EDD SDI fraud investigations delaying new claims? Applied Jan 17 and still showing 'processing'

Yes! The system is completely broken right now! I filed on January 8th and JUST got approved yesterday. Thats almost a MONTH of waiting!!! I called literally 47 times before getting through to someone who told me they're doing "enhanced verification" on ALL claims because of the fraud stuff from 2024. Apparently some organized crime ring was filing fake claims and now we all suffer. So annoying!!! They're checking every single claim manually is what the rep told me.

I filed in December 2024 and got approved within 10 days, but my coworker filed January 12th and is still waiting. I think they definitely implemented new verification procedures in 2025. The representative I spoke with mentioned they're doing additional identity verification steps now. Have you checked your SDI Online account to see if there are any messages or forms they need you to complete? Sometimes they don't notify you by email or mail when they need additional information.

I work in HR and can confirm the EDD has implemented stricter verification processes starting January 2025. The standard processing time used to be 7-14 days, but now they're telling employers to advise employees it may take 3-4 weeks. This is affecting both new claims and recertifications. A few things that might help speed things up: 1. Make sure your doctor completed ALL fields on the medical certification (Form DE 2501) - missing information is the #1 cause of delays 2. Double-check that your last day worked matches between your application and what your employer reported 3. If you've had multiple employers in the past 18 months, that can trigger additional verification If it's been more than 14 business days, you should definitely call. The online system won't show if there's an issue requiring additional information.

i filed jan 3 and got approved jan 29...took forever!! my doctor had to resubmit some form cuz they said it wasnt filled out right but nobody told me till i called EDD. check with ur doctor maybe?

If you're having trouble getting through to the EDD, I had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They have a system that basically waits on hold for you and calls you when an EDD agent is on the line. Saved me hours of frustration. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd I was in the same boat last week - waiting over 3 weeks with no updates. Turns out there was an issue with my employer's verification that nobody bothered to tell me about. One 15-minute call cleared everything up and my claim was processed the next day.

This happened to me too! Don't panic yet though. My claim sat at processing for 22 days and then suddenly changed to approved with no communication whatsoever. The money appeared in my account 2 days later. The weird thing is that when I finally got through to someone at EDD, they said there was never any issue with my claim - it was just in a queue waiting to be reviewed due to the backlog. I think they're trying to catch people who are filing disability claims while still working or something like that. My neighbor works for the state (not EDD) and said there's some big fraud investigation happening.

Just an update - my coworker who filed on January 12th just got approved today (February 2nd). So that's 21 days total. They did backdate the payments to cover from the end of the waiting period. Hopefully yours will process soon too!

wait i'm confused...is SDI the same as disability? I thought SDI was for when ur pregnant?? i'm on regular disability now and got approved in like 4 days last month. maybe ur on the wrong system??

UPDATE: My claim was just approved! It took exactly 17 days. No explanation for the delay, but I'm just relieved it went through. For anyone else waiting - hang in there and keep checking your online account. Thank you all for the helpful advice and support!

This is such valuable information for anyone dealing with the current delays! I'm a newcomer here but have been lurking while waiting for my own claim to process. Filed on January 20th and still waiting, so seeing Douglas get approved gives me hope. One thing I wanted to add - I called my doctor's office after reading Logan's comment about the resubmitted form, and it turns out they had received a request for additional documentation that they hadn't told me about! They resubmitted it immediately. It's crazy that the system doesn't automatically notify the claimant when there are issues like this. For anyone else waiting, definitely proactive communication with both your doctor and EDD seems to be key. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is so helpful during such a stressful time!