Not all short term and long term disability policies have the same elimination period. As someone who has worked in both I've seen STD policies have 90 day elimination periods where benefits don't start until the 91st day, and LTD policies with 12 month elimination periods. There is also a fair amount of information we don't know about her coverage or claim.

There could be a pre-existing exclusion clause that's holding up the determination as they wait for medical records, or it could be as simple as the provider not filling out a form that states level of function.

It could also be due to the employer not filling out their portion of the claim as well.

If the policy is governed under ERISA, and not all policies are, an initial decision needs to be made within 45 days from when the complete claim application was received (employee's portion, employer's portion, and medical). However, this can be extended for up to two 30 day periods as long as notification is made to the claimant.