Do you have a local card shop? They can sometimes look them over and a couple near me even will send them in for you (I'm assuming this expedites it or adds another layer of protection). Might also take them to a larger card show where PSA and other graders take them in person.

My understanding is that the grading process is something of a pain in the butt now that everyone wants to send every Shohei, Mahomes, or Wemby that they pull in for grading. So it takes a lot longer and the graders have too much junk on their hands now so it's no longer as precise as it used to be. It really wasn't even meant for modern cards but as a way to distinguish the quality of old stuff but hobby's gonna hobby.