I went through something similar last year and here's what finally worked for me: Try calling the 1-800-300-5616 number at exactly 8:00:01 AM, not 8:00 AM. The system seems to reset right after the hour and you have a slightly better chance. Also, if you get the busy message, hang up immediately and redial - don't wait for it to disconnect you. I did this about 20 times one morning and finally got through to the hold queue around 8:30 AM. Since you found that employer verification notice, that's actually good news because it means your issue has a clear resolution path. When you do get through, have your employer's information ready (company name, dates of employment, reason for separation, etc.) because they'll likely need to verify those details over the phone. Good luck! The system is definitely broken but once you get a real person, they can usually fix these verification issues pretty quickly.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now and wanted to share another option that might help. If you have a local state senator or assembly member's office, their constituent services team can sometimes get through to EDD much faster than individual callers. I contacted my assembly member's office last week about my pending claim and they were able to get a response from EDD within 3 business days. You can usually find your representatives on the CA legislature website by entering your zip code. When you call or email their office, explain that you've been trying to reach EDD for weeks without success and that you have a specific issue (the employer verification you found). They often have direct contacts at EDD for constituent issues. Also, since you mentioned rent is due next week, you might want to look into emergency rental assistance programs in San Bernardino County while you're waiting for this to get resolved. Many counties have programs specifically for people waiting on unemployment benefits.

Just wanted to jump in here as someone who's been battling EDD phone issues for the past month! Reading through all these strategies has been incredibly eye-opening - I had no idea there were so many specific techniques that actually work. I'm particularly interested in trying Nina's tip about staying on the line for 30-45 seconds after the "high call volume" message instead of hanging up immediately. That's such a smart observation that the system might have brief openings that people miss by disconnecting too quickly. My situation is similar to many here - my regular UI benefits ended and I need to convert to disability, but I've been stuck in phone hell for weeks. I've been calling randomly without any real strategy, so I'm going to try combining several approaches mentioned here: 1. Fatima's Wednesday 8:45am timing strategy with the redial function 2. Andre's 2-1-2 button sequence for disability conversion claims 3. Nina's technique of waiting on the line after the busy message 4. Keeping a tally sheet to stay motivated through multiple attempts Has anyone noticed if certain weeks of the month tend to have better success rates? I'm wondering if calling right after people receive their benefit payments (typically mid-month) might result in lower call volume. Thank you everyone for sharing such detailed experiences - this thread is gold for anyone dealing with EDD's impossible phone system!

I've been dealing with EDD phone issues for months and wanted to share a strategy that's been working consistently for me lately. After trying many of the approaches mentioned here, I found that calling at exactly 2:47pm on weekdays actually has better success rates than the morning rush everyone talks about. Here's my theory: most people give up calling by mid-afternoon, but that's when EDD reps are coming back from lunch breaks and clearing their queues. I've gotten through 4 times in the past 2 weeks using this timing, compared to zero success with morning calls. My exact process: 1. Call at 2:47pm (not 2:45 or 2:50 - the exact timing seems to matter) 2. Use the 2-1-2 sequence for disability claims that Andre mentioned 3. If I get the busy message, I wait exactly 60 seconds before hanging up (longer than Nina's 30-45 second suggestion) 4. Redial immediately and repeat The afternoon approach combined with Nina's "wait on the line" tip has been game-changing. Yesterday I got through on my 8th attempt and the rep processed my disability conversion in 15 minutes. Sometimes thinking outside the box with timing can make all the difference!

One more important thing: make sure Hawaii has your correct mailing address so you'll receive your 1099-G form for tax filing. They'll send it in January, and you'll need it to properly report your unemployment income. If you don't receive it, you can usually request it online through Hawaii's unemployment portal.

I went through something similar a few years ago with Nevada UI while living in CA. One tip that really helped me was to set up a separate savings account just for taxes and automatically transfer about 25-30% of each UI payment into it. That way I wasn't tempted to spend the tax money and had enough saved when filing time came around. Also, both states should send you 1099-G forms in January - make sure to keep both copies since you'll need them for filing in each state. The dual filing is annoying but manageable if you stay organized throughout the year.

I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago - hour reduction from full-time to part-time and EDD initially denied my claim saying I "voluntarily quit." I won my appeal and here's what really helped me: The magic phrase you want to use is "constructive discharge due to substantial change in working conditions." When they cut your hours from 38 to 12, that's a 68% reduction which is WAY beyond what's considered reasonable. For your hearing preparation: - Create a simple chart showing your before/after hours and pay - List your monthly expenses to show the financial impossibility - Bring any documentation showing you tried to get more hours before quitting - Practice explaining calmly why a reasonable person couldn't survive on 12 hours/week The hearing was actually less scary than I expected. The judge asked straightforward questions about the timeline and my financial situation. My former employer didn't even show up. The whole thing took maybe 20 minutes over the phone. One tip: when they ask if you looked for other work before quitting, be honest about your efforts but emphasize that you hoped the hour reduction was temporary and tried to make it work first. You've got a strong case with that significant of an hour reduction! Keep us posted on how it goes.

I'm new to this community but going through a similar situation right now. My employer reduced my hours from 40 to 15 per week and when I filed for unemployment, they're claiming I "abandoned my job" because I stopped showing up after two weeks of the reduced schedule. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea about the "constructive discharge" concept or that a 20%+ reduction could qualify as good cause. I'm definitely going to appeal my denial. Quick question for those who've been through this - how long after filing the appeal did you get your hearing date? I'm worried about how long I'll be without any income while waiting for the process to play out. Also, did anyone here use any legal aid services or did you all handle the appeals yourselves? Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it's giving me hope that I can fight this successfully!

I went through the same situation last year with a similar overpayment amount and chose the phone hearing - best decision I made! The judge was actually more focused on my evidence than anything else. Quick tip that really helped me: Before the hearing, I called the appeals office and asked them to confirm they received all my documentation. Turns out they were missing one of my pay stubs, so I was able to fax it over the day before. Also, during the phone hearing, I mentioned specific page numbers when referencing my evidence ("as shown on page 3 of my submitted documents") which seemed to help the judge follow along. The whole process took about 35 minutes and I won my case. The phone format actually worked in my favor because I could stay calm in my own environment and refer to my notes without feeling rushed. You've got this!

I did a phone hearing for my EDD appeal about 6 months ago and it went smoothly! I was nervous about it too, but honestly the judge couldn't have cared less that I wasn't there in person. They were all business - asked clear questions, listened to my responses, and reviewed my evidence. One thing that really helped me was having a quiet, dedicated space set up beforehand. I used my bedroom, closed the door, put my phone on speaker, and spread all my documents out on the bed in chronological order. Way better than trying to juggle papers in some stuffy government office. The key is really just being super organized with your evidence. Make sure you can quickly find any document they ask about. I won my case and honestly think the phone format made me less anxious, which probably helped me explain things more clearly. Go with phone - you'll be fine!