So lucky you got someone helpful! Last time I called the person just told me to keep waiting 😡

Congrats on getting through! That's awesome that the rep was able to approve your documents right away. I'm dealing with the same issue - uploaded my address verification docs 12 days ago and still pending. Your success story gives me hope! I'm definitely going to try calling at 8:01am tomorrow. Did you have to provide any additional information when you spoke with them, or did they just look at what you'd already uploaded?

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this thread! I just got my disqualification notice yesterday and was completely panicking until I read through everyone's experiences here. @Sean O'Connor - Your update about figuring out the doctor's appointment issue gives me huge relief! Like so many others, I think I made the exact same mistake. I marked YES to being unable to accept full-time work because I had a physical therapy appointment that lasted 90 minutes on a Thursday morning. I thought ANY unavailability meant YES, but now I understand they're asking about overall weekly availability. It's really concerning how many people are getting caught by these same poorly worded questions. Reading through all the newcomer comments, it's clear this is a widespread issue - medical appointments, job interviews, family emergencies, training sessions - all legitimate activities that shouldn't disqualify anyone from benefits. The consistent advice from experienced members like @Zara Ahmed and @Mateo Lopez about filing appeals within 30 days and continuing to certify has been invaluable. I was terrified that certifying after disqualification would make things worse, but everyone's explanations about protecting backpay rights make perfect sense. I'm filing my appeal today and will document everything carefully. Thank you all for creating such a supportive space where people can get real advice from others who've actually been through this process. This community has been a lifesaver for understanding these EDD challenges!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone for sharing such detailed and helpful experiences in this thread! I just received my own EDD disqualification notice last week and was feeling completely lost and overwhelmed until I found this discussion. @Sean O'Connor - Your success story and the update about getting through to EDD and figuring out the doctor's appointment question issue has given me so much hope! Like many others here, I believe I made a very similar mistake. I marked YES to being unable to accept full-time work because I had a court appearance that lasted about 4 hours on a Wednesday (it was for jury duty that I couldn't get out of). I genuinely thought that any time I couldn't be available for work meant I should answer YES, but reading through everyone's experiences, I now understand these questions are asking about overall weekly availability. What's really striking is seeing how many newcomers are commenting with almost identical situations - medical appointments, family emergencies, job interviews, legal obligations - all completely legitimate activities that shouldn't disqualify someone from unemployment benefits. It seems like EDD's certification questions are systematically confusing honest claimants who are trying to answer truthfully. The unanimous advice from experienced community members about filing appeals within 30 days and continuing to certify during the appeal process has been invaluable. I was initially terrified that certifying after getting disqualified might be considered fraudulent, but all the explanations about protecting your right to backpay make complete sense. I'm preparing my appeal letter today and will make sure to clearly explain that I misunderstood what the availability question was actually asking. Thank you all for creating such a supportive community where people can learn from real experiences and get practical guidance for navigating this incredibly confusing system. This thread has truly been a lifesaver!

I just wanted to add my experience to help ease your nerves! I had my CalJOBS appointment about 10 days ago and it went really smoothly. Like others mentioned, the link came exactly 24 hours before via email (I also saw it in UI Online). My appointment was around 35 minutes. The counselor had me share my screen to review my CalJOBS profile and go through my work search activities. I kept everything in a simple Google Sheet - nothing fancy, just company names, job titles, dates applied, and where I found the posting (Indeed, LinkedIn, company website, etc.). A couple of things that really helped me prepare: - I made sure my CalJOBS profile was 100% complete a few days before - I had screenshots of a few job applications saved on my desktop just in case - I tested my internet connection and made sure my browser was updated The counselor was actually super helpful! She pointed out some keywords I should add to my resume and told me about a virtual job fair happening next month that I wouldn't have known about otherwise. She also confirmed that networking activities like LinkedIn outreach and informational interviews count toward your work search requirements. One small tip - when they ask you to share your screen, it happens right through the browser. No special software needed, but make sure you know your CalJOBS login info by heart since you'll need to log in while they're watching. Honestly, the anticipation was way worse than the actual appointment. It felt more like getting free career coaching than being interrogated. You're going to do great!

Just had my CalJOBS appointment yesterday and wanted to share some current info since I see you're getting great advice but want to add the most recent experience! The link came through both email and UI Online exactly 24 hours before my 2pm appointment. I actually got a bit paranoid and checked every hour leading up to it, but it was right on schedule. My appointment lasted exactly 45 minutes. The counselor was really thorough but not intimidating at all. Here's what we covered: - Reviewed my work search log (I used a simple spreadsheet with company, position, date, application method) - Went through my CalJOBS profile together and made a few real-time updates - Discussed my job search strategy and she gave me some targeted advice - She showed me how to set up job alerts for my specific field Technical stuff: The screen sharing worked perfectly through the browser - no downloads needed. Just make sure you have good internet and know your CalJOBS password by heart! One thing that surprised me: She actually spent time helping me identify transferable skills I hadn't been highlighting. It felt like a genuine career counseling session rather than just a compliance check. The link stayed active for about 15 minutes after my appointment ended (I accidentally clicked it again), but definitely don't count on that buffer time. Bottom line: If you can show you're actively and consistently looking for work, you'll be totally fine. The anticipation is definitely worse than the actual experience. Good luck with yours!

I'm going through almost the exact same thing right now! Got a $12,800 settlement from a car accident last year and I've been so stressed about how it might affect my UI benefits. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful - especially the advice about calling EDD BEFORE depositing the check. I'm definitely going to follow the steps everyone outlined: call for a tier 2 rep, have all my settlement docs ready, emphasize it's for medical/pain&suffering only, and get everything properly documented in my file. The tip about asking my lawyer for a breakdown letter is genius too. It's so reassuring to hear from people who actually went through this and kept their full benefits. Thank you all for sharing your real experiences instead of just speculation - it's exactly what I needed to feel confident about handling this properly!

I just went through this exact situation 3 months ago with a $14k settlement from a rear-end collision. Here's my step-by-step experience that might help: 1. Called EDD BEFORE depositing the check (this was crucial) 2. Asked specifically for a tier 2 representative who handles income determinations 3. Had my settlement agreement and lawyer's breakdown ready 4. Clearly stated it was for "personal injury - medical expenses and pain/suffering only, no lost wages" 5. The rep put detailed notes in my file and gave me a confirmation number When I certified that week, I reported it as "other income" with the note "PERSONAL INJURY SETTLEMENT - CONFIRMED WITH REP [confirmation number]" Result: Zero reduction in my weekly benefits. The rep explained that CA specifically excludes personal injury settlements from UI income calculations because they're compensatory damages, not earnings. The key is being proactive and getting proper documentation. Don't stress too much - if it's truly for medical/injury damages (which yours sounds like it is), you should be fine. Just make sure to call them first and get everything properly noted in your file!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Certified on Sunday, UI Online has shown "paid" since Tuesday morning, but my bank account is still empty. This is my first time experiencing a delay like this and I was starting to worry something was wrong with my claim. Reading through all these comments has been such a relief - at least I know it's a widespread technical issue with EDD's system and not just me. It's really frustrating that they don't communicate these delays to us directly though. We shouldn't have to piece together what's happening through community forums! I'm going to keep checking my account and hopefully it shows up in the next day or two like it did for others here. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is honestly more helpful than trying to call EDD directly!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Certified Sunday night, UI Online shows "paid" since Tuesday, but still no money in my account as of Friday morning. This thread has been incredibly helpful - it's reassuring to know this is a widespread technical issue and not something wrong with my specific claim. I was getting really stressed because I have bills due today and couldn't figure out what was happening. The fact that EDD doesn't send any notifications about these delays is absolutely maddening. We're expected to follow every rule perfectly and certify on time, but when their system has problems, we're left completely in the dark. Thank you to everyone who called and shared updates - this community provides better customer service than EDD itself! Hopefully my payment processes today like it did for others here.