Paid Family Leave approval timeline from ESD? 3 weeks and counting
Has anyone recently gone through the Paid Family Leave approval process with ESD? I submitted all my paperwork 3 weeks ago and my claim is still showing 'decision pending' in the system. Getting a little anxious since bills are coming due soon. I did receive my US Bank ReliaCard in the mail yesterday - does that mean anything good, or do they just send those out automatically? Do they notify you by email when you're approved or should I be checking the portal daily? This waiting game is stressful!
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Fidel Carson
The ReliaCard arriving is actually a good sign! They typically don't send those until your claim is moving through the system. When I applied for PFL last year, my approval came about a week after receiving the card. You should get an email notification when they make a decision, but I'd still check the portal every couple days. The email notifications can sometimes end up in spam.
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Ana Rusula
•That's really reassuring, thanks! I'll keep an eye on both my email and the portal then. Did your benefit payments start automatically after approval or did you have to do anything else?
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Isaiah Sanders
Took me 5 weeks to get approved for paid leave back in February. system is slow AF
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Xan Dae
•PFL and UI are handled by different departments within ESD, so the timeline for Paid Family Leave can be quite different from regular unemployment. While UI claims typically have a 3-week processing target, PFL applications can take 4-6 weeks even when everything is submitted correctly. The card arrival is promising though - they don't usually issue those until your claim has passed initial verification steps.
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Fiona Gallagher
My sister just went thru this last month for her maternity leave and ESD never sent her an email! She just happened to log in one day and saw it was approved. Check your account regularly!! Also did ur employer confirm ur leave info? That's usually what takes the longest
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Ana Rusula
•Thanks for the heads up! I'll definitely keep checking the portal. My employer submitted their portion right away - they have a dedicated HR person who handles all the leave requests and she confirmed everything was sent in. It's probably just the normal processing delay but the uncertainty is killing me.
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Thais Soares
I've been dealing with ESD for both regular unemployment and family leave over the past few years, and I can tell you that getting through to an actual person can make all the difference. If you're really anxious about your claim status, I'd recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent. I was in adjudication limbo for weeks until I used their service to get a callback from ESD. The agent was able to tell me exactly what was holding things up and resolved it on the spot. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3
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Ana Rusula
•I've never heard of this service before. Did you have to pay for it? I'm already stressed about money while waiting for benefits, but I guess if it helps get my claim approved faster it might be worth it.
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Thais Soares
•Yes, there is a fee, but for me it was worth it to get answers immediately rather than spending hours redialing. The peace of mind alone was valuable, plus they got my claim unstuck. But I understand being careful with money right now - maybe give it another week before trying this route.
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Nalani Liu
THEY MAKE EVERYONE WAIT ON PURPOSE!!! i waited 7 weeks last year and then they denied me because of some stupid technicality that nobody ever explained to me. then i had to appeal and wait ANOTHER 5 weeks. the whole system is designed to make people give up. keep calling them every single day until someone answers!!
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Fidel Carson
•I'm sorry you had that experience, but I don't think they deliberately delay claims. The PFL program is still relatively new and they're handling a huge volume of applications. Most denials happen because of missing documentation or eligibility issues - did you ever find out what the specific reason was for your denial?
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Axel Bourke
To clarify some information about the Paid Family & Medical Leave program through ESD: 1. Average processing time is currently 3-5 weeks for complete applications 2. The ReliaCard is sent automatically once your identity is verified, not necessarily indicating approval 3. Notifications are sent via your preferred contact method selected during application (email or physical mail) 4. You should receive a formal determination letter with appeal rights 5. If approved, payments typically begin 1-2 weeks after approval If your application has been pending for more than 5 weeks, I'd recommend reaching out to the PFL customer service line at 833-717-2273. They have separate staff from regular unemployment and can often provide status updates.
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Ana Rusula
•Thank you for this detailed information! I selected email as my contact method, so I'll make sure to check my spam folder too. I guess I'll give it another week before I start making calls. Hopefully it won't come to that.
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Xan Dae
Just an update for anyone finding this thread later - I just checked my portal and my PFL claim was approved! Took exactly 24 days from submission to approval. The status changed from 'pending decision' to 'approved' with no email notification, so definitely check your portal regularly!
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Ana Rusula
•Wait, are you me? I'm the original poster and I haven't been approved yet... did you mean to post this somewhere else? Or are you saying you had a similar timeline recently?
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Xan Dae
•Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! I meant to post this on a different thread where I had commented about my own PFL claim. But hey, if mine took 24 days and was just approved, hopefully yours will be soon too! Sorry for the confusion.
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Abigail bergen
I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Applied for PFL about 2.5 weeks ago and still stuck on "decision pending." It's so nerve-wracking when you're counting on that income. Reading through all these responses is actually really helpful - sounds like 3-4 weeks is pretty normal even though it feels like forever. I didn't get my ReliaCard yet so maybe that's still coming. Thanks for posting this question, I was starting to think something was wrong with my application!
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Natasha Volkov
•I'm so glad this thread helped you too! It's definitely reassuring to know we're not alone in this waiting game. The ReliaCard thing seems to vary - some people get it before approval, others after. I'm trying to stay patient but it's hard when bills are piling up. Hopefully we both hear something soon! Keep me posted on how yours goes.
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