Transitioning from SDI to PFL for baby bonding - automatic or new application?

You need to file a new PFL claim! The transition from pregnancy disability to baby bonding is NOT automatic. You'll need to complete form DE2508 (Claim for Paid Family Leave Benefits). You can do this online through your SDI Online account - there should be an option to file a new claim for PFL. Do it ASAP as there's processing time involved.

U have to apply for it separately. i went thru this last yr and was confusd too. its stupid they dont tell u this stuff clearly! click on new claim in ur SDI account.

You definitely need to file a separate claim for PFL baby bonding. I just went through this transition in December. Here's what to do: 1. Log into your SDI Online account 2. Select "New Claim" 3. Choose "Paid Family Leave" 4. Select "Bonding with new child" 5. You'll need your baby's birth certificate info It took them about 10 days to process my PFL claim after my disability ended. There was a small gap between payments but not terrible. Make sure you have your doctor complete the bonding certification (they'll mail this to you after you apply).

I spent 3 days trying to reach EDD about this exact same issue last month. Kept getting disconnected after waiting on hold for hours. Finally used a service called Claimyr that got me connected to an EDD agent in about 20 minutes (https://claimyr.com). They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5 The agent confirmed that yes, you need to file a separate claim for PFL baby bonding even though you were just on pregnancy disability. She also helped me understand when to file to minimize the gap between benefits. Totally worth it after days of frustration trying to get through.

when i had my baby i thought the same thing! my doctor actually told me wrong info about it automatically switching over. then i had no money for like 2 weeks waiting for the new claim to process. make sure u apply for pfl asap!!

I literally just went through this in December! One thing nobody mentioned yet - if your SDI claim just ended yesterday but you already had your baby earlier, you can backdate your PFL claim to start immediately after your SDI ended. This prevents a gap in payments. Just make sure you specify the correct start date when you file the new claim. Also, I found it was much easier to do everything online through the SDI Online portal than to try calling. The EDD website is surprisingly straightforward for this process once you find the right section.

One more important thing - when you file for PFL baby bonding, you'll need to provide your baby's birth certificate information. If you don't have the official birth certificate yet, you can use the hospital documentation temporarily, but be prepared to submit the official one when it arrives. Also, EDD might mail you a form for your doctor to confirm the bonding is legitimate (weird, I know). Don't ignore this form or your benefits could be delayed.

i got so confused with my pfl and disability claims too!! the worst is when u call and get differnt answers from everyone at edd. i wish they just sent us a letter explaining whats next!!

Quick update on timeline expectations: For my PFL baby bonding claim after pregnancy disability, it took: - 2 days for the claim to show up in the system after filing - 7 more days for them to review and approve it - 1 more day for payment to hit my account So about 10 days total from filing to payment. Much faster than I expected based on horror stories I'd heard. This was just last month, so hopefully your experience will be similar.

Hey Malik! I just went through this exact transition last month and wanted to share a few tips that really helped me: 1. File your PFL claim online TONIGHT if possible - don't wait until Monday. The sooner you get it in, the sooner they start processing. 2. When you're filling out the application, there's a section where you can specify your desired start date. Since your SDI ended 1/15/25, put that date as your PFL start date to avoid any gap. 3. Have your baby's info ready (birth date, hospital records, etc.) but don't stress if you don't have the official birth certificate yet - the hospital paperwork works fine initially. 4. After you submit, you should get a confirmation email with your new claim number. Screenshot it! You'll need it if you have to call later. My whole process took about 8 business days from filing to first payment, which was way better than I expected. The key is getting that application submitted ASAP. Good luck!

Just wanted to add my experience since I went through this transition in November! After my pregnancy disability ended, I was terrified about the gap in payments too. Here's what worked for me: I filed my PFL claim online at like 11 PM on a Sunday night (couldn't sleep anyway with the newborn!) and it was actually really straightforward. The whole application took maybe 15 minutes. Make sure you have your baby's birth info handy - I used the hospital discharge paperwork since I didn't have the official birth certificate yet. One thing that saved me stress - I called my bank ahead of time to let them know there might be a small delay between my SDI payments ending and PFL starting, just in case I needed to defer any automatic payments. Turned out I didn't need to, but it gave me peace of mind. Also, keep checking your SDI Online account every day after you file. You can track the status of your claim there, and it updates pretty quickly. Don't panic if it says "pending" for the first few days - that's totally normal. You've got this! The hardest part is just getting that initial application submitted. Once it's in the system, things move pretty smoothly.