Transitioning from EDD Disability to PFL baby bonding - which pays more?

They actually pay the same rate - both PFL baby bonding and pregnancy disability (SDI) pay 60-70% of your wages, depending on your income level. If you were getting $1,275/week on disability, you should get the same amount for baby bonding. As for the transition, it doesn't happen automatically. You need to file a separate claim for PFL using the DE2508 form. But you don't need to "stop" disability - it should end based on your doctor's certification. The real issue is that you need to file the PFL claim, ideally before your disability ends to avoid gaps in payment.

omg same thing happened to me in january!!! the disability and baby bonding r the same amount dont worry. but u HAVE to call them to fix the transition its a nightmare. took me like 2 weeks of calling

You don't need to stop disability - it ends automatically based on your doctor's certification (usually 6-8 weeks postpartum depending on delivery type). BUT you do need to submit the PFL claim form (DE2508) for baby bonding separately. The system doesn't automatically transition you. For your payment question: Pregnancy Disability (SDI) and Paid Family Leave (PFL) both pay the exact same rate - 60-70% of your wages depending on your income. If you were receiving $1,275 weekly for disability, you'll get the same for baby bonding. The issue is likely that your disability claim is still active and overlapping with your PFL claim. You need to speak with an EDD representative to sort this out, or you might end up with a gap between benefits.

Honestly the whole system is GARBAGE. I spent 9 days trying to reach someone about this exact issue last year. EDD is deliberately understaffed to save money and they don't care that new mothers are stuck in limbo with no income. Your PFL claim is probably sitting in a pile waiting for someone to manually connect it to your SDI claim. And those 2 weeks of disability? Good luck ever seeing that money without fighting for months!!! The pay IS the same rate for both, so that's the ONE thing you don't need to worry about. But getting those payments to actually start? NIGHTMARE.

I was in this exact situation in March and finally got through to EDD using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's a service that basically calls EDD for you and connects you when they get through. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5 Totally worth it because the EDD rep was able to fix my transition issue in about 10 minutes once I actually talked to someone. They saw both my claims in the system and manually linked them together. My baby bonding payments started the next week. The rep also confirmed both disability and PFL pay the exact same rate (for me it was 65% of my salary).

To answer your original question more clearly: 1. You don't technically "stop" disability - your doctor certified you for a specific period, and it ends on that date. 2. You need to file for PFL baby bonding separately with form DE2508 (sounds like you already did this). 3. The problem is that the two systems don't talk to each other well, and sometimes claims get stuck in processing during transition. 4. Both benefits pay the same rate (60-70% of your wages). Your $1,275/week should remain the same for baby bonding. 5. Those 2 weeks of disability pay should still come through eventually, but the transition to PFL is the priority now. Unfortunately, calling is really the only way to resolve transition issues. The online system doesn't have a way to handle these complications.

btw when u do reach them make sure u ask them to backdate your baby bonding to start the day after your disability ended! otherwise youll have a gap with no pay and its super hard to fix later

I don't understand why they make this so complicated. My cousin in New York just had a baby and their whole process was automatic - disability rolled right into family leave with no gap. California's supposed to be progressive but the systems are stuck in 1995

Quick update on your question about which pays more - to be super clear, both SDI (disability) and PFL (baby bonding) use the exact same calculation: - If you earn less than 1/3 of the state average quarterly wage, you get 70% of your wages - If you earn more than 1/3 of the state average quarterly wage, you get 60% of your wages So there is absolutely no financial benefit to staying on disability versus moving to PFL. The priority should be making sure there's no gap between the two benefits, which unfortunately requires speaking with an EDD representative.

I went through this exact same nightmare 6 months ago! Here's what finally worked for me: Call EDD at 8am SHARP when they open (1-800-480-3287). Don't hang up even if you get the busy message - keep hitting redial. I literally called 47 times one morning before getting through. When you do reach someone, have both your SDI claim number and your PFL claim number ready. Tell them you need to "coordinate the transition between disability and family leave claims" - use those exact words because it triggers them to look at both claims together. The rep will be able to see that your disability should have ended and your PFL should have started, and they can manually process the transition. Mine was fixed within 24 hours after that call. Also, definitely ask them to backdate your PFL start date so there's no gap in payments. And yes, both pay the exact same amount - I was getting $1,180/week on both disability and baby bonding. Hang in there! The system is broken but once you get a human on the phone, they can actually fix it pretty quickly.