That sounds like a good plan. One more tip: if you do end up visiting an office in person, bring EVERYTHING with you - your ID, Social Security card, the employer form, any EDD paperwork you've received, and even screenshots of your online account showing the pending status. Better to have too much documentation than not enough. Good luck!

I'm dealing with something very similar right now! My claim has been pending for 3 weeks because they can't reach my former employer. The frustrating part is that I have all the documentation they need - pay stubs, my final paycheck showing the end date, and even a letter from HR confirming my employment dates. But EDD seems stuck on trying to contact the employer directly instead of just accepting the documents I already have. From reading everyone's responses here, it sounds like the interview you had might actually move things forward even though it felt useless. I'm going to try the Claimyr service that @Nick mentioned - I've been trying to call EDD for days with no luck. Has anyone else here had success getting their employer verification issues resolved without EDD actually reaching the employer? I'm wondering if having solid documentation is enough or if they really need that employer contact.

The menu shortcut is great but the real bottleneck is the 'we're too busy' message. No shortcut can fix that - you just have to keep redialing until you get lucky with timing.

Start calling at 7:55am sharp. Make your coffee the night before, set multiple alarms, and be ready to dial right before they open. Those first few minutes after 8am are your best shot at getting through.

I went through the exact same situation in February - got cut from 40 to 22 hours. The EDD website was confusing but I finally figured it out. One tip: after you apply, there's a mandatory one-week waiting period before benefits start. So you won't get paid for the first week you certify for - that threw me off when I first saw my claim summary. Also check out the Work Sharing program if your company has multiple employees in the same boat: https://edd.ca.gov/en/Unemployment/Work_Sharing_Program/

Just wanted to add another perspective here - I was in a similar situation last fall when my hours got cut from 35 to 18 per week. The partial UI definitely helped, but I'd also suggest looking into local food banks and utility assistance programs while you're waiting for your claim to process. In my area, 211 (dial 2-1-1) connected me to emergency rent assistance that helped bridge the gap during that first month. Also, if you have any skills like tutoring, pet sitting, or handyman work, consider picking up some gig work - just make sure to report those earnings accurately when you certify. The combination of partial UI plus a few extra gig hours helped me stay afloat until I found a better full-time position. Hang in there - this situation is temporary even though it feels overwhelming right now!

One more crucial step: Once you've reported the fraud, monitor your credit reports closely for at least a year. The person who stole your identity for EDD fraud may try to use your information for other types of fraud as well. You're entitled to free weekly credit reports through April 2025 at www.annualcreditreport.com from all three major credit bureaus. Set calendar reminders to check them regularly.

Update: I tried several of the suggestions here this morning. After trying to call EDD directly and getting nowhere, I used Claimyr and actually got through to a real person within 30 minutes! The agent transferred me to their fraud department where I reported everything. They're sending me the Form 2362E to complete, and I also filed the FTC report and froze my credit at all three bureaus. Still need to file the police report tomorrow. Thank you everyone for your help - I feel like I'm finally making progress!

This exact thing happened to me when I did some freelance graphic design work last year! I was getting $475/week and then reported about $200 in freelance income one week. My payment dropped to like $75 and I completely freaked out thinking I had somehow damaged my claim permanently. Like everyone else is saying, it's just the partial unemployment formula - they reduce your benefit for that specific week based on your earnings, but your underlying claim stays the same. Once you certify with zero income again, you'll get your full $550 back. The EDD really needs to do a better job explaining this process because SO many people panic when it happens. Maybe they could add a simple explanation right on the certification page that says "reporting income will only affect THIS week's payment, not your overall benefit amount" or something like that. Would save everyone a lot of stress! Anyway, don't worry - your benefits will definitely return to normal with your next certification.

I'm dealing with something similar right now and this thread is incredibly helpful! I just started a part-time retail job (20 hours/week) while collecting unemployment and I'm dreading my next certification because I know my payment is going to drop significantly. It's reassuring to hear from so many people that this is temporary and my benefits will go back to normal if the part-time work doesn't work out. The anxiety of not knowing how the system works is honestly worse than the actual reduction sometimes. One question though - does anyone know if there's a minimum number of hours you can work before it affects your benefits? Or does ANY reported income trigger the reduction formula?