Did you ever get this resolved? I'm wondering which method ended up working for you. This could help others facing the same issue!

So glad to hear you got it resolved! This is a really common issue that trips up a lot of people. For anyone else who finds this thread in the future - the key takeaway is that calling right at 7:58am really does make a huge difference. I've had to do this multiple times over the years and that early morning window is golden. Also worth noting that tier 2 specialists are the ones who can actually override these system glitches, so don't be afraid to ask for escalation if the first person you talk to says they can't help. The password reset loop when you haven't received payments yet is definitely a known system bug on their end. Congrats on getting your payments sorted out too - that feeling when you finally see "paid" status is amazing after weeks of stress!

Thank you all for your help and advice! I've decided to: 1. Request a wage investigation to see if my benefit amount can be increased 2. Look into the rapid retraining programs at the local job center 3. Continue job searching but expand to related fields 4. Apply for CalFresh to help with food expenses I'll update if anything changes with my claim. Really appreciate everyone taking the time to share your knowledge and experiences!

Great plan of action, Roger! One additional resource to consider - many community colleges in California offer free career counseling services even if you're not enrolled. They can help you identify transferable skills from your nursing assistant background that might open doors in adjacent healthcare fields like medical office work, home health aide, or patient transport roles. Also, when you do that wage investigation, make sure to have any pay stubs or W-2s from both facilities ready. Sometimes smaller healthcare facilities don't report wages correctly to EDD, and having your own documentation can speed up the process. Good luck with everything!

As someone who's been through the UI partial benefits process multiple times, I'd strongly recommend keeping a simple spreadsheet or notebook to track your hours and earnings each week. It makes certification so much easier when you have everything organized. Also, don't stress too much about the calculation - the EDD system does the math automatically once you enter your gross wages. Just focus on reporting accurately and on time. The retail job sounds like a great bridge while you're looking for your next entertainment gig. The industry will bounce back!

Just wanted to chime in as someone who recently went through this exact situation! I was laid off from a marketing position and took a part-time job at a bookstore while collecting UI. A few additional tips that helped me: 1. Screenshot your online certification each time you submit it - I had one week where the system glitched and didn't save my submission properly 2. If your retail job offers any training or skills development, definitely mention that in interviews for your field - shows you're staying active and learning 3. Don't forget that you can still claim job search activities even while working part-time - I used my days off to network and interview The partial benefits system actually worked really smoothly for me once I got the hang of it. You're making a smart choice taking the retail job - it keeps you active, provides some stability, and honestly the employee discount probably saves more than you'd expect! Good luck with everything!

I went through something very similar as an adjunct at a UC campus. The eligibility interview is standard procedure when they detect anything unusual about academic employment patterns. In my case, they were trying to determine if I had "reasonable assurance" of continued employment, which would disqualify me from benefits. Here's what helped me get approved: I emphasized that my situation was an unexpected job loss (contract cancellation) rather than a normal academic break. I brought copies of my original contract offer from University B, the cancellation notice, and documentation showing I had no guaranteed future work at either institution. During the interview, stick to the facts: you lost expected income due to circumstances beyond your control, you're actively seeking work, and you have no written guarantee of future employment. Don't speculate about "maybe" getting work in the fall - that can hurt your case. One thing that really helped my situation was explaining that as an adjunct, I don't have tenure or permanent employment status. Each semester/term is essentially a separate employment contract, and when one gets canceled, that's genuine unemployment. The interview itself was actually pretty straightforward once I had my documentation ready. The interviewer was mainly verifying that I wasn't double-dipping (getting paid by the school while claiming benefits) and that I truly had no guaranteed future work. Got approved within a week after the interview. Keep your chin up - many adjuncts do get approved once they can clearly explain their situation!

I'm a community college adjunct who went through this exact scenario last year! The eligibility interview is basically EDD's way of making sure you're not trying to collect benefits during a normal academic break when you have "reasonable assurance" of future work. What saved me was having all my documentation organized beforehand. Bring everything: your original offer letter from University B, the cancellation email/letter, your final paystub from University A, and any correspondence showing you have NO guarantee of fall employment. During my interview, the EDD rep asked three main questions: 1) Did you quit or get fired? (Answer: Neither - your contract was canceled) 2) Are you available for work? (Yes, and you're actively looking) 3) Do you have any written guarantee of future employment? (No) The interviewer I spoke with didn't really understand academic employment at first, so I had to explain that adjuncts work semester-to-semester with no job security. I emphasized that losing the summer contract meant losing my only source of income for that period, just like any other worker who loses a job. Got approved about 10 days after the interview. The key is being very clear that this was an unexpected job loss, not just a gap between regular teaching assignments. You've got this!

Just realized I didn't mention another important detail: When your husband applies, he'll need to provide 18 months of employment history, not just his current job. The EDD looks at your base period earnings (typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters) to determine benefit amounts. If he's been at the same employer the whole time, that's easy, but if he's had multiple jobs, he'll need details for all of them.

I went through this exact situation about 6 months ago when my retail hours got slashed from 32 to 12 per week. The partial UI definitely helped bridge the gap! A few tips from my experience: 1. Apply online as soon as possible - I made the mistake of waiting a week thinking my hours might get restored 2. Keep detailed records of your work schedule and paystubs for each week 3. When you certify, they'll ask if you're "ready, willing, and able to work full-time" - the answer should be yes even though you're still employed part-time 4. Don't forget about the work search requirement - I did online job applications and attended a virtual job fair to meet the weekly requirements The good news is that partial claims are usually processed faster than regular unemployment claims since you're still actively employed. Hang in there - it really does help financially while you're dealing with the reduced hours!