I'm a former EDD claims processor and wanted to add some insight from the inside perspective. Your situation is absolutely eligible for UI benefits - we see cases like this regularly and they're usually straightforward once you get to the eligibility interview. A few practical tips based on what I've seen work best: 1. When you file online, there should be a dropdown for "reduction in hours/wages" - select that rather than "laid off" or "quit." This will route your claim correctly from the start. 2. During your eligibility interview, lead with the key facts: employed since [date], last paid March 15th, still working full hours but receiving $0. The interviewer will understand immediately. 3. Don't worry too much about your employer contesting - with 7 weeks of non-payment, their case would be extremely weak. Most employers in this situation are too busy trying to keep their business afloat to fight UI claims. 4. Timeline-wise, with the eligibility interview you're probably looking at 3-4 weeks from filing to first payment, assuming no complications. The fact that you're still showing up to work actually strengthens your case significantly. It shows good faith on your part and makes it clear this isn't voluntary. File today if you haven't already - you've waited long enough!

I'm so glad you found this thread helpful! As someone who went through a very similar situation about 6 months ago, I can tell you that filing for UI benefits while still "employed" but not getting paid was absolutely the right decision. My employer kept promising payment was "just around the corner" for almost 2 months before I finally took action. Looking back, I wish I had filed sooner like you're planning to do. A couple of additional tips from my experience: - When you get to the eligibility interview, have a timeline ready of when you were last paid, how many weeks it's been, and what your employer has told you about when payment might come - Keep a simple log of your daily work activities during this period - it helps demonstrate you're still performing your job duties despite not being compensated - If possible, try to get any promises about payment in writing (text, email) rather than just verbal - this documentation can be really helpful The whole process took about 3.5 weeks for me from filing to first payment, which included the eligibility interview. The EDD representative was very understanding once I explained the situation. You're making the smart choice by protecting yourself financially while hoping your employer sorts things out. Best of luck with your claim!

This thread has been a lifesaver! I'm about 5 weeks into my EDD claim and have been doing the exact same weekend certification anxiety dance as everyone else here. I actually had a mini panic attack two weeks ago when I realized I forgot to certify on Saturday and didn't remember until Sunday afternoon. I was convinced I'd screwed up my whole payment schedule! Reading Leo's experience from start to finish - the initial worry, everyone's reassuring responses, and then the confirmation that payment came through normally - is exactly what I needed to see. It's crazy how much stress we put on ourselves as newcomers when EDD actually designed the system to be more forgiving than we think. The community knowledge here is pure gold - so much more helpful than trying to decode EDD's confusing website. Thanks for asking this question and following through with the results!

This entire discussion has been incredibly helpful! I just submitted my first EDD claim application yesterday and I'm already stressing about certification procedures. Reading through Leo's real-time experience - from the initial panic about certifying on Sunday instead of Saturday to getting paid on the normal schedule - is exactly the kind of practical information I needed. I had no idea there was a whole weekend window for certification! I was already planning to set Saturday morning alarms thinking I had to certify at a specific time. The detailed breakdown about the Saturday 12:01 AM through Sunday 11:59 PM timeframe is so much clearer than anything I found on the official EDD website. It's reassuring to see how supportive this community is for newcomers who are still learning how everything works. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

I'm currently dealing with this exact same issue! Filed my claim about 2 weeks ago, got my first payment on my EDD card yesterday ($312), and just logged in today to see that "reopen your claim" button sitting there mocking me. I was literally about to click it thinking maybe I needed to do something to continue my benefits. Thank goodness I found this thread first! Reading everyone's experiences has been such a huge relief. I checked my claim status and it shows "Active" with my benefit year ending next March, and my certification date for this weekend is clearly displayed. It's honestly insane how EDD's system can create so much panic and confusion for people who are already stressed about their financial situation. Like, why would they show that button to someone who JUST got their first payment? The timing makes zero sense! But I'm so grateful for everyone who shared their stories here - you've definitely saved me from making a costly mistake. I'll be ignoring that button and just certifying normally this weekend!

I'm going through this EXACT same situation right now and this thread is a lifesaver! Filed my claim 3 weeks ago, got my first payment yesterday ($398), and when I checked my account today there's that stupid "reopen your claim" button just sitting there. I was literally seconds away from clicking it because I thought maybe it was something I needed to do. After reading everyone's experiences here, I checked my claim status and it shows "Active" with my next certification date clearly listed for Sunday. So I'm definitely going to follow everyone's advice and ignore that glitchy button completely. It's honestly incredible how many people have experienced this exact same timeline - get first payment, then immediately see the confusing reopen button the next day. This has to be one of the most common EDD system glitches out there. Thank you to everyone who shared their stories, especially those who warned about what happens if you actually click it. You've saved me from potentially creating a huge mess with my benefits!

I just had my CalJOBS appointment this morning and wanted to share my experience since I've been following this thread! I was also in healthcare admin (worked in patient registration and insurance verification for a large clinic) and had been unemployed for about 5 weeks when my appointment came up. The appointment was honestly much more helpful than I expected. My rep spent about 40 minutes with me and really focused on optimizing my job search strategy for healthcare roles. She showed me how to use industry-specific filters I didn't know existed and helped me identify keywords from actual job postings to include in my profile. One thing that really stood out was when she mentioned that CalJOBS has partnerships with several major health systems in California that post positions exclusively through their platform first, before advertising elsewhere. She actually flagged my profile for a few of these employers since my experience matched what they typically look for. She also walked me through the "Skills Gap Analysis" feature, which I had no idea existed. It shows you what additional certifications or training might make you more competitive for roles you're interested in, and she connected me with information about free medical billing certification courses available through CalJOBS partners. For anyone still preparing for their appointment - definitely have specific examples ready of process improvements or efficiency gains you've made in previous roles. Healthcare employers really value candidates who can demonstrate operational impact, not just task completion. The ongoing requirements are really manageable once you get into a rhythm. I check in every few days and the job alerts have actually been super useful - I've gotten notifications for remote healthcare admin positions I never would have found otherwise. Good luck to everyone with upcoming appointments! It really is designed to help you succeed in your search.

Wow, this thread has been incredibly helpful for someone like me who's preparing for my first CalJOBS appointment! I'm in a similar boat - healthcare administration background with about 7 weeks of unemployment, and I was honestly dreading this appointment until I read all these responses. The advice about treating it as career coaching rather than compliance is such a game-changer for my mindset. I've been so focused on not "getting in trouble" that I wasn't thinking about all the resources and guidance I could actually get from this. A few questions for those who've been through it: How technical do they get about your job search methods? Like, do they ask about specific networking strategies or just focus on the CalJOBS platform activities? And for healthcare admin folks specifically - did your reps have good knowledge about our field, or did you need to explain a lot about what you do? I'm definitely going to spend this weekend uploading my resume, organizing my application records in CalJOBS, and preparing that "cheat sheet" someone mentioned with all my EMR systems and certifications. This community has been amazing - thank you all for sharing your experiences so openly!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now too! Just saw the weekly certification prompt this morning and my heart sank thinking my benefits were ending early. I still have about $9,200 left on my claim and have only been collecting since February, so I knew something seemed off. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a huge relief - it's clear this is just a normal EDD system quirk that happens occasionally for various reasons (holidays, system maintenance, etc.). It's so frustrating that they don't provide any explanation when these changes happen! Based on what everyone is saying, it sounds like the weekly certifications are temporary and will switch back to bi-weekly on their own within a few weeks. And the payment amounts work out to be exactly the same - just half the normal bi-weekly amount paid weekly instead. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here. It's really reassuring to know this is a common occurrence and not a sign that benefits are ending. The EDD system definitely keeps us all on our toes with these unexplained changes!

I just want to add my experience to reassure anyone else going through this! I had the exact same weekly certification switch happen to me back in January and I was absolutely convinced my benefits were ending early. I even stayed up all night researching and found horror stories online that made me panic even more. Turns out it was completely normal - mine lasted exactly 3 weeks before automatically switching back to bi-weekly. The payments were exactly what everyone else described: half my normal bi-weekly amount, paid weekly. So if I normally got $640 every two weeks, I got $320 each week during that period. Same total money, just different timing. What really helped me was tracking everything in a spreadsheet during those 3 weeks to prove to myself that my claim balance was decreasing at the normal rate. It was! The only difference was I was getting paid more frequently, which actually made budgeting easier. With your $8,400 balance and only 4 months of collecting, you're definitely nowhere near exhausting your 26-week benefit period. This weekly certification thing is just one of those random EDD system quirks that happens occasionally. Try not to let it stress you out - just keep certifying as prompted and it'll go back to normal on its own!