Filing paper SDI claim form - exact process steps with my doctor?

You've got the process mostly right. You complete Part A (your personal info, employment details, etc), then your doctor fills out Part B with your medical info. The most important thing is making sure your doctor completes their section accurately with proper diagnosis codes and dates. As for who mails it - technically either of you can mail it, but I always recommend YOU mail it yourself. This way you can make a copy for your records before sending (super important if there are issues later). Just confirm with your doctor when they'll have their part done, then pick it up and mail it in the envelope provided. After mailing, expect 10-14 days before you hear anything. You should receive your EDD Customer Account Number first, then payment info. Make sure to create an SDI Online account even though you're filing by paper - you'll need this to track your claim status.

paper forms are the WORST!! i did this last year and my dr office lost the form TWICE before finally sending it. make sure u get the name of the person at ur doctors office who's handling it and follow up with them directly like every few days seriously. and yeah make copies of EVERYTHING.

Just to add some important details from my experience with paper forms: 1. Make sure both you AND your doctor sign and date all required fields. Missing signatures are the #1 reason claims get delayed. 2. If your doctor hands the form back to you unsealed, review it before mailing to catch any obvious errors (missing dates, blank fields, etc.) 3. Mail it with tracking if possible - that envelope they provide has no tracking. 4. Create your SDI Online account using your Social Security Number BEFORE you get your Customer Account Number. This way you can link your claim as soon as it's in the system. 5. Processing time for paper forms is usually 14-21 days right now (2025 is slower than previous years with staff reductions). Good luck!

If you wait more than 3 weeks without hearing anything, you should definitely call EDD. But good luck actually getting through to a human! I spent DAYS trying to reach someone when my paper claim had issues. Busy signals, disconnects, hours on hold just to get hung up on. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an EDD agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd It was worth it to finally talk to someone who could tell me exactly what was happening with my claim instead of stressing for weeks. My issue turned out to be a simple coding error by my doctor that was holding everything up.

You're missing a step! After you file the initial paper claim, you still need to submit ONGOING certification forms (DE 2500A) every two weeks to keep getting paid. Many people miss this and wonder why their payments stop. The initial form just establishes your claim. EDD will mail you the certification forms, but you can also download them from the EDD website if they're delayed in the mail. I learned this the hard way and missed out on payments because I thought the doctor's certification covered the entire disability period. It doesn't!

I had my gallbladder removed last april and had to do paper forms to. My doctor filled it out but didnt put the right diagnosis code so my claim got denied at first. Make sure they put the correct ICD-10 code for your condition! They had to resubmit mine and i lost like 3 weeks of benefits because of the error.

is there anyway to see the status of your claim when you do paper forms? i submitted mine 2 weeks ago and have no idea if they even received it.

UPDATE: I followed all your advice and wanted to share how it went! I made copies of everything, mailed the form with tracking, and set up my SDI Online account right away. It took exactly 19 days before my claim appeared in the system as "processing" and then another 5 days before it changed to "approved." The first payment was issued 2 days after approval. The whole process took about 26 days total from mailing to first payment. One thing I didn't expect - they initially calculated my benefit amount incorrectly based on wrong wage information. I had to call (used Claimyr after trying unsuccessfully for 2 days) to get it corrected. Really glad I kept pay stubs to prove my actual earnings! Thanks everyone for your help!