Pregnancy disability claim stuck on 'pending medical provider form' - did I file too early?
I'm currently 34 weeks pregnant and submitted my SDI claim on 3/15/2025, with my last day of work being 3/14. When I check my claim status in SDI Online, it shows 'pending medical provider form' which has me confused. During my prenatal appointment yesterday, I asked my OB about submitting the medical certification, but she said she already entered it in the system. Then she mentioned something about how I should have waited the 7-day waiting period before filing my claim? I'm completely lost now... Did I mess up by submitting too early? Do I need to cancel this claim and submit a new one after the waiting period passes? Or will my current claim process automatically after the waiting period? I really can't afford any delays since my due date is approaching fast. Has anyone dealt with this situation before with pregnancy disability?
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Adrian Connor
You don't need to cancel and resubmit! The EDD has a mandatory 7-day waiting period for SDI benefits (including pregnancy disability), but that doesn't mean you filed too early. The waiting period just means you won't get paid for the first 7 days of your disability period. Your doctor is probably confused about the process. As long as your doctor submitted the medical certification form (DE 2501), your claim should process after the waiting period. The "pending medical provider form" status should update within 7-10 business days if everything's in order.
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Mikayla Davison
•Thank you SO much for clearing that up! My doctor seemed pretty sure I messed up, so I was really stressed out. So if she submitted the form already, do I just wait for the status to update? My due date is in about 6 weeks and I'm worried about having enough time to get everything sorted before the baby comes.
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Aisha Jackson
OMG I had the EXACT same issue with my pregnancy claim last year!! My doctor told me the same thing and I freaked out. Turns out the waiting period is just a benefit delay, not a filing requirement. Your claim is fine, but the system is just slow to update. Mine showed "pending" for almost 2 weeks before it changed to "approved" even though my doctor claimed they submitted everything right away.
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Mikayla Davison
•That's a relief to hear! Did you have to do anything else to make it process faster, or did you just wait it out?
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Aisha Jackson
•I just waited, but it was SUPER stressful. If I did it again, I would have called EDD to check on the status after 10 days. The 7-day waiting period is different from the processing time - that's where I think doctors get confused too!
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Ryder Everingham
ur doctor is wrong. my sister works in obgyn office and they submit these all the time. u can apply for SDI as soon as ur doctor says ur disabled from working due to pregnancy. the 7 day wait is just when benefits start counting, not when u can apply.
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Mikayla Davison
•Thanks! That makes sense. My doctor is usually pretty on top of things, but maybe she was thinking about something else. It's such a relief to know I didn't mess up the application!
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Lilly Curtis
The EDD system can be really misleading with those status messages. I was stuck on "pending medical provider form" for THREE WEEKS with my pregnancy disability claim even though my doctor swore she submitted it. Turns out it was just sitting in their processing queue. I finally had to call EDD to get them to check on it, and magically it was processed the next day. Don't just trust the online status - if it doesn't change within a week, start calling.
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Mikayla Davison
•That's concerning! How did you actually get through to someone at EDD? I've heard the phone lines are impossible.
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Lilly Curtis
•Honestly, it was a nightmare. I called 27 times over 3 days before getting through. I started calling exactly at 8:00am when they open and kept redialing. Once I finally got through, the rep was actually really helpful, but getting there was exhausting - especially while pregnant!
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Leo Simmons
I recently used a service called Claimyr to get through to an EDD representative when my pregnancy disability claim was stuck in pending. It connects you with an EDD agent usually within 5-10 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours or getting disconnected. Saved me so much stress! You can check them out at claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd. So much better than redialing hundreds of times.
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Lindsey Fry
•is this a real service?? sounds to good to be true. EDD phone lines are THE WORST. i spent my whole maternity leave trying to get through when they messed up my claim last summer.
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Leo Simmons
•Yes, it's real! I was skeptical too until my sister-in-law recommended it. It literally saved me days of frustration. The service connects you directly to an EDD agent through their system. Definitely worth checking out if you're stuck in pending mode.
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Mikayla Davison
•Thank you for sharing this! If my claim doesn't update in the next few days, I'll definitely look into this option. I can't afford to spend hours on the phone right now with my job and preparing for the baby.
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Saleem Vaziri
I want to correct some misinformation here. The 7-day waiting period for SDI (including pregnancy disability) is a non-payable waiting period, meaning you don't receive benefits for the first 7 days of your disability. However, you can and SHOULD file your claim as soon as you stop working. Your doctor was incorrect about needing to wait to file. Regarding the "pending medical provider form" status, this usually means one of three things: 1. Your doctor hasn't actually submitted the medical certification yet (despite what they told you) 2. The form was submitted but had errors or missing information 3. The form is in the system but EDD hasn't processed it yet I recommend giving it one full week from your filing date. If the status doesn't change, contact your doctor's office again to verify they submitted the DE 2501 correctly, and if they confirm they did, then contact EDD directly.
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Mikayla Davison
•Thank you for the detailed explanation! I'll check back with my doctor's office next week if the status doesn't change. Do you know if there's a way to see if the doctor actually submitted the form through the SDI Online portal?
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Saleem Vaziri
•Unfortunately, SDI Online doesn't show you the actual submission status from the doctor's side. You can only see your own claim status. This is one of the frustrating gaps in the system. Your doctor should be able to provide you with confirmation that they submitted it, possibly with a confirmation number or timestamp. If they can't provide that, it might be a red flag that it wasn't actually submitted despite what they told you.
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Lindsey Fry
when i filed for pregnancy disability last year i had the exact same message for like 2 weeks and then suddenly my payments started showing up. never changed status online tho which was weird. the edd system is just broken lol
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Mikayla Davison
•Really? That's so strange that payments started without the status changing. The whole system sounds really confusing. I'll keep checking my account daily just in case.
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Kayla Morgan
My best friend's cousin works for EDD and she says they are SUPER backed up right now processing spring pregnancy claims. Apparently lots of summer babies this year?? She said expect at least 14-21 days for processing right now, even with all forms submitted correctly. The system is just overloaded.
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Lilly Curtis
•This kind of insider info is always helpful but also frustrating. Why can't EDD just post current processing times on their website so we don't all panic when claims take forever? It would save them so many phone calls too.
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Mikayla Davison
•That's good to know! Definitely stressful though since we're all counting on that income during leave. I wonder if they add staff during busy seasons?
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Adrian Connor
Just to update you on current timelines - I help people with disability claims regularly, and right now EDD is taking about 12-14 days to process pregnancy disability claims even when all forms are correctly submitted. This is longer than their usual 7-10 day window. Don't panic yet! Also, make sure you're ready to complete your continued certifications when they become available - that's another common delay point in the process.
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Mikayla Davison
•Thank you for this update! I'll try to be patient for another week at least. For the continued certifications, will I get a notification when it's time to complete those? This is my first time filing for disability so I'm still learning how everything works.
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Adrian Connor
•Yes, you'll receive an email notification when it's time to certify. For pregnancy disability, you typically certify every two weeks. Make sure to complete these promptly as they become available - late certifications can cause payment delays. Also, if you plan to transition to Paid Family Leave after your recovery period, remember that's a separate application you'll need to file.
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Natalie Wang
I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Filed my pregnancy disability claim at 36 weeks and have been stuck on "pending medical provider form" for 8 days. My OB's office insists they submitted everything but I'm starting to wonder if there was an issue with the submission. Reading through all these responses is really helpful - sounds like 2-3 weeks is pretty normal right now. I'm planning to call my doctor's office again tomorrow to double-check they have a confirmation number for the DE 2501 form submission. The waiting is so stressful when you're this close to your due date and counting on that income!
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Anastasia Popova
•I'm dealing with almost the same timeline! Filed at 34 weeks and it's been about 2 weeks now. Based on what everyone's saying here, it sounds like we just need to hang in there a bit longer. The stress is real though - I keep checking the portal multiple times a day hoping something changes. Have you tried asking your doctor's office for any kind of confirmation number or receipt that shows they actually submitted the form? That might give you some peace of mind while we wait for EDD to get their act together.
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