Can I submit physician's portion of EDD SDI claim online after I've already applied?

Unfortunately the physician portion can't be submitted online after you've already applied. Your doctor will need to complete the form and mail it directly to EDD. The mailing address should be printed on the form itself. Since your doctor is out-of-state, I recommend asking them if they can expedite it (overnight or priority mail). I had a similar situation last year with a specialist in Oregon, and I actually offered to pay for the expedited shipping myself because the delay was making me anxious about my benefits starting.

my dr office said they faxed mine. check if thats an option too

The dr has to mail it in or fax it. They cant submit electronically either but neither can you. My claim got held up for 6 weeks because my doctor thought I could scan and upload it!! Make sure they know THEY have to send it directly to EDD!

When I filed my SDI claim in January 2025, I ran into this exact issue. The medical portion must be submitted by your doctor directly to EDD either by mail or fax. There's absolutely no online submission option for the medical certification after you've filed your initial claim. Here's what I recommend: 1. Call your surgeon's office and explain that they need to fax or mail the completed form directly to EDD 2. Make sure they include your claim number on the form 3. Ask them to notify you when they've sent it 4. Once they confirm it's been sent, wait about 5-7 business days 5. Then try calling EDD to confirm they received it If you have trouble getting through to EDD (which is very likely), I'd recommend using Claimyr. They got me connected to an EDD representative in under 25 minutes when I couldn't get through for days on my own. You can check out their service at claimyr.com and they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd. It was worth it for my peace of mind to confirm everything was in order.

When I had my SDI claim last year, my doctor actually submitted the wrong form first and it delayed everything by almost 3 weeks. Make super sure your doctor has the right form (DE 2501) before they submit anything. Also be aware that out-of-state doctors sometimes aren't familiar with California's disability system so you might need to be really specific with them about what's needed.

Im sorry but your TOTALLY wrong about not being able to submit online!!!! I just did my disability last month and my doctor submitted everything online through SDI Online. They need to register for an account as a medical provider first though. Maybe your doctor just doesn't WANT to do it online because its more work for them to set it up?

I went through this exact headache in February! The doctor HAS to send it themselves - you cannot submit it for them. And since you already applied online without the doctor's certification being submitted simultaneously, they have to mail or fax it now. The system is incredibly frustrating. I ended up having my claim delayed for almost 4 weeks because of this ridiculous process. The EDD system feels deliberately designed to be as difficult as possible!

dont forget u have to wait 7 days after ur disability starts before benefits kick in anyways. so ur not losing money right away at least

Based on everything shared here, here's what you should do: 1. Contact your surgeon's office ASAP and explain they need to mail or fax the completed form directly to EDD 2. Confirm they have the correct form (DE 2501) 3. Ask them to notify you once it's been sent 4. Wait about a week after they send it, then try contacting EDD to confirm receipt Also, keep in mind that your claim will be backdated to when your disability began (minus the 7-day waiting period). So even if there's processing delay, you should eventually receive all benefits you're entitled to. Hope this helps and that your recovery goes smoothly!

I went through this same frustrating situation last year with my orthopedic surgeon in Nevada. The key thing is to be very clear with your doctor's office about the process - they need to mail or fax the DE 2501 form directly to EDD, not back to you. I actually created a simple one-page summary for my doctor's office explaining: 1) They must send it directly to EDD, 2) Include my claim number, 3) Use the specific mailing address on the form, and 4) Let me know when it's sent. This prevented any confusion. Also, don't stress too much about the timing - once EDD receives the medical certification, they typically process it within 2-3 weeks, and your benefits will be backdated to your disability start date (after the 7-day waiting period). The delays are annoying but you won't lose any money you're entitled to.

I had a similar situation with an out-of-state doctor for my SDI claim back in November. Here's what worked for me: I called my doctor's office and explained that California requires them to send the DE 2501 form directly to EDD - either by mail or fax. I also asked them to send me a quick email or text when they submitted it so I'd know it was done. My doctor's office in Texas wasn't familiar with California's system at first, but once I explained it clearly, they were very helpful. The whole process took about 3 weeks from when they sent the form to when I got my first payment, and everything was backdated properly. One tip: if you're really anxious about timing, you could offer to pay for expedited shipping if they're mailing it. Most medical offices are understanding about disability situations and will work with you on getting things processed quickly.

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! My doctor is in Nevada and I filed my SDI claim online last week. Reading through all these responses has been so helpful - I had no idea the doctor HAD to send it directly to EDD rather than back to me. I was actually planning to ask them to send the completed form back to me so I could submit it myself! Thank you everyone for clarifying this process. I'm going to call my doctor's office tomorrow and make sure they understand they need to fax or mail the DE 2501 directly to EDD with my claim number. Has anyone had experience with how responsive EDD is about confirming they received the medical certification? I'm worried about it getting lost in the mail.

I just went through this process in January and want to add a few things that helped me. First, when you call your surgeon's office, ask to speak with whoever handles insurance/disability paperwork - they'll be more familiar with these types of forms than the general staff. Second, ask them to put a sticky note on your file with "MUST SEND DIRECTLY TO EDD" so there's no confusion later. I also recommend asking your doctor's office what their typical turnaround time is for completing disability forms - some offices do them same day, others take up to a week. Knowing this helped me set realistic expectations. Finally, if they're faxing it, ask them to call the EDD fax number first to make sure it's working that day - I've heard of faxes sitting in broken machines for days. The whole process is stressful enough without worrying about technical issues! You're doing everything right by getting this clarified early.

I'm going through this exact same process right now and wanted to share what I learned from calling EDD directly yesterday. They confirmed that once you've already filed your initial SDI claim online, there's absolutely no way to submit the physician's portion electronically afterward - it must be mailed or faxed by the doctor. The representative also told me that out-of-state doctors sometimes get confused about California's requirements, so it's really important to be very clear with them. She recommended asking your doctor to include a cover letter with your claim number prominently displayed, and to keep a copy of whatever they send for your records. One thing that wasn't mentioned here yet - if your doctor faxes the form, make sure they use the correct fax number that's printed on the DE 2501 form itself, not any general EDD fax numbers you might find online. Different types of claims go to different fax numbers and using the wrong one can cause delays. The EDD rep said they're seeing a lot of issues lately with documents going to the wrong department because people use outdated fax numbers from Google searches.

I'm currently dealing with a very similar situation! My spine surgeon is in Oregon and I filed my SDI claim online two weeks ago. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly eye-opening - I had no idea the process was so strict about doctors having to submit directly to EDD rather than sending the forms back to patients. One thing I wanted to add that might help others: when I called my surgeon's office yesterday, they mentioned they prefer to fax disability forms rather than mail them because they can get immediate confirmation that it went through. They also told me they keep a log of all faxed disability paperwork with timestamps, which could be helpful if there are any questions later about when something was sent. For anyone else with out-of-state doctors, I'd recommend asking your doctor's office if they've handled California SDI claims before. Mine hadn't, so I'm planning to email them a brief summary of the key requirements (DE 2501 form, fax to the number on the form itself, include claim number prominently, notify me when sent) before our phone call tomorrow. The waiting is definitely stressful, but it's reassuring to know that benefits will be backdated to when the disability started (minus the 7-day waiting period) even if there are processing delays.

I'm new to this community but going through the exact same situation right now! My orthopedic surgeon is in Texas and I filed my SDI claim online about 5 days ago. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea about so many of these details. A few questions for those who've been through this: How long did your out-of-state doctors typically take to complete and send the DE 2501 form? My surgeon's office said they'd get to it "within a few business days" but I'm not sure if that's realistic given they're not familiar with California's system. Also, for those whose doctors faxed the form - did you get any kind of confirmation from EDD that they received it, or did you have to call to check? I'm already anxious about the whole process and want to make sure I follow up appropriately without being annoying. Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences here - it's making this whole confusing process feel much more manageable!

I just went through this exact same process with my doctor in Florida back in December! Here's what I learned that might help: First, definitely call your surgeon's office tomorrow and emphasize that they MUST send the DE 2501 form directly to EDD - either by mail or fax. Since they're out-of-state, they probably haven't dealt with California's SDI system before, so be very specific about the requirements. What worked for me was creating a simple email with bullet points: 1) Complete the DE 2501 form, 2) Include my claim number prominently, 3) Fax to the number printed on the form (not any random EDD number online), 4) Send me confirmation when it's done. I sent this email first, then followed up with a phone call the next day to make sure they understood everything. My Florida doctor's office was actually really helpful once they understood the process - they faxed the form within 3 business days and emailed me the confirmation page. EDD processed it about 2 weeks later, and everything was backdated properly to my disability start date. The waiting is stressful but you won't lose any benefits you're entitled to. Since you're already dealing with recovery from surgery, try not to stress too much about the timing - focus on healing and let the paperwork process work itself out. You're doing everything right by getting clarification on the process early!

I'm currently going through this exact same situation! My neurosurgeon is in Nevada and I filed my SDI claim online last week. After reading through everyone's experiences here, I realize I was completely confused about the process - I actually thought I could scan and upload the completed form myself once my doctor filled it out. Based on all the helpful advice in this thread, here's my action plan that might help other newcomers: 1) Call doctor's office and ask to speak with whoever handles disability paperwork, 2) Explain that California requires them to send the DE 2501 form directly to EDD via mail or fax (not back to me), 3) Make sure they have my correct claim number, 4) Ask them to use the fax number printed on the actual form (not some random EDD number from Google), 5) Request confirmation when they send it, and 6) Follow up with EDD about 7-10 days later to confirm receipt. It's frustrating that the system is so antiquated, but at least now I understand the proper process. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this thread has been a lifesaver for understanding what felt like a completely confusing bureaucratic maze!

I'm in almost the exact same situation right now! My surgeon is in Washington state and I filed my SDI claim online about 4 days ago. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea the doctor HAD to send the form directly to EDD rather than back to me. One thing I'm wondering about that I haven't seen mentioned yet - does anyone know if there are specific business hours for the EDD fax lines? My doctor's office mentioned they prefer faxing over mailing, but they're concerned about sending it outside business hours and it not going through properly. Also, should I be worried that my surgeon might not be familiar with California's disability terminology or requirements since they practice in a different state? I'm definitely going to call them tomorrow with all the detailed requirements everyone has shared here (DE 2501 form, correct fax number from the form itself, include claim number prominently, send me confirmation). This community has been such a lifesaver for understanding this confusing process!

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! My orthopedic surgeon is in Colorado and I filed my SDI claim online about a week and a half ago. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly enlightening - I had no idea the process was so specific about doctors having to submit directly to EDD. What's been most helpful from this thread is understanding that I need to be very clear and detailed with my out-of-state doctor's office about the requirements. I'm planning to call them tomorrow and explain: 1) They must complete and send the DE 2501 form directly to EDD (not back to me), 2) Include my claim number prominently, 3) Use the fax number printed on the actual form, and 4) Notify me when it's sent. My biggest concern is that my surgeon's office has never dealt with California's SDI system before, so I'm worried about miscommunication or delays. But based on everyone's experiences here, it sounds like most out-of-state medical offices are cooperative once they understand what's needed - they just need clear guidance upfront. It's frustrating that in 2025 we're still dealing with such an antiquated system (no online uploads after initial filing!), but I'm grateful for this community helping me understand the proper process. The reassurance that benefits will be backdated to the disability start date also helps reduce my anxiety about potential delays. Thank you everyone for sharing your detailed experiences - this thread has been invaluable for navigating what felt like a completely confusing bureaucratic maze!