EDD scheduled my IME 6 hours away - how to get location changed?
Hey everyone, I need some advice. I just got scheduled for an independent medical exam but the location is super far away. I live in the Bay Area and they want me to go all the way to Glendora! That's like a 6-hour drive each way. Has anyone had any luck getting their exam location changed to somewhere closer? I'm thinking about sending an email to request a change but I'm not sure who to contact or what to say. Any tips would be really appreciated!
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Tom Maxon
I found a way to solve changing distant medical exam location, watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPLOpPwvCRw
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Dana Doyle
Ugh, that sucks! I had a similar situation last year. Here's what I did: 1. Draft a polite but firm email explaining your situation 2. Emphasize the travel hardship (time, cost, etc.) 3. Request a location change to somewhere in the Bay Area 4. Send it to the contact email on your examination notice If you don't have a specific email, try the general EDD contact form on their website. Good luck!
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Darcy Moore
•Thanks so much! This is really helpful. Did they end up changing your location when you did this?
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Dana Doyle
•Yeah, they did! It took about a week to hear back, but they were pretty understanding. Just be persistent if you don't hear anything at first.
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Liam Duke
•This is great advice! I'd also suggest calling them directly if you don't get a response to your email within a few days. Sometimes talking to a real person can make all the difference.
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Manny Lark
man, the EDD is such a mess. good luck getting anywere with them lol. i've been trying to get my claim sorted for months and its like talking to a brick wall 🤦♂️
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Rita Jacobs
•Ikr? It's like they're purposely making it difficult. Hang in there, hopefully you'll get through to someone helpful eventually!
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Manny Lark
•thanks bro. feels like im drowning in paperwork over here 😭
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Khalid Howes
Have you tried calling their customer service line? Sometimes you can get more done over the phone than through email.
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Darcy Moore
•I've tried but I can never get through. It's always busy or they hang up on me after being on hold forever 😫
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Ben Cooper
•Pro tip: I found a way to actually get someone on the phone. There's this site called claimyr.com that has a calling tool. It dials the phone menu, stays on hold, and then sends the call to your phone when a live agent picks up. It costs $20, but it works. Here's a video about it: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ
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Naila Gordon
•Wait, seriously? That sounds too good to be true. Has anyone else tried this?
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Ben Cooper
•I was skeptical too, but I gave it a shot out of desperation. It actually worked for me! Saved me hours of frustration.
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Cynthia Love
•Idk man, paying to talk to a government agency feels wrong. Shouldn't this be free?
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Ben Cooper
•I get where you're coming from, but for me, the time saved was worth the cost. To each their own tho 🤷♂️
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Darren Brooks
This happened to me last month! I sent an email explaining my situation and they actually moved my appointment to a closer location. Don't give up hope!
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Rosie Harper
the whole system is rigged against us i swear. why do they make everything so complicated?? 😤
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Elliott luviBorBatman
•Preach! 🙌 It's like they want us to give up or something.
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Demi Hall
Have you considered asking for a virtual examination instead? With COVID still around, some doctors are doing telemedicine appointments. Might be worth asking!
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Darcy Moore
•Oh wow, I didn't even think of that! That's a great idea, I'll definitely ask about it. Thanks!
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Mateusius Townsend
Just a heads up, make sure you keep copies of all your correspondence with EDD. It's saved my butt more than once when dealing with them.
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Lilah Brooks
I'm dealing with something similar right now - they scheduled me for an exam 4 hours away in Fresno when I'm in San Diego. From what I've researched, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation for location if the distance creates an undue hardship. I'd suggest mentioning in your email that the 12-hour round trip creates both financial and logistical hardship, especially if you're dealing with a disability. Also, reference the Americans with Disabilities Act - they're supposed to make reasonable accommodations. I'm planning to send my request certified mail so there's a paper trail. Keep us posted on how it goes!
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Emma Taylor
•This is super helpful advice! I didn't know about the ADA angle - that's really smart. The certified mail idea is brilliant too. Do you happen to know what specific email address or department I should send this to? I want to make sure it gets to the right people who can actually make the change.
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Omar Hassan
I went through this exact same thing earlier this year! My exam was scheduled in Sacramento when I'm in LA. Here's what worked for me: I called the medical provider's office directly (not EDD) and explained the hardship. They were actually really understanding and helped coordinate with EDD to find a closer location. The key is to be polite but persistent, and document everything. Also, if you have any medical conditions that make long travel difficult, definitely mention that - they have to consider reasonable accommodations. It took about 10 days but they found me a spot in Orange County instead. Don't lose hope, there are people there who want to help!
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Paolo Bianchi
•This is really encouraging to hear! I'm definitely going to try calling the medical provider directly - that's such a smart approach that I hadn't thought of. Did they give you a direct number to call, or did you just look up the clinic's main number? Also, when you mentioned medical conditions that make travel difficult, did you need to provide any documentation for that, or was just explaining the situation enough? Thanks for sharing your success story - it gives me hope that this can actually get resolved! @Omar Hassan
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CaptainAwesome
•@Omar Hassan Thanks for sharing your experience! That s'really smart to go directly to the medical provider. Quick question - when you called them, did you need your EDD case number or any specific reference numbers to help them locate your scheduled appointment? I want to make sure I have all the right info before I call. Also, did they handle the communication with EDD themselves, or did you still need to follow up with EDD directly? Really appreciate you taking the time to share what worked!
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PrinceJoe
I'm going through the exact same thing right now! They scheduled my IME in Bakersfield and I'm up in Sacramento - it's absolutely ridiculous. I've been reading through all these comments and it sounds like there are actually several good approaches to try. I'm planning to do a combination: email the contact on my examination notice, call the medical provider directly, AND mention the ADA reasonable accommodation angle that @Lilah Brooks brought up. Has anyone had success with multiple approaches at once, or is it better to try them one at a time? Really hoping we can all get this sorted out - the travel burden is just insane when you're already dealing with a disability claim!
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