Today my wife's Employment Authorization card arrived in the mail. She applied for renewal of her previous "Combo" card last July by submitting forms I-131 and I-765. I was surprised to see that the card that arrived is not a "Combo" card and specifically states "NOT VALID FOR REENTRY TO U.S." I checked the receipt number for the I-131 and it currently remains at ""The above case has been received by our office and is in process."
After some investigation, I found this: https://www.uscis.gov/i-131
Alert: To improve efficiency and reduce Form I-765 processing times for Form I-485 applicants, USCIS may decouple Forms I-765 from Forms I-131 filed at the same time.
To improve efficiency and reduce Form I-765 processing times for Form I-485 applicants, USCIS may decouple Forms I-765 from Forms I-131 filed at the same time. Effective Feb. 1, 2022, when possible, USCIS will adjudicate the request for employment authorization first and, if it is approved, we will issue an Employment Authorization Document without any notation about advanced parole. We will adjudicate the Form I-131 separately and, if it is approved, we will issue an Advance Parole Document.