about delays, I'd recommend using Claimyr to get through to an EDD representative quickly. I was in the same situation last month - totally paranoid after my SDI nightmare! I tried calling EDD directly and gave up after being on hold for over an hour THREE DAYS IN A ROW. Then I found this service called Claimyr that got me connected to an EDD agent in about 15 minutes. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5 that shows how it works. The agent was able to check my claim status and confirm everything was on track, which gave me so much peace of mind. Worth it just to avoid the stress of wondering what's happening with your money!

I work in HR and process leave paperwork regularly. The delay is often related to employer verification. Your employer has 2 business days to respond to EDD's request for verification of your leave/employment status. If they drag their feet or submit incomplete info, it holds up your claim. Most EDD PFL baby bonding claims are processing in 7-14 days currently if there are no complications. If you're worried, reach out to your HR department and make sure they've received and responded to any EDD requests.

One important tip: If your claim takes longer than 14 days to process, call EDD immediately. In my experience, this usually means something is stuck or flagged in their system. The online portal won't tell you if there's a problem - you'll just see it sitting in "pending" status indefinitely. Better to be proactive than to wait and discover there was a fixable issue holding things up.

and don't forget they process payments like twice a month.. so even if approved, if u miss the payment window by a day, u wait another 2 weeks!! happened to me and no one told me that was even a thing!!! 🤦‍♀️

UPDATE: My claim was approved! It took 8 days total, which is way better than I expected after my SDI nightmare. The payment is already pending in my account too. Thanks everyone for the advice and reassurance! For anyone dealing with this transition in the future: make sure your dates don't overlap between claims, triple check your paperwork, and contact your HR department to ensure they respond quickly to EDD's verification requests.

That's such great news! 8 days is really reasonable, especially considering how stressful the whole process can be. Your update will definitely help other parents going through the same transition. It's so important to share these success stories since we mostly hear about the horror stories online. Congratulations on your new baby and enjoy your bonding leave! 🍼✨