for future reference, any1 filing for unemployment should know that severance does affect when u can start getting benefits. EDD considers severance as wages for the period it covers, so they won't pay benefits until after that period ends. thats why its super important to report it right.

Congrats on getting it resolved! This is a great example of why it's worth being persistent with calling EDD early in the morning. For anyone else reading this thread who might face similar issues, documenting everything (like keeping screenshots of your original application and any error messages) can really help when you do get through to a representative. They can see your good faith effort to correct mistakes right away. Also, don't be afraid to ask the rep for a confirmation number or case number when they make corrections to your account - it's helpful to have that reference if any issues come up later during the certification process.

Reading through all these responses, I'm amazed at how many people are dealing with the exact same email mismatch issue - it really shows how widespread this problem is with EDD's system! I'm planning to try the 833-978-2511 number tomorrow morning at 8:01 AM sharp and specifically request a "contact information audit" like Sadie suggested. If that doesn't work, the in-person office visit that Abby mentioned sounds like a solid backup plan. I also really appreciate Mateusius's advice about documenting everything - I'm starting a call log today so I don't lose track of what different reps tell me. It's ridiculous that we need all these strategies just to get basic account info corrected, but this thread has given me hope that there are actually ways to get through the system. Thanks everyone for sharing what actually works instead of just complaining (though the complaints are totally justified too!). Will definitely update once I make some progress.

This is such a comprehensive thread with so many helpful strategies! I'm dealing with the exact same email mismatch issue and have been banging my head against the wall for weeks. The specific phone number (833-978-2511) and the "contact information audit" terminology are game changers - I never would have known to ask for that specifically. I'm definitely going to try the 8:01 AM approach tomorrow morning with my SSN and claim number ready. The documentation advice is brilliant too - I can't believe I haven't been keeping a call log this whole time. It's absolutely ridiculous that we need to become experts in navigating government bureaucracy just to get basic account information corrected, but I'm so grateful everyone is sharing actual solutions that work. The in-person office visit option also sounds promising as a backup plan. Will definitely report back once I make some progress. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share detailed, actionable advice instead of just venting (though the venting is totally justified too!).

That's such great news! I'm so happy you were able to get through and get it sorted out. The stress of potentially missing that interview must have been overwhelming. Good luck with the actual interview on Thursday - sounds like you're in much better shape now. Also want to echo what others said about having all the documentation ready. They usually ask about your last employer, dates of employment, reason for leaving, and sometimes about your job search efforts. Having everything organized beforehand makes it go much smoother!

Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through a similar situation a few months ago. The fact that you were proactive and got this resolved before your phone service was cut off was absolutely the right move. I made the mistake of waiting until after I missed my interview to try to fix things, and it turned into a 6-week nightmare of trying to get reinstated. For anyone else reading this thread who might face similar issues - act FAST and don't wait until the last minute. EDD is actually more reasonable than people think when you contact them beforehand rather than after missing appointments. Good luck with your interview Thursday!

Just wanted to follow up - did you ever get through to the SDI office? Were you able to find out what's happening with your claim? I'm curious because I'll need to deal with an IME review later this year too.

I'm dealing with a similar IME situation right now and this thread has been so helpful! One thing I learned from my case worker is that you can actually request a status update on your IME report through the SDI online portal - there's a "Contact Us" section where you can send a secure message asking specifically about IME report processing times. This way you have a written record of your inquiry and they're supposed to respond within 5 business days. It's been more reliable for me than trying to get through on the phone lines. Also, if your payments do get interrupted while waiting for the report, make sure to keep certifying for benefits if you're still within your benefit period - the payments should be retroactive once everything gets sorted out.

Just want to add my experience as another data point for people dealing with special characters - my last name has an accent (García) and I went through almost the exact same ordeal as Derek. The ID.me agent said everything was "fixed" but I still couldn't register for UI Online. What finally worked for me was calling through Claimyr (took about 20 minutes to get through) and specifically asking the EDD rep to spell out my name letter by letter from their system. Turns out the accent got stripped out entirely during the transfer from ID.me to EDD, so my name was stored as "Garcia" in their database. Once the rep updated it to match exactly what was on my documents, I was able to register immediately. The whole process took maybe 10 minutes once I got the right person on the phone. It's insane that we have to deal with this in 2025, but at least there are solutions. Thanks Derek for sharing your success story - it gave me the confidence to keep pushing for a resolution instead of just giving up!

This thread should honestly be pinned to the top of this community! As someone who works in customer service for a different government agency, I can tell you that these special character database sync issues are unfortunately common across many older government systems. What Derek and others have experienced is a classic case of legacy databases that weren't designed to handle Unicode characters properly. The fact that ID.me uses modern character encoding but EDD's systems strip out or convert special characters during data transfer is a textbook example of poor system integration. For anyone still struggling with this, here are a few additional tips: 1) When you get through to an EDD rep, ask them to check not just how your name appears, but also ask them to verify the CHARACTER COUNT matches what's on your documents - sometimes invisible characters get added during transfers. 2) If possible, ask them to update your name in ALL their systems during the same call rather than just fixing one database. 3) Screenshot your successful login once you get it working - you'll want that exact format if you ever need to re-register. It's absolutely shameful that people have to become database troubleshooting experts just to access unemployment benefits, but this community knowledge-sharing is invaluable for navigating these broken systems!