That's a great summary! You've got the key points down. One additional tip since you're filing tomorrow: when you get to the section about why you're unemployed, make sure to select "lack of work" rather than "quit" or "fired" since your entertainment job ended due to industry circumstances beyond your control. Also, have your production company's exact business name and address ready - EDD is picky about matching employer information exactly as it appears on your W-2s. Good luck with your filing!

One more thing to keep in mind - since you mentioned productions might not resume until February, make sure you're prepared for the work search requirements during your claim period. As an entertainment industry worker, you can focus your search on industry-specific opportunities, but EDD will expect you to demonstrate active job seeking efforts. Keep detailed records of any applications to studios, networking events, union job boards, or even remote wardrobe consultation gigs. Having a solid paper trail of your job search activities will be crucial if you ever need to prove you're meeting the work search requirements, especially with an interstate claim where they might scrutinize things more closely.

edd more like smh amirite 🤡

Hey Ethan! I just reopened my claim a few weeks ago after my job ended in March. One thing I wish I had known - if you worked at all between when your original claim ended and now, make sure to have all those employment details ready (dates, wages, reason for separation). They asked me about every single job I had during that gap, even short-term gigs. Also, don't panic if they put your claim "under review" - mine took about 10 days to process but everything worked out fine. Good luck!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm currently stuck in this exact same verification loop nightmare and it's so reassuring to know I'm not alone. I've been trying to log in for the past day and getting increasingly frustrated. Based on everyone's experiences here, I'm going to try the incognito browser method first, then the complete browser data clearing approach if that doesn't work. If I'm still stuck by tomorrow, I'll definitely look into using Claimyr to get through to tech support like several people mentioned. It's ridiculous that EDD's system is this broken, but I'm grateful this community exists to help each other navigate these issues. I'll make sure to update with my results - every success story helps the next person dealing with this mess!

This thread is absolutely incredible! I just went through this exact same verification loop hell last week and was pulling my hair out. What finally worked for me was a combination approach: I used the incognito browser method PLUS switched from my home WiFi to my phone's mobile hotspot. Apparently the combination of fresh browser session and different network connection was the magic formula. I also want to emphasize what others said about the 5-minute waiting period after email verification - I think I was being too impatient and trying to log in immediately. For anyone still struggling with this, don't give up! I probably tried 20+ different combinations before finding what worked. And definitely save the Claimyr info for backup - I was about to use it when my DIY approach finally succeeded. This community is honestly better tech support than EDD's actual help desk!

I'm new to this community but felt compelled to reach out after reading about your situation. What you're experiencing sounds absolutely overwhelming, especially dealing with penalty weeks while already struggling financially. However, I'm genuinely encouraged by all the success stories shared here - it seems like employer miscommunication cases like yours have a really good track record on appeal. Your description of being told "we're letting you go" with zero specifics, combined with office talk about budget issues and restructuring, creates exactly the kind of reasonable misunderstanding that appeals judges recognize. The vagueness actually works in your favor because it shows you had no choice but to interpret their words reasonably given the context you had. Based on everyone's advice, you've got such a solid action plan now: getting that DE 1101CZ form through records request, documenting every detail while it's fresh, continuing to certify during penalty weeks, and building your case with evidence like that positive performance review. The fact that multiple people here have successfully overturned similar penalties and received full back pay is really inspiring. While the financial stress is real, remember to check out those emergency assistance resources like 211.org that people mentioned. And don't let EDD's bureaucracy intimidate you - this community has shown that these cases are absolutely fightable when there's genuine miscommunication involved. You're not alone in this fight anymore, and it sounds like you have excellent grounds to challenge this penalty. Keep us posted on what you discover from that employer response - rooting for you to get this overturned!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this nightmare - the sudden appearance of penalty weeks without explanation is absolutely terrifying, especially when you're already struggling financially! As someone new to this community, I've been reading through everyone's incredible advice and I'm genuinely hopeful for your case based on all the success stories shared here. Your situation really does sound like a textbook employer miscommunication case that others have successfully appealed. The fact that your employer was so vague during termination ("we're letting you go" with zero specifics) while there was office chatter about budget issues and restructuring creates the perfect storm for reasonable misunderstanding about separation reason. What's really encouraging is how your employer's vagueness actually works in your favor - if there had been legitimate misconduct or performance issues, any competent employer would have been specific about that instead of just walking away after such a brief, unclear statement. You've got an amazing action plan now thanks to everyone's guidance: get that DE 1101CZ form from EDD Records ASAP, document every detail of your termination conversation while it's fresh, keep certifying religiously during penalty weeks, and gather supporting evidence like that positive performance review you mentioned. The multiple success stories here prove these cases are absolutely winnable when there's genuine employer miscommunication. Remember that if you win your appeal, you'll get full back pay for all those penalty weeks - think of it as temporarily delayed income rather than lost money. While dealing with the financial stress, definitely check out 211.org for emergency assistance. You're not facing this bureaucratic nightmare alone anymore - this community has your back! Keep us posted on what that employer response reveals. Rooting for you to get this overturned!

Just wanted to add another perspective for anyone still struggling with this. I went through the exact same confusion last year and made it way more complicated than it needed to be. The key thing that finally clicked for me was realizing that ID.me is basically like a digital ID card that you show to EDD to prove you're really you - it has nothing to do with your old account login or payment history. Think of it like showing your driver's license at the DMV. Once I stopped trying to connect it to my old unemployment stuff and just treated it as a fresh identity verification, the whole process took maybe 20 minutes. The selfie part was a bit finicky (make sure you have good lighting!), but otherwise pretty smooth. Also, pro tip: have your phone ready for the mobile verification step - it goes much faster than trying to do everything on a computer.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - filed my claim two days ago and just got the ID.me verification email this morning. I was panicking because I also collected unemployment in 2020 and couldn't remember any of those old details. Reading through everyone's experiences here made me realize I was overthinking it completely. Just finished my ID.me verification about 30 minutes ago (took maybe 15 minutes once I understood it was totally separate from my old account). The hardest part was getting good lighting for the selfie - had to move to three different rooms before it would accept the photo! Now I know to focus on that as a separate step if I need UI Online access later. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, especially the step-by-step breakdown. It really helps to see real people who went through the exact same confusion and came out the other side successfully!