Thanks everyone for the great advice! Just submitted my final certification and reported my training days. The system reduced my payment for those days but still gave me benefits for the days I didn't work. I answered YES to finding full-time work and put my start date. Feels good to have this handled properly! Appreciate all the help from this community.

Great job handling this the right way! Just wanted to add one more tip for anyone else in a similar situation - make sure to screenshot or save a copy of your final certification submission as proof that you properly reported your return to work. I've seen cases where people needed to reference this later if there were any questions about their claim closure. Also, even though your claim will close automatically, you can still log into UI Online months later to view your claim history and download forms if needed for tax purposes or future applications.

Just wanted to jump in as someone who's been through the EDD maze before - your situation is unfortunately very common but you're handling it exactly right! The fact that your employer claimed "excessive absences" when you were clearly part of a mass layoff affecting 15 people is such obvious fraud on their part. They're literally willing to lie to avoid paying higher unemployment insurance rates. Your documentation sounds absolutely bulletproof though. Having both the termination letter that specifically mentions downsizing AND those HR emails about the department-wide layoffs gives you everything you need to demolish their bogus story during your phone interview. One tip for the interview - if possible, try to get contact info for some of the other 14 people who were laid off with you. Having witnesses who can confirm it was a mass layoff due to client loss (not individual performance issues) can really strengthen your case, though your written documentation should be more than enough. You're going to get through this! With that level of evidence, those disqualified weeks should get reversed pretty quickly once you have your interview.

This is such a great success story and learning experience for everyone! It's incredible how your employer tried to claim "excessive absences" when you were clearly part of a mass layoff of 15 people due to the company losing a major client - that's textbook employer fraud to avoid higher unemployment insurance premiums. The documentation you have is absolutely perfect for your upcoming phone interview. Having both your termination letter that specifically mentions downsizing AND those HR emails about department-wide layoffs creates an ironclad case that completely contradicts their bogus attendance claim. As someone who's navigated EDD issues before, I can tell you that interviewers see these employer tactics constantly and know exactly what to look for. When you present your timeline and documentation, it's going to be crystal clear that this was a legitimate layoff, not anything related to your individual performance or attendance. Just stay calm and factual during the interview, and let your evidence do the talking. With this level of documentation, you should get those disqualified weeks reversed pretty quickly. Thanks for sharing your experience and keeping us updated - it's incredibly helpful for others who might face similar employer pushback!

Ya probaste reiniciar tu reclamo? A veces eso desbloquea pagos atrasados. Solo asegúrate de tener toda tu info correcta antes de hacerlo.

¡Hola Dylan! Siento mucho que estés pasando por esta situación tan estresante. He estado leyendo todos los comentarios aquí y hay muchísimos consejos útiles. Lo que más me llama la atención es la combinación de estrategias que han funcionado para diferentes personas - desde llamar temprano en la mañana hasta usar la nueva app EDD Mobile que mencionó Freya. Mi recomendación sería que pruebes un enfoque múltiple: intenta llamar temprano siguiendo los consejos de Javier, envía un correo electrónico detallado como sugirió Paolo, y si tienes redes sociales, considera el consejo de Mei sobre Twitter. También revisa si puedes descargar la nueva app que parece estar ayudando a algunas personas. Lo más importante es no rendirse. Veo que ya lograste comunicarte según tu actualización, pero para cualquier persona nueva que lea esto, estos consejos realmente parecen funcionar cuando se combinan con persistencia y paciencia. ¡Espero que recibas tu pago pronto! 🙏

Hey Zoe! Just wanted to add that when you do find temp work, make sure to keep detailed records of your earnings and pay stubs. I learned this the hard way - EDD sometimes has delays getting wage information from employers, especially smaller temp agencies. Having your own documentation can speed up the claims process. Also, don't forget that you can work part-time while collecting UI benefits (once you qualify again). You can earn up to 25% of your weekly benefit amount without any reduction, and 25-100% gets partially deducted. So even if you start with a lower-paying temp job to establish eligibility, you might be able to supplement those benefits while continuing to look for something better in tech. Good luck with everything! The system is definitely frustrating but it sounds like you have a solid plan now.

Just wanted to share another perspective on this - I was in a similar situation in 2024 where I had been unemployed for over a year and couldn't qualify for a new claim due to the base period issue. What saved me was signing up with multiple temp agencies at once rather than just one. I registered with Robert Half, Kelly Services, and a few local staffing companies all in the same week. This gave me way more opportunities for short-term assignments, and I was able to piece together enough work across different agencies to hit the minimum earnings threshold much faster than I expected. The key was being super flexible about the type of work - I took admin roles, data entry, even some warehouse shifts when office work wasn't available. It wasn't glamorous, but within about 8 weeks I had enough qualifying wages to file a new claim. Plus some of these temp assignments actually led to interviews for permanent positions, so it wasn't a total dead end. One more tip: if you have any connections from your previous tech job, let them know you're available for contract or freelance work while you're building up your UI eligibility. Sometimes former colleagues have short-term projects they need help with, and that W-2 income (even if it's contract work reported on a W-2) can count toward your base period earnings.

Just a warning - when I transitioned from disability back to work, EDD CONTINUED sending me payments I wasn't entitled to for THREE WEEKS after I reported returning to work!!! Then 6 months later they sent me an OVERPAYMENT NOTICE demanding I pay back $2,800!! Their system is COMPLETELY BROKEN. Make sure you document EVERYTHING and call to confirm they processed your return to work when that time comes.

Just wanted to add from my recent experience - I was on SDI for 7 months after knee surgery and the process was actually smoother than I expected. My orthopedic surgeon was really familiar with the EDD forms and made sure to be conservative with the initial certification (6 weeks) then proactive with extensions. The key was staying in regular contact with my doctor's office about 2 weeks before each certification period ended. They have a system for handling these extensions since they deal with them frequently. Also, make sure your surgeon's office knows you're planning to file for SDI BEFORE your surgery - some doctors prefer to have the paperwork ready to go rather than scrambling after the fact. The 7-day waiting period starts from when you stop working, not when you apply, so get that application in as soon as possible after your surgery date.