Switching from injury disability to maternity leave at 36 weeks - need new EDD claim?

You DO need to file a new claim for pregnancy disability (SDI), even though you're currently on disability for your fracture. They are considered separate qualifying events. Your doctor needs to complete a DE2501 form specifically for the pregnancy disability. Make sure they note your pregnancy as the medical condition, not your fracture. Your benefit amount should stay roughly the same if your earnings haven't changed significantly since your original claim.

had same situation last yr. broke my wrist then got pregnant. u need new claim. different medical condition = different claim. just make sure ur doc puts the right dates!!

This is EXACTLY why the EDD system is so frustrating! They make everything unnecessarily complicated. You'd think they could just update your existing claim but nooooo, you have to start the whole bureaucratic process over again. New paperwork, new waiting period, new headaches. I went through this last year and it was a nightmare trying to get my maternity benefits started after a different disability claim.

When I had to switch from disability to pregnant disability last year, I couldn't get through on the phone for THREE DAYS to ask questions about filing the new claim. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got connected to an EDD agent in less than 20 minutes! They helped me figure out how to correctly file the pregnancy claim while having an active injury claim. Seriously saved me so much stress. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5

Let me clarify a few key points about transitioning from regular SDI to pregnancy disability: 1. You need to file a new claim with a DE2501 form specifically for pregnancy disability 2. Your existing claim for your fracture will be closed when the new one begins 3. There's no waiting period for the pregnancy claim since you've already served a waiting period on your current disability claim this benefit year 4. Your benefit amount calculation will be based on the same base period as your original claim 5. When your pregnancy disability ends, you'll need to file a separate PFL claim for baby bonding after delivery I recommend contacting your doctor ASAP to get the DE2501 completed and submitted. You want to avoid any gap in benefits between claims.

I switched from regular disability to pregnancy disability then had a C-section and switched to paid family leave last year... everything was SUPER confusing but it is normal to have to file new claims. I think it makes sense when you consider that everything gets coded differently for insurance/medical purposes. One tip - keep really good notes about who you talk to at EDD and when... I needed those records later when there was confusion about my dates.

when i was pregnant last year i had 3 different claims: first for pregnancy disability before birth, another for recovery after birth, and then the baby bonding one. so confusing!!! my husband kept saying "but it's all related to having the baby why do you need different claims??" lol he doesn't understand how this stuff works

One thing I want to emphasize: Make sure there are no gaps in your medical certification. Your doctor needs to certify that your pregnancy disability begins immediately when your fracture disability ends. The start date for pregnancy disability should be the day after your fracture disability ends. Otherwise, you could face a gap in payments. Also, be prepared to follow up with EDD by phone if your new claim isn't processed quickly. The system sometimes gets confused when transitioning between claims.

By the way, when you do the baby bonding PFL claim after delivery, it'll be yet another separate claim with a different form (DE2508). Just mentioning this so you're prepared for the next step after pregnancy disability. The whole system is like a relay race where you pass the baton from one type of claim to another!

Just to confirm what others have said - this is completely normal and happens all the time. When your pregnancy disability claim is approved, your fracture claim will automatically close. The good news is that since you've already served a waiting period this benefit year, you won't have another 7-day unpaid waiting period for the pregnancy disability claim. Also, your benefit calculation should remain the same since it's based on your base period wages from before your first claim.

I'm currently in a similar situation - on disability for a back injury and just found out I'm pregnant (20 weeks). Reading through everyone's responses has been incredibly helpful! I'm definitely going to start preparing the paperwork early based on all the advice here. One question though - if my current disability claim runs out before I need to start pregnancy leave, do I still need to file a new claim or can there be a gap between them?