EDD still shows 'Pending Medical Forms' after doctor submitted them online - worried about my claim

This whole process is a NIGHTMARE!! The EDD website is completely useless - it'll say 'pending medical forms' for WEEKS even when they actually HAVE your forms. I had knee surgery last year and it took them 22 days to update my claim status even though my doctor submitted everything on day 1. Their whole system is broken and designed to make you give up. Don't even bother with their regular phone number. The ONLY way I finally got through was using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It got me connected to an actual EDD agent in about 25 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. They have a video demo that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd. Seriously, it's worth it because otherwise you'll waste weeks waiting for the website to update.

Don't panic yet - this is actually pretty normal with EDD SDI claims. The online status doesn't always update immediately even when they've received the medical certification. Here's what's likely happening: your doctor submitted the forms, but they're in a processing queue. The status won't change from "Pending Medical Forms" until a claims examiner actually reviews them, which typically takes 10-14 business days (so about 2-3 weeks). As long as your doctor submitted the DE 2501 form correctly with all required information about your disability, you should be fine. If you're approaching the 3-week mark with no update, then you might want to have your doctor verify they submitted everything properly.

Hey I actually work at a medical office and deal with these EDD forms all day. One thing to check - did your doctor submit the actual DE 2501 form or just a medical note? Because a lot of doctors think a regular medical note is enough, but EDD specifically needs the DE 2501 Medical Certification form. Also, make sure they included your correct SSN and claim ID on the form. If ANY information is missing or incorrect, your claim will sit in limbo without anyone contacting you. I've seen this happen so many times with our patients. Also, was this submitted electronically through SDI Online or did they fax/mail it? Electronic is MUCH faster processing time.

oh man the same thing happned to me when i broke my ankle last month!!! i waited for like 2.5 weeks with the 'pending medical forms' message and was freaking out. but then it suddenly changed to approved and i got my first payment like 4 days later. the weird thing was they never even sent me an email saying it was approved, the website just updated. so maybe check your payment history section too cuz sometimes that updates before the claim status does

when i had my gallbladder removed in january my surgeon submitted everything through the edd system but it turned out the staff entered my birthdate wrong on the form so my claim was stuck in pending for weeks! make sure you check with your doctor that they put all your personal info correctly especially birthdate and SSN. also i ended up having to get my claim backdated because it took so long to fix everything. just make sure you document everything and keep track of when forms were submitted in case you need to request backdating later. good luck with your recovery from your construction accident too, that sounds really painful!

Here's a step-by-step process to resolve this issue: 1. First, contact your doctor's office and ask them to log into their SDI Online account to verify the submission status of your medical certification. They should be able to see if it was successfully received or if there were any errors. 2. If the doctor confirms successful submission, wait until the 14th business day from submission before taking further action. The processing times are currently longer than usual. 3. After 14 business days with no update, you have two options: a) Ask your doctor to resubmit the DE 2501 form electronically b) Try to contact EDD directly 4. For option b, call exactly at 8:00 AM when their phone lines open for the best chance of getting through. 5. If your claim is approved after a lengthy delay, you can request backdated payments to your original eligibility date. One final note: make sure you've completed your part of the certification process. Many claimants don't realize they need to certify for continued benefits every two weeks, even while waiting for initial approval.

Just to add some context to help ease your mind - EDD has been overwhelmed with claims since the pandemic, and they never fully recovered their processing times. The 10-14 business day timeline is their current target, but some claims are taking 15-20 business days for the initial review. As long as your doctor submitted the medical certification within the required timeframe (which they did), your claim will be backdated to your eligibility date once approved. The 7-day waiting period still applies, but you'll receive all eligible benefits even if the processing takes longer. Just make sure you're completing any ongoing certifications while you wait for the initial approval.

To answer your question about certifications - for SDI claims, you typically don't need to certify until after the initial claim is approved. Once approved, you'll receive notifications (usually via email or in your SDI Online inbox) when it's time to certify for continued benefits. This is different from unemployment insurance where you certify from the beginning. Just keep checking your SDI Online account daily, and once your claim status changes from 'Pending Medical Forms' to 'Approved,' you'll see instructions for certification if needed for your specific disability case. For longer-term disabilities, you'll eventually need to have your doctor provide continued certification as well.

I went through something very similar after my work injury last year. The "Pending Medical Forms" status is unfortunately normal and can be really anxiety-inducing when you're already dealing with financial stress. A few things that helped me: First, create a simple log of all your submission dates and any reference numbers your doctor might have received. Second, while you're waiting, gather all your medical records and keep them organized - you might need them later. Third, if you haven't already, take screenshots of your current claim status and save any confirmation emails from when you first filed. This documentation will be crucial if you need to request backdated payments or resolve any issues later. The waiting is horrible, but based on what others have shared here, it sounds like your claim is probably just working its way through their system. Hang in there - construction injuries take time to heal properly, and you deserve the support while you recover.

At 22 days, you're definitely on the longer end of the timeline, but still within what seems to be the "normal" range based on everyone's experiences here. It's frustrating that EDD's system is so unreliable - the fact that you had to become a detective just to verify your doctor used the right form shows how broken their communication is. Since you've confirmed everything was submitted correctly with the DE 2501 form, you're probably just waiting for a human examiner to finally get to your file. Have you tried calling EDD at exactly 8:00 AM when their lines open? Some people here had success getting through that way. Also, if your claim does get approved soon, definitely ask about backdating to cover the full eligible period since this delay isn't your fault. The financial pressure while dealing with an ankle injury and recovery is awful - hoping you see some movement on your claim very soon! Keep us updated when it changes - your timeline will help others going through the same thing.