One last important point - when you do receive and report the winnings in 2025, be sure to certify the question about refusing work as "No." Sometimes when people report large amounts of income in a week, they accidentally answer "Yes" to refusing work, which can trigger a separate eligibility issue. The income reporting and the work availability questions are separate issues with EDD, but people sometimes get confused when filling out the certification.

Hey Ella! Congrats on the game show win - that's amazing! Just wanted to add one more practical tip that might help when you eventually report this in 2025. When you're doing your bi-weekly certification and you report the $5,200 under "Other Income," EDD's system might flag it for manual review since it's such a large amount for one week. Don't panic if your payment gets delayed - this is normal for unusual income amounts. They just want to verify the income source matches what you reported. Having that documentation from the game show ready (like the letter stating payment date and the 1099) will help speed up the review process if they ask for it. You're doing the right thing by planning ahead!

Just want to add another potential solution that worked for me when I had the same loading screen issue - try using a different device entirely if possible. I was stuck on my laptop for hours, but when I tried logging in from my tablet, it worked immediately. Sometimes the EDD system seems to have device-specific glitches that don't make any sense. Also, if you're using any ad blockers or privacy extensions, try disabling those too. The EDD site is notoriously finicky with browser security settings. Really glad to see Nia got it resolved though - that early morning approach seems to be the most reliable fix!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Been trying to log in for the past two days and it just sits on that loading screen forever. I've tried everything - different browsers, clearing cache, restarting my computer, even tried on my phone with mobile data. Nothing works! My certification deadline is this weekend and I'm starting to panic. Thank you everyone for sharing all these solutions - I'm going to try the early morning approach and incognito mode first thing tomorrow. It's so frustrating that we have to become IT experts just to access our benefits. Really appreciate this community for actually providing helpful solutions when EDD's own support is useless!

Update from someone who works with UI claimants: EDD has been experiencing delays with their mail processing recently. I've had several clients who didn't receive their account number letters until 12-14 days after filing. If you filed just 8 days ago, I'd recommend waiting a few more days for the mail before spending hours trying to call. Also, double-check that you're using the correct SSN format when trying to register - it should be entered without dashes (e.g., 123456789, not 123-45-6789). And make sure your name is entered exactly as it appears on your Social Security card. Even minor differences can cause the system to reject your registration attempt.

I went through this exact same frustrating experience last month! The "must have registered before" error is definitely confusing wording on EDD's part. What worked for me was calling the EDD technical support line (1-833-978-2511) early in the morning around 8:05 AM - I got through on my third try that way. The rep explained that when you file by phone, they create a "skeleton" account that needs to be activated, but the error message makes it sound like you already have a full account. Since you mentioned you have a hyphenated last name, that could definitely be part of the issue. When I was on the phone with the rep, they told me that their phone system sometimes records names differently than how people actually spell them, especially with hyphens and apostrophes. The rep was able to see exactly how my name was entered in their system and help me match it for the online registration. Don't stress too much about the timing - you've still got time before your first certification window opens up. But definitely keep trying to get through to someone since waiting for mail can be unreliable right now. Good luck!

UPDATE on the Money Network issue: I just got an email from EDD stating the system should be fully operational again by tomorrow morning (Thursday). They're doing emergency maintenance to fix the transfer function. If you're still having problems after Thursday, they recommend calling the specific EDD Money Network support line (not the regular Money Network line) at the number on the back of your card.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Been trying to transfer funds for 3 days and keep getting error messages. It's so stressful when you have bills due and can't access your own money. I tried calling Money Network twice and got different answers each time - first rep said it would be fixed "soon" and the second one told me it could take up to a week. Really frustrating that there's no consistent information. Thanks everyone for sharing the workarounds, I'm going to try the website method and the cash back option at the grocery store if that doesn't work. This system really needs to be more reliable for people who depend on these benefits.

I didn't even know partial benefits were a thing! That's good to know in case they only offer me something with significantly lower pay or hours. This whole situation is so stressful, but all this advice is making me feel more prepared for whatever happens. Thank you everyone!

Just wanted to add another perspective here - I went through almost the exact same situation about 6 months ago when my company moved operations to Texas. The key thing that helped me was keeping a detailed timeline of all communications. Write down every conversation, save every email, and if they give you verbal notice about the restructuring, follow up with an email summarizing what was discussed. EDD really appreciates having clear documentation that shows this was their decision, not yours. Also, don't stress too much about the interview process for other positions - participating in it actually shows you were trying to mitigate the situation, which looks good on your unemployment application. The whole process took about 3 weeks for me to get approved once I applied. Stay strong, you've got this!