5 month wait for EDD appeal hearing - is this normal or should I panic?

Normal wait time for appeals has gotten much worse in 2025. My appeal took about 3.5 months from filing to actual hearing date, and I filed last September. From what I'm hearing, 4-5 months is unfortunately becoming the new normal due to the massive backlog. The appeal judges are overwhelmed with cases. One thing that helped me was finding my assigned ALJ (Administrative Law Judge) by calling the Office of Appeals directly at 1-800-300-5616, then hitting 1-2-1-1-1-1-2 to bypass the normal queue. Ask specifically about your ALJ assignment - sometimes knowing this can tell you where you are in the queue.

5 MONTHS IS CRIMINAL!!!! I waited 4 months last year and thought THAT was bad. EDD is DELIBERATELY making the process so slow hoping people will just give up and go away. They don't care that people are losing their homes and going hungry. My neighbor waited 6 months for her hearing and when she finally got it, the judge ruled in her favor in less than 10 minutes!! The whole system is designed to DENY benefits first, then make the appeal process unbearable.

If it helps, you can request an expedited hearing if you're experiencing financial hardship. You need to submit an Expedite Request form explaining why your situation is urgent (risk of eviction, inability to afford necessities, etc). I was in a similar situation - waited almost 4 months and was about to lose my car. The expedite request moved my hearing up by about 3 weeks. While not ideal, it was better than nothing. Another tip: once you do get your hearing date, be SUPER organized with all your documentation. Have everything printed and in chronological order - paystubs, termination notice, communications with employer, everything. The judges appreciate organization and it makes a huge difference.

I literally just went through this nightmare. After waiting 4 months for my appeal hearing, I found a service called Claimyr that helped me actually get through to a real EDD representative. I was at my wits end and ready to give up. Their service connected me to an EDD agent who could actually see what was happening with my appeal and gave me information about why it was delayed (missing employer response) and an estimated timeframe. It cost money but was worth it for my peace of mind. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km that shows how it works. Their website is claimyr.com - might be worth checking out if you're desperate for information like I was.

Have you tried contacting your local state assembly member's office? This was the ONLY thing that worked for me after waiting 3+ months. They have special liaisons who can contact EDD directly. I called my assembly member's constituent services office, explained my situation, and they had me fill out a release form. Within 2 weeks, someone from EDD actually called me with information about my appeal status. It's a free service and they're usually very helpful with EDD issues since they deal with them all the time. Google "[your county] state assembly member" to find yours.

u gotta keep calling EDD every single day. thats what i did. took like 200 calls but finally got someone who could help. the squeaky wheel gets the grease u know?

Just wanted to follow up on my earlier comment - one more thing that might help is to check if your appeal information is in the CUIAB system (California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board). That's separate from the regular EDD system. You can call them directly at 916-263-6589 and ask about your appeal status. Sometimes appeals get transferred there and EDD's system doesn't update properly to show it. This happened to a friend of mine and he discovered his hearing had actually been scheduled but the notice was sent to an old address.

my appeal took 6 months last year and i won. just hang in there