Just wanted to add my experience since I went through this exact situation about 6 months ago. My doctor is licensed in Oregon and I work in California. EDD did accept the medical certification without any issues, but like others mentioned, there was a verification process that added about 10 days to my claim. What really helped was being proactive - I called my doctor's office before submitting and explained that EDD might contact them for verification. I also made sure they had all my contact info updated in case they needed to reach me quickly. The office manager was super helpful and flagged my file so they'd know to respond promptly to any EDD calls. One tip: make sure your doctor uses their full legal name and includes their state license number clearly on the form. Sometimes the delay happens because EDD can't easily verify the credentials if the information isn't complete or legible.

I'm new to this community and just started navigating the SDI process myself. This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar situation with my doctor being licensed in Arizona while I work in California. From reading everyone's experiences, it's clear that out-of-state doctors are accepted, but the verification process seems to be the key factor that can cause delays. I really appreciate how everyone has shared such specific, practical advice - like making sure the doctor's full legal name and license number are clearly written, and giving their office a heads up about potential EDD verification calls. One question I have based on the mixed experiences shared here - has anyone found it helpful to call EDD directly before submitting to confirm their specific situation, or is it generally better to just submit and be prepared for the verification process? I'm trying to decide if it's worth attempting to get through to them on the phone first, especially given how difficult it seems to be to reach them. Thanks to everyone who's shared their real-world experiences - this is so much more useful than the vague information on EDD's official website!

Has anyone else noticed that the EDD website is down like every other day? How are we supposed to check our claim status if we can't even log in? 🤦‍♂️

Quick question - does anyone know how long it usually takes for them to process the paperwork once they receive it? I'm trying to plan my budget and I'm getting anxious about the wait time.

Just a heads up, make sure you have your claim number and social security number handy when you call or log in. They always ask for those and it's a pain if you don't have them ready.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice! I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the different suggestions but it's great to see such an active community helping each other out. I think I'll try logging into the online portal first like @DeShawn Washington and @Aaliyah Jackson suggested, and if that doesn't work I'll try calling early morning. Really appreciate you all taking the time to share your experiences - makes this whole process feel less scary when you know others have been through it too! 🙏

Just a heads up, make sure your healthcare provider is ready to fill out the form quickly once you get it. Mine took forever and it almost messed up my extension. 😓

@Dmitry Popov I just went through this exact same process last month! A few additional tips that helped me: 1) When you call, ask them to email you a confirmation that they've processed your request - some reps will do this if you ask nicely. 2) Make sure your SDI online account contact info is up to date before calling. 3) If the first rep says they can't help, politely ask to speak with someone else or call back later - different reps sometimes have different capabilities. The whole process was stressful for me too, but once I got the right person on the phone it was actually pretty straightforward. Good luck! 🤞

I'm so tired of this. Been waiting 3 months for my payment. How are we supposed to survive?

Yes! I've been getting these phantom calls too. So frustrating - they call, you answer quickly thinking it might be important news about your claim, and then... nothing. Just dead air. I've started letting unknown numbers go to voicemail first, but then I worry I'm missing something urgent. It's like they're playing with our anxiety when we're already stressed about our payments. Has anyone figured out if these are legit EDD calls that just have technical issues, or if they're scam calls targeting people waiting for disability benefits?