Someone at work told me her cousin had filed for unemployment five times and that after the third time EDD put her on some kind of watch list and denied everything automatically. I'm on my second claim and now I'm paranoid. Is that actually a real thing?

My benefits on my current claim ran out last month and my benefit year closes in about six weeks. Am I stuck with nothing until the year officially ends, or is there any extension I can try to apply for?

Phone line tips from experience: calling as early as possible right at opening, having everything written out in front of you before dialing, and being patient if you're put on hold during the call itself (sometimes the agent steps away briefly mid-call). The actual agents are usually knowledgeable and once you explain a layoff situation they know exactly what to do.

After filing by phone I called EDD back a few days later to check if everything was received okay. Agent confirmed the application was in the system and told me to expect the DE 429Z and other mail within about two weeks. Gave me peace of mind and didn't take long once I got through. Used Claimyr to skip the hold that second time — my specific question was whether my identity verification was showing completed or if I'd need to watch for the DE 1326C, and the agent confirmed the letter was already on its way.

Just want to be sure nobody leaves this thread thinking severance pay means you can't file at all. The original poster mentioned going back to work but I saw severance brought up and want to be clear: severance paid under a company plan doesn't prevent you from filing for UI. You still file, you still report it when asked, and EDD decides how to treat it. Don't skip filing just because you got a severance package.

Went back to work in September after using Claimyr to sort out a pending week issue before I left the claim behind. Adjudication had flagged one of my earlier weeks and it was sitting unresolved. The agent confirmed the week was pending because of a wage crossmatch and told me EDD would mail a Notice of Determination once the review was done. I didn't want that hanging over me when I started the new job.

Waiting on my own UI pending weeks to clear and also dealing with an old workplace injury question on my claim. Called EDD a few times with no luck getting through. Tried Claimyr last week and ended up talking to an agent who told me exactly which weeks were still showing as pending and why — there was an identity verification step I'd missed in my UI Online account. Got that sorted right after the call.

For anyone still confused on the original question: unemployment and workers comp are different programs, different agencies, different funding sources, different eligibility rules. You can pursue both for the same period if your situation involves both a layoff and a job injury — just report workers comp payments honestly when you certify for unemployment and let EDD do the math.

Last November, still waiting for my own fired claim to get out of adjudication when I saw this thread. My former employer ran a nonprofit and someone told me that meant I wasn't eligible for unemployment at all, which completely panicked me. That's not accurate — nonprofit employees file and collect unemployment just like anyone else. The nonprofit pays into EDD's system differently on the backend but that's the employer's accounting, not your problem. File regardless of what sector your former employer was in.

Tax side of unemployment caught me by surprise after my firing two years ago — benefits count as federal taxable income even though California doesn't tax them at the state level. When you certify you can choose to have 10 percent withheld for federal taxes, which a lot of people skip and then get a bill in April. EDD sends a Form 1099G each January, and it's also available in UI Online under Payments. Worth opting into withholding upfront so it doesn't become a problem later.