Splitting PFL baby bonding weeks - need to reapply each time husband takes leave?

You don't need to file a completely new claim for each segment of PFL baby bonding! Once you've established the initial claim, your husband just needs to file a 'continued claim' form for each subsequent period. He'll need to contact EDD about 2 weeks before he plans to start the October segment to let them know the exact dates. They'll send a form (or sometimes you can do it online) where he'll indicate the start/end dates of that segment. Same process for the holiday segment. Just make sure he connects each one to his original claim number. Also remember that all baby bonding time must be used within 12 months of the child's birth!

We did the EXACT same thing when my daughter was born last year! My husband took 3 weeks initially then split the rest. Just call EDD and tell them the new dates - they'll either update the claim online or mail a form to fill out. Super easy! Just make sure u submit the new dates at least a week before he plans to take off again so theres no payment delay.

Be careful with this!!!! EDD's system is TERRIBLE at handling split baby bonding. My husband tried doing this earlier this year and they completely messed up his claim. He ended up waiting 6 weeks for payment on his second segment because they "lost" his continued claim form. And when he called, he'd wait on hold for hours only to get disconnected. Absolute nightmare. If I were you, I'd honestly consider just taking all 4 weeks together to avoid the headache.

idk if things changed but when my brother took pfl for his kid the edd rep told him each segment needed to be at least 1 week long. so you cant do like 2 days here, 3 days there. might want to double check on that rule

I had the WORST time trying to get through to EDD about my split bonding time. Spent literally 3 days calling repeatedly just to get disconnected or told to call back later. Finally someone told me about Claimyr.com - it's a service that basically calls EDD for you and then connects you once they get through to an agent. Totally saved my sanity! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5. Definitely worth it when you need to set up those additional bonding periods and don't have hours to waste on hold.

Just to add some technical details here: when filing for intermittent PFL baby bonding, each segment does require a separate "continued claim certification" but not a completely new application. The process should be: 1. Your husband already filed his initial DE2508 form for the first 4 weeks 2. For each subsequent period, contact EDD 2 weeks prior 3. They'll send a DE2508C (Continued Claim Certification) form specific to that time period 4. All baby bonding must be completed within 12 months of birth 5. Each segment must be at least 7 consecutive days unless employer agrees to smaller increments If EDD's website isn't showing the option to file for his continued claim segments online, he may need to call to request the paper form instead.

when my husband took pfl last year for our twins he just called them and told them he was coming back for 3 weeks between his leave chunks. they made a note on his claim and sent him a form to fill out for the second part. he got paid with no problems. probably just depends which edd person you get on the phone i guess?

good luck with edd lol theyre the worst

One more important thing - when your husband contacts EDD about his next segment, make sure he specifically mentions this is a "continued claim for baby bonding PFL" using his existing claim. Sometimes if you're not clear, they'll accidentally start processing a completely new claim, which can delay things. Also, there's no limit to how many segments he can split his remaining 4 weeks into (as long as each is at least one week), but there is extra paperwork and potential for delays with each split, so just be aware of that trade-off.

I went through this exact situation with my partner last year! Here's what worked for us: definitely call EDD about 2-3 weeks before each segment (not just 2 weeks - give yourself buffer time). When you call, have your original claim number ready and be super specific that this is a "continued claim for existing baby bonding PFL." I also recommend calling first thing in the morning (like 8:01 AM) - the wait times are usually shorter then. One tip that saved us headaches: after each call, ask the rep to email you a confirmation of what was discussed and the next steps. This helped when we had to call back and got a different person. The whole process was actually smoother than I expected once we figured out the right language to use with EDD. Good luck!

I'm currently going through this exact process right now! My husband took his first 4 weeks of PFL baby bonding when our son was born in February, and we just successfully got his second 2-week segment approved for next month. Here's what we learned: definitely call EDD at least 2-3 weeks before the next segment (I agree with the 8:01 AM timing tip - it really works!). The key phrase that got us through quickly was saying "I need to file a continued claim certification for my existing baby bonding PFL claim" and having the original claim number ready. They sent us the DE2508C form within a few days, and we got confirmation that it was processed correctly. One thing that helped us was keeping detailed notes of every conversation including the rep's name and what they told us. The whole process took about 10 business days from initial call to getting the form processed. Much less stressful than I expected based on some of the horror stories I'd heard!

As someone who's currently navigating this process myself, I can definitely echo what others have said about calling EDD ahead of time for each segment. My husband is planning to split his remaining PFL weeks too, and after reading through all these responses, I'm feeling much more prepared! The tip about using the specific phrase "continued claim certification for existing baby bonding PFL claim" seems like it could save a lot of confusion. I'm also planning to follow the advice about calling at 8:01 AM and keeping detailed notes with rep names. It's so helpful to see both the success stories and the warnings about potential issues - at least now I know what to watch out for. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences! This community is such a lifesaver for figuring out these complicated government processes.

Just wanted to add my recent experience since I see so many mixed stories here! My husband successfully split his PFL baby bonding into 3 segments this year (2 weeks initial, 1 week in spring, 1 week in summer). The key was being SUPER organized and proactive. We created a calendar marking exactly when to call EDD for each segment (3 weeks before each time), and I made a cheat sheet with all the important info: original claim number, exact dates needed, and that magic phrase everyone mentioned about "continued claim certification for existing baby bonding PFL claim." Each time we called at exactly 8:01 AM and got through within 20 minutes. The reps were actually pretty helpful once we used the right terminology. The forms came quickly and payments were on time for all segments. My advice: don't let the horror stories scare you off if splitting the leave works better for your family's needs. Just be prepared, organized, and persistent!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar situation - my partner took 3 weeks of PFL bonding when our baby was born in September, and we're planning to split the remaining 5 weeks between Thanksgiving and spring. Reading everyone's experiences, I'm definitely going to follow the advice about calling at 8:01 AM with that specific phrase "continued claim certification for existing baby bonding PFL claim" and keeping detailed notes. One question I haven't seen addressed - for those who successfully did multiple segments, did you ever run into issues if there were holidays or weekends during your planned leave periods? I'm wondering if that affects the processing time or payment schedule at all. Also, has anyone tried using the online portal for continued claims, or is calling always the better option? Thanks again everyone for sharing your real experiences - this is exactly the kind of practical info you can't find on the EDD website!

I'm currently preparing for a similar situation with my wife's PFL baby bonding leave! Our baby is due in January and we're already planning to split her 8 weeks - 4 weeks initially and then 2 weeks in spring and 2 weeks in summer. Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly valuable! I'm taking notes on the key strategies: calling at 8:01 AM, using the phrase "continued claim certification for existing baby bonding PFL claim," keeping detailed notes with rep names, and calling 2-3 weeks before each segment. One thing I'm curious about - for those who had success with multiple segments, did you find it helpful to mention all the planned future segments during your first call, or is it better to just focus on the immediate next segment each time you call? I want to be as prepared as possible since we're planning this split approach from the beginning rather than deciding to split after the first segment is already used.