Transitioning from pregnancy disability to PFL - should I apply today or tomorrow?
Hi everyone! I'm a bit confused about the timing for submitting my baby bonding claim. My pregnancy disability benefits officially end today, and I'm wondering if I should submit my PFL application today or wait until tomorrow when my disability coverage has actually ended? I don't want to mess up the transition or create any gap in benefits. Has anyone gone through this recently? The EDD website isn't super clear about this specific timing question. Would really appreciate any advice!!
14 comments
Join the conversation
Luca Ferrari
submit it today! i waited til the day after & ended up with a 3-day gap in my payments. so annoying!!
0 coins
Zara Khan
•Oh no! That's exactly what I'm worried about. Did they ever explain why that happened? Did you have to do anything special to fix it?
0 coins
Nia Davis
You should submit your PFL baby bonding claim the same day your disability claim ends (so today). This ensures a smooth transition between benefits. When submitting, make sure to use the DE2508 form and indicate your disability end date as today's date. This way, your PFL benefits should start tomorrow without any gap in payments. I went through this transition in January and had no issues with the timing.
0 coins
Mateo Martinez
•I did the same thing and it worked perfectly! Also make sure all your doctor information is correct on the form or they might send it back which causes delays
0 coins
QuantumQueen
Definitely go ahead and apply today. I work in HR and deal with this all the time. Submit your claim on the same day your disability ends. The system is actually set up to handle it this way - there's no overlap because disability ends at 11:59pm today and PFL would start at 12:00am tomorrow. Also, FYI - your first PFL payment might take 10-14 days to process, so plan finances accordingly.
0 coins
Zara Khan
•Thank you so much for the detailed explanation! That makes perfect sense with the timing. I'll submit it today for sure. Good to know about the potential delay for the first payment too - I hadn't thought about that.
0 coins
Aisha Rahman
I WOULD NOT WAIT!!! The EDD system is a MESS right now. My disability ended on Feb 10 2025 and I waited until the 11th to file my baby bonding claim. BIG MISTAKE. They took 6 WEEKS to process my claim and I almost got evicted because I couldn't pay rent. The phone lines are impossible - I tried calling 47 times in one day and never got through. Apply TODAY.
0 coins
Ethan Wilson
•Same experience here. The system is overloaded since they implemented that new online portal. If you're having trouble reaching someone at EDD about your claim, I highly recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They got me connected to a live agent in about 20 minutes when I was dealing with my transition issues. Saved me hours of redial frustration! They have a demo video showing how it works too: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5
0 coins
Yuki Sato
My obgyn told me that there's actually a built-in 7-day waiting period between disability and PFL that you don't get paid for anyway. So it doesn't actually matter if you apply today or tomorrow. Has anyone else heard this? I'm so confused because when I transitioned in November the waiting period definitely wasn't there.
0 coins
QuantumQueen
•That information is incorrect. The 7-day waiting period only applies to disability claims (SDI), not to PFL baby bonding claims. For pregnancy-related claims transitioning to baby bonding, there is no waiting period between the two benefit types as long as you file promptly. Your OB might be thinking of the initial disability waiting period that you already served at the beginning of your pregnancy disability claim.
0 coins
Mateo Martinez
I had my baby in March and just wanted to say congrats!!! The transition was confusing for me too but it all worked out. Apply today and enjoy your baby snuggles! They grow so fast... my little one is already trying to crawl and it feels like I just brought her home yesterday.
0 coins
Zara Khan
•Thank you! ❤️ I'm definitely treasuring every moment with the little one. It's hard to believe how fast time flies. Did your PFL payments come through smoothly after you applied?
0 coins
Nia Davis
One more thing - make sure you've already set up your SDI Online account before applying for PFL. If you've been receiving disability, you should already have this set up. When you log in, you'll see an option to file a PFL claim. It's much faster than paper applications. And yes, apply today for the smoothest transition.
0 coins
Zara Khan
•Thanks for the reminder! Yes, I've been using my SDI Online account for my disability claims. I'll log in there today and submit everything. Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly!
0 coins