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Congratulations on getting your appeal approved! That's such a relief after waiting 8 months. For anyone else dealing with similar confusion about BofA vs Money Network cards, this is a perfect example of why it's always worth calling EDD to verify, even if it takes multiple attempts to get through. The transition period is definitely causing a lot of mixed signals, but at least now we know that old claims stick with their original payment system. Thanks for updating us with the resolution!
This is exactly why I love this community - we all help each other navigate these confusing situations and then follow up with what actually happened! Your experience is going to help so many people who get unexpected BofA cards during this transition period. It's reassuring to know that EDD is still honoring old appeals even if it takes forever. Definitely saving this thread for future reference!
This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar situation - got a BofA card last week for a claim I filed in early 2024 that went to appeal. I was panicking thinking it was a scam since everyone talks about the Money Network switch. Reading about your successful resolution gives me hope that my appeal might have been approved too. Going to check my UI Online account right now and then call EDD to verify. Thanks for sharing your experience and congrats on finally getting your benefits!
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I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! Just got laid off from my software engineering job and started doing UX research studies while job hunting. Based on everything discussed here, it sounds like the reporting requirements are pretty clear, but I'm wondering about one specific scenario - what if you sign up for a longitudinal study that pays you monthly over several months, but you only do the actual "work" (surveys, interviews, etc.) sporadically throughout that period? Do you report the income when you receive the monthly payment, or try to allocate it across the specific weeks when you actually participated in study activities? Some of these studies have weird payment structures where they pay you a "participation fee" upfront and then "completion bonuses" later.
That's a tricky situation with the longitudinal studies! Based on what I've learned from this thread, the general rule is to report income for the week you actually perform the work, not when you get paid. For your scenario, I'd suggest allocating the payments across the weeks when you actually do the study activities (surveys, interviews, etc.) rather than reporting it all in the weeks you receive payments. So if you get $200 monthly but did activities in weeks 1, 3, and 4 of that month, try to estimate how much "work" you did each week and report accordingly. Keep detailed records of when you participate and what the payments are for - this documentation will be crucial if EDD ever questions it. The participation fees and completion bonuses make it more complex, but the core principle remains the same: income gets reported when the work is performed, not when payment is received.
I've been on UI for about 6 weeks now and doing some paid user research studies too. One thing I learned the hard way - make sure you screenshot or save the study details when you sign up, especially the dates and payment amounts. I had one study where the company took forever to send payment details and I couldn't remember exactly when I did the work vs when they sent follow-up surveys. EDD wants precision on the dates, so having that backup documentation saved me during my eligibility interview last month. Also, if you're doing studies through platforms like UserTesting or Respondent, they usually have good record-keeping in your account dashboard that you can reference later.
This is such valuable advice about documentation! I just started my UI claim this week and hadn't thought about screenshotting study details. That's going straight into my tracking system. Quick question - when you had your eligibility interview, did they ask for specific documentation about the research study payments, or was it more general questions about your work search activities? I want to make sure I'm prepared with the right paperwork if I get called for an interview.
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Update us when you get this resolved! I'm sure others will run into the same situation and could benefit from knowing what worked for you.
Will do! Going to try calling at 8am sharp tomorrow, and if that doesn't work, I'll try that Claimyr service you mentioned. Really appreciate everyone's help - been panicking all day about this.
I went through something similar last month - missed my interview because they called 20 minutes late and I was in the middle of picking up my kids from school. The anxiety is real, but here's what saved me: I immediately called the main EDD number and kept pressing 1-2-1 to get to a live person. Took about 45 tries over two days, but I finally got through to someone who could see the call log showing the interviewer called outside the scheduled window. They marked it as "interviewer error" and rescheduled me for the following week. The key is being persistent and having your story straight about why you couldn't answer at that exact moment. Don't give up - this happens more often than you'd think and they do have procedures to handle it!
This gives me so much hope! Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm definitely going to try that 1-2-1 sequence tomorrow - I've just been hanging up when I get the automated message instead of navigating through it properly. Really encouraging to hear they have "interviewer error" as an actual category they can mark. Did your benefits stay frozen the whole time until your rescheduled interview, or were you able to get payments while waiting?
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I've been working part-time (15-18 hours) for the past 3 months while on UI. The partial benefit calculation works exactly as others described. Just make sure you're very precise about reporting. I take screenshots of my hours worked each day and save them in a folder on my phone so I can refer to them when certifying. One thing that might help - when you certify, you'll get a summary screen showing what you reported. Take a screenshot of that too in case there are ever any questions about what you reported vs. what EDD recorded in their system.
Just wanted to add one more tip that really helped me - when you start your part-time job, ask your employer upfront about their pay schedule and how they calculate hours. Some places pay weekly, others bi-weekly, and some even pay monthly. This will help you plan ahead for your certifications. Also, if your employer uses a time tracking system or app, take screenshots of your logged hours at the end of each EDD week (Saturday night). I learned this the hard way when my employer's system had a glitch and my hours from two weeks prior disappeared. Having those screenshots saved me from a potential overpayment situation. Good luck with the new job! It sounds like you're being really thoughtful about this whole process, which is exactly the right approach.
That's really smart advice about screenshots! I just downloaded a note-taking app to track everything daily. Quick question - do you know if it matters when during the week I take those screenshots? Like should I do it right at midnight Saturday/Sunday when the EDD week ends, or is anytime on Saturday night fine?
Debra Bai
The benefit calculation is truly shocking when you first see it. I went through this exact situation 8 months ago after losing my position at a fintech startup where I was making $95k. The reality is that California's UI system hasn't been updated to reflect modern salaries or cost of living - that $450 weekly maximum has been stuck since 2005! Here's what saved me during my 12 weeks on benefits: - Applied for CalFresh immediately (got $281/month for groceries) - Negotiated a temporary rent reduction with my landlord by explaining my situation - Used library resources for job searching instead of paying for premium LinkedIn - Did some freelance consulting work - you can earn up to 25% of your weekly benefit without any reduction - Applied for LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance) through my county The hardest part is accepting that you'll likely need to dip into savings no matter what. I had to use about $8,000 of my emergency fund, but I treated it as an investment in finding the right next opportunity rather than just taking the first job that came along. Focus on networking and reaching out to former colleagues - that's how I landed my current role. The benefits are inadequate, but they do provide some breathing room if you're strategic about stretching every dollar.
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LunarLegend
•Debra, thank you for sharing such detailed strategies - this is exactly the kind of practical advice I needed to hear. The fact that you successfully negotiated a rent reduction gives me hope that my landlord might be understanding too. I'm definitely going to look into the LIHEAP program you mentioned, as my utility bills are one of my biggest concerns right now. It's both frustrating and somewhat comforting to know that even people who had good emergency funds still needed to dip into savings significantly. I'm trying to view this as a temporary investment in finding the right opportunity rather than just panicking about the financial hit. Your point about networking is well-taken - I've been so focused on online applications that I haven't reached out to my former colleagues yet.
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NebulaNova
I'm in the exact same boat - just got laid off from my product management role two weeks ago and the $450 weekly benefit feels like a cruel joke when my previous salary was $140k. What really gets me is that I've been paying into this system for over a decade, and now when I actually need support, it doesn't even come close to covering basic living expenses in the Bay Area. I've already started implementing some survival strategies: - Cut all discretionary spending immediately (goodbye $200/month in random subscriptions I forgot about) - Applied for CalFresh and got approved for $194/month - Started freelance product consulting - being very careful to report earnings accurately - Reached out to my mortgage company about forbearance options - Applied to every relevant job opening I can find, treating job search like my new full-time job The psychological impact is honestly harder than the financial one right now. Going from feeling secure to rationing groceries is a humbling experience. But reading everyone's experiences here gives me hope that this is temporary if I stay focused on landing something new quickly. For anyone else going through this - we really need to advocate for updating these benefit amounts. A system designed in 2005 simply doesn't work in 2024's economy.
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Charlotte White
•NebulaNova, I completely understand that psychological impact you mentioned - it's such a jarring transition from feeling financially stable to suddenly having to budget every single expense. The Bay Area makes it even worse with the insane cost of living. Your approach of treating job searching as a full-time job is exactly right. I'm curious about the freelance product consulting you mentioned - are you finding decent hourly rates that make it worth the benefit reduction? Also, did your mortgage company give you any pushback on the forbearance request, or were they pretty understanding about the unemployment situation? We definitely need to keep pushing our representatives to update these benefit caps - it's ridiculous that the system hasn't been adjusted for nearly 20 years while everything else has doubled or tripled in cost.
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