Question about uploading documentation for Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)

Submitted by yutfree t3_108frgc in Washington

I had to start a medical leave yesterday (January 9, 2023), and my employer tells me I am required to apply for WA state PFML. I already have a PFML account from a medical leave I had to take nearly four years ago.

The PFML site says, "All applications require some kind of documentation. You can upload your documents to your account when you complete the application, or you can log in to your account later and add them." I have looked everywhere in my PFML account, and there is no opportunity anywhere to upload documents. One of the FAQ responses says to look for a "Manage Documents" link or button, but that is nowhere to be found.

Can anyone clarify how my medical provider and I are supposed to upload these documents to file for a medical leave? I know this is supposed to be "easy," but I'm not finding it easy so far. : | Thanks for any help you can give.

P.S. I called their number multiple times and was hung up on by the phone system every time--once after three minutes of climbing through the phone tree.

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Comments

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ZeldaTheGreyt t1_j3scr1p wrote

If you’ve started a new claim, you can go into the claim and you’ll see a link for “manage documents” and you’ll upload the documentation there.

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GingerCatGang t1_j3sfv4v wrote

You should need to set up a new claim first then you will see the options to manage that claim including uploading documents.

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Whisenhunt55 t1_j3ugua8 wrote

You have to start a new claim number on the site it should update and say claim pending when you do,then you can upload docs, i had to take a screen shot of some, they would not load try to download in file first then upload to new claim ,its not easy keep trying

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JLRook87 t1_j3scnwv wrote

Have you submitted a new claim yet for your current leave? I don't believe you can upload random documents to your file, they need to be associated with a specific claim.

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sgnl_01 t1_j3wxbi4 wrote

There is also a fax number that your doctor’s office can fax any supporting documents to. I needed to do this for my case. Good luck! Once the documents are submitted, the processing time was surprisingly quick.

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yutfree OP t1_j3xblf6 wrote

I asked my doctor to send the completed form back to me by secure email so that I can upload it myself. My guess is the fewer information sources the government has related to one case, the better. :)

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FamousAstronomer7749 t1_j5pxb6l wrote

How long did it take you to get approved?

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sgnl_01 t1_j5pxtve wrote

If I remember correctly within two weeks of submitting .

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FamousAstronomer7749 t1_j5pynye wrote

Sweet! Fingers crossed. We submitted on the 13th. Have read of people waiting weeks on end but most of the stuff I read was from over a year ago. Have yet to hear from someone recently.

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sgnl_01 t1_j5pzc6v wrote

I was surprised how smooth it was. I can’t tell whether the doctor’s office sending the fax made it quicker. I hope it goes smoothly for you too!

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