Went through a quit claim myself six weeks ago - left a property management job where my health was genuinely deteriorating from the stress load and the documentation I had was mostly medical. Doctor's notes, two visits to urgent care, an email to my manager explaining the situation and asking for accommodations that went completely ignored. EDD approved my claim. Used Claimyr (claimyr.com) about two weeks in when I couldn't get through to EDD any other way and needed to know whether my medical documentation would even be useful during the interview. The agent told me the interview notice had been scheduled already and confirmed the type of issue EDD had flagged, so I knew going in what I needed to address. Brought printed copies of all the medical records to have in front of me during the call.

Final thought from me for the person who started this thread since there's been so much information here. Walk into the phone interview having practiced saying out loud - not just thought through, actually said out loud - what happened, in order. The conditions, the specific incidents with dates if you have them, who you talked to, what they said, how long you let it go on trying to fix it, what finally made you leave. Speaking it out loud before the actual call makes a real difference when you're nervous and have an interviewer asking questions.

After six weeks of pending weeks myself I finally used Claimyr and got through to an EDD agent — the hold situation on the regular line had beaten me down completely. Week five of my claim had a wages discrepancy flag because my part-time employer had reported my gross wages differently than what I'd entered during certification. The agent said to watch for a DE 1080CZ in the mail for that week specifically, and that the other weeks looked clear. Having an actual reason after weeks of just 'Pending' on a screen was weirdly calming even though it meant more waiting.

Nobody told me I'd need to keep certifying even during a long pending stretch. I actually stopped after my fourth certification because I figured the account was frozen or something and my certifications weren't counting anyway. Got back in and certified again recently — is there any way to recover those skipped weeks?

Months into a claim after SDI ending I had to phone EDD about a week that showed pending for no reason I could figure out from UI Online. Getting through took forever on regular hold times. Claimyr handled the wait and I ended up talking to an agent who saw there was a wages report question on one of my certified weeks - my employer had reported some payout differently than I had. Got it resolved that call. Worth knowing that option exists for when you actually need to reach a live person.

Closing out this thread from my own perspective - went through this transition about six months ago, DI to UI with a job separation in between. The process works, it's just a lot of pieces to coordinate. File the UI claim as soon as your DI period closes, verify your ID.me is complete, watch for the DE 8405 about CalJOBS, keep your phone available for the DE 4800 interview notice, and certify every two weeks starting about two weeks after EDD processes your application. Each step is manageable on its own, it just feels overwhelming when you're dealing with it right after recovering from an injury.

Pension situation: I'm 61 and when I got laid off I started drawing from an old pension from a job I had years ago. Someone at the workforce center told me my UI benefits would be reduced dollar for dollar by whatever I collect in pension. Is that actually how it works?

Overpayment notice hit my mailbox today for $1,870 from a claim I had earlier this year. The notice says it's non-fraud and that I 'failed to accurately report earnings' but I genuinely reported everything I knew how to report at the time. I had no idea vacation payout from my last job was something I needed to report on my cert.

Last thing for anyone still on the fence: the worst-case outcome is EDD says no and sends you a Notice of Determination explaining why, and you can appeal within 30 days. The best case is you get paid for weeks you'd otherwise just go without income. Worth filing even if you're not 100% sure you qualify — let EDD make the call.

Last thing I'll add — if you're in California and lose work, CalFresh food benefits are also worth looking into while you're in between contracts. Unemployment income counts as income for the application but you can still qualify depending on your expenses. Apply at BenefitsCal or call 1-877-847-3663. Not an EDD thing but relevant when you're waiting for benefits to kick in.