When to apply for PFL baby bonding before maternity/disability leave ends?
I'm currently on maternity leave (pregnancy disability) which will end in about 3 weeks. I want to take baby bonding time right after, but I'm confused about the timing. Do I need to file for PFL baby bonding BEFORE my pregnancy disability ends? Or should I wait until it's completely finished? I'm worried about a gap between benefits and don't want to mess this up. My HR dept wasn't very helpful - just gave me a bunch of forms without explaining the process. Does anyone know the correct timeline for transitioning from disability to baby bonding?
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Chris King
You should definitely apply for baby bonding PFL BEFORE your pregnancy disability ends! I recommend filing at least 1-2 weeks before your disability claim ends to avoid any gap in payments. The transition can sometimes take time to process, and you don't want to be caught without income while waiting for approval. The form you need is DE2508, which you can file online through your SDI account. Make sure you have your doctor's certification for the end date of your recovery period from childbirth.
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Amelia Cartwright
•Thank you!! That's exactly what I needed to know. I'll start the PFL application this weekend to make sure there's plenty of time. Do you know if I need any new medical documents for the baby bonding part? Or just the birth certificate?
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Rachel Clark
congrats on ur baby!! i waited til my disability ended and had 3 weeks with no $$ coming in 😠def apply early!!
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Amelia Cartwright
•Oh no! That's exactly what I'm afraid of. Thanks for the warning!
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Zachary Hughes
Here's the step-by-step process: 1. Apply for PFL baby bonding about 1-2 weeks before your disability ends 2. You'll need your child's birth certificate (or proof of placement for adoption/foster) 3. You don't need medical documents for baby bonding - it's not about your recovery anymore 4. You can apply through your SDI Online account - same place you filed disability 5. The system will automatically know you're transitioning from disability 6. Make sure your last day of disability and first day of PFL don't overlap I've helped dozens of new parents with this transition! The system works pretty well when you time it right, but it's VERY important to apply before your disability ends.
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Mia Alvarez
•I disagree!!! I applied early like everyone says and my claims overlapped and it was a NIGHTMARE. EDD flagged it as potential fraud and froze BOTH claims for investigation. Took 6 weeks to sort out. Better to wait until disability is officially over in my experience.
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Zachary Hughes
•That's definitely not typical. While you shouldn't have the claims actually overlap in dates (your PFL start date should be the day after disability ends), you absolutely should APPLY before disability ends. The system is designed to handle these transitions. What likely happened in your case was an error in how the dates were entered.
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Rachel Clark
•i had same problem!! found out later my doctor put wrong end date on form. always double check ALL the dates!
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Carter Holmes
Has anyone else had the payment amounts change significantly when switching from disability to PFL? My disability checks were around $1,275/week but when I switched to baby bonding they dropped to $1,050/week without explanation. I called EDD like 20 times trying to figure it out but kept getting disconnected!
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Sophia Long
•I had this exact problem last month! The payment amounts should actually be identical since they're both calculated at the same rate (approximately 60-70% of your wages). I kept calling EDD and couldn't get through until I found Claimyr.com - they connected me with an EDD agent in about 15 minutes. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5 Turns out they had calculated my PFL on an older quarter's wages. The agent fixed it and I got back pay for the difference. Definitely worth checking if your payment dropped!
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Carter Holmes
•THANK YOU!!! Going to try this right now. Been so frustrated trying to get through to someone!
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Angelica Smith
My baby is 5 months now and Im just realizing I never applied for bonding time after my disability ended I didn't know I could get both?? Is it too late to apply now??
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Chris King
•You have up to 12 months from your child's birth (or placement) to claim your baby bonding PFL benefits. So it's not too late! You can still apply for your 8 weeks of paid family leave. Just make sure you include your child's birth certificate when you apply through your SDI Online account.
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Angelica Smith
•Omg really?? That's amazing thank you so much!!
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Mia Alvarez
I know this is a slightly different topic, but I'm due in 3 weeks and still haven't received my pregnancy disability approval. I applied 4 weeks ago. Should I just wait or apply for baby bonding anyway assuming the disability will eventually be approved? This whole system is SO CONFUSING.
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Zachary Hughes
•Don't apply for baby bonding yet if your disability hasn't been approved. Focus on following up on your disability claim first. They're processed sequentially - disability for recovery from childbirth, then PFL for baby bonding. Call EDD to check on the status of your disability claim. Once that's approved and you've received benefits, then worry about the baby bonding transition.
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Chris King
One important thing to remember: make sure your employer knows your plans as well! California law requires you to give your employer reasonable notice before taking PFL baby bonding leave. While technically you can apply for PFL without telling your employer, it's better to keep them in the loop to protect your job rights under CFRA/FMLA.
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Amelia Cartwright
•Good point! I did tell my manager, but I should probably email HR again with the specific dates. I don't want any issues with job protection.
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Amelia Cartwright
Thank you all for the helpful advice! I'm going to apply for PFL baby bonding this weekend (about 2 weeks before my disability ends). I'll double-check all the dates to make sure there's no overlap but also no gap. And I'll make sure to formally notify HR in writing about my plans. This has been so much more helpful than what I got from my company!
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Nora Bennett
Just wanted to add my experience as another data point! I applied for PFL baby bonding exactly 10 days before my disability ended and it worked perfectly - no gap in payments at all. The key things that helped me were: 1) Making sure my disability end date matched what my doctor had certified, 2) Setting my PFL start date for the day immediately after disability ended, and 3) Having my baby's birth certificate ready to upload. The whole application took maybe 20 minutes online. Don't stress too much about the timing - the system really is designed to handle these transitions smoothly when you follow the basic steps everyone mentioned above!
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FireflyDreams
•This is so reassuring to hear! I'm a first-time mom and was really anxious about messing up the timing between benefits. Your 10-day timeline sounds perfect - gives enough processing time without risking overlap issues. Did you get any confirmation that your PFL was approved before your disability ended, or did you just have to trust the system would work? I'm planning to apply this weekend but still feeling nervous about the whole process!
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