genuine question does your former employer find out how much youre receiving in benefits? like can they see what your weekly benefit amount is

UPDATE for anyone following: I got a call from an EDD adjudication interviewer today (answered every unknown number like people said!) — the interview was about 25 minutes. They asked about my job duties, my performance history, whether I had written warnings, what happened at my termination meeting, and whether I was given a reason for termination. I told them the truth — no written warnings, my last two reviews were 'meets expectations,' and I was given only a vague reason of 'performance concerns' at termination. The interviewer seemed like she was listening and taking notes. She said a decision would be issued within 10 business days. Fingers crossed but I feel a lot better about it now. Thank you all so much for the help and advice in this thread.

UPDATE from me: took your guys advice and tried calling about my pending back pay. regular EDD line got me nowhere after 90 minutes. tried Claimyr like a few people suggested and actually got connected to an agent within like 25 minutes. turns out my direct deposit info had somehow gotten cleared from my account - the agent updated it on the spot and said my back pay should process within 3-5 business days from there. genuinely would have been waiting forever without that call. if you're stuck on back pay definitely try to actually speak to someone

posting my timeline for the data pile: filed 1/12, went into adjudication 1/19, adjudication resolved 2/28, back pay received 3/6. so about 6 business days from resolution to payment. I was expecting much worse based on horror stories I'd read. was a total of $4,200 for the adjudication period, came as one payment. no issues with direct deposit, verified bank info right after I filed. my biggest advice is verify your bank info early and often, that seems to be the most common reason for delays based on everything I've read

For anyone still struggling to reach California EDD during their adjudication - I'll mention again that Claimyr (claimyr.com) saved me weeks of frustration. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 showing how the process works. When you're in adjudication and can't get information from EDD through normal channels, being able to reach an actual agent is genuinely valuable, not just for peace of mind but because sometimes there are simple questions or clarifications that can move your case along faster.

UPDATE for everyone following this - I finally got my adjudication interview scheduled. The EDD representative called from a blocked number (glad I saw that advice above!) and we talked for about 25 minutes. I was very specific about the schedule change, the pattern of harassment, and the dates of key incidents. She seemed to take it seriously. She said I should get a decision within 3-4 weeks. Fingers crossed but I feel better after actually getting to explain my situation. Will update when I get a decision.

I exhausted in March and made the mistake of thinking I had to wait some specific amount of time before I could refile. Waited 6 weeks thinking there was a waiting period before you could file a new claim. There is NO mandatory waiting period after exhaustion - I could have filed the new claim immediately after exhaustion. Don't make my mistake!

adding to what others said - when I called EDD about my exhausted claim the agent mentioned that if your new claim doesn't establish because you don't have enough wages, you should ask specifically about the alternative base period calculation. A lot of agents won't mention it unless you ask. It uses more recent wage quarters than the standard calculation and might help you qualify when you otherwise wouldn't.

OP have you checked your UI Online account since filing? You should be able to see your claim status, your assigned WBA, and your certification schedule all in there. If the portal says anything other than 'pending' or 'in progress' on your initial claim, that's worth paying attention to. Sometimes EDD sends notices through the portal before they send physical mail.

Final update from me - my pending status has been resolved and I just got my first payment finally. For anyone who sees this later - if your claim is stuck, you really do need to talk to a real EDD person to fix it. The portal won't clear itself. Getting through to someone was the only thing that actually moved it. Used the service someone mentioned above (Claimyr) and it was the first time in weeks I actually felt like I was making progress. Payment came through two days after the call.