CALIFORNIA: Maternity Leave help please!

daniellesummerv

Hello mammas!

I am a first time mother to be an I am so confused about the maternity leave laws. I am only 9 weeks pregnant so asking my HR department is not an option just yet. 

I know my company offers 4mo unpaid leave. I know that I can get paid for 6 weeks through disability insurance (SDI). Can I also get another paid 6 weeks for family bonding (CFRA)? 

I have done research online but I can't tell if its the same 6 week period you get paid for or if there are two different programs that you can use one right after another. 

Unfortunately DH and I can't afford to live off 1 income at any point so I would need to return to work as soon as paid leave is up. We are trying to figure it out know so that we know if we can move into a bigger apartment before baby is born. 

I appreciate any help! Thanks in Advance!

meggyme

I believe you should get 12 weeks paid STD, 6 for recovery and 6 for child bonding. I believe it is 55-60% of your salary. The folks at the office for all the paperwork were really helpful when I had to call them and ask a question.

laurainoakland

In California you can stop working at 36 weeks and get paid SDI until 6 weeks after the baby comes (or 8 weeks if you have a C section). Then you can get paid CFRA for 6 more weeks for baby bonding time. Since Jan 2018 the benefit is between 60% and 70% of your weekly pay, but unlike your salary, it is tax free income. You also can use any accrued sick days or vacation days to make up the difference or to extend your time off. 

jbm925

Maternity disability can start 4 weeks before birth (use it or loose it) - state pays % of salary (I think a 2 week lag in pay is typical).
6 weeks disability vag/8 weeks disability c/s - state pays % of salary
6 weeks paid bonding - again state pays % of salary
6 weeks unpaid bonding - state does not pay (you also don't have to take it all at once, you can take it any time in specified chunks in the year after birth).

The rest is up to your employer.  Mine allows a small % of pay on top of disability throughout the disability period. And we can use or not use our vacation time/sick time/etc to payout throughout the bonding period.  

It's my understanding that using vacation time at the end to extend your time off requires the approval of work.  Your job is only protected under the CFRA through the designated period. Additional time is between you and your employer.