Thanks all for your insight. The good news is I eFiled federal. Let me elaborate a bit on how it works on the online version, because it wasn't totally intuitive. FYI I already paid for eFiling both Feds and State.
-Get to the point where it asks if you want to file by mail. Click on File by Mail.
-Don't worry... clicking this doesn't really do anything... it takes you to a screen where you have Fed and State listed separately and you have the option of eFile, File by Mail or Wait and File Later separately for each.
-I clicked eFile for Federal and it took me through those steps like normal and my Federal was eFiled. About two hours later it was "Accepted" by the IRS.
- The MD state return is still sitting there waiting for this issue to be resolved, or for me to take another route.
Not perfect but my larger Federal refund is in the works now so that s good. Thanks again everyone for their help!
