As someone who works in HR, I can tell you that EDD generally allows claimants with specialized skills to focus their job search within their field, especially during the early months of unemployment. They understand that career professionals can't immediately pivot to entirely different industries. However, here's what many people don't realize: while you're searching for jobs in your specialty, you should still document your efforts to be somewhat flexible. For example, note that you're considering related positions that might use your transferable skills, or slightly lower-level positions within your industry. This demonstrates good faith effort while still honoring your expertise. Also, be prepared for the first certification to be delayed. It's extremely common for first-time claimants, especially those with long-term previous employment, to have their first payment held pending review. Don't panic if this happens - it's standard procedure.

Welcome to the EDD journey! As someone who went through this process about 18 months ago after a similar long-term employment situation, I can relate to feeling overwhelmed. The good news is that with your specialized background and long work history, EDD will likely be reasonable about your job search requirements. A few additional tips from my experience: - Download the EDD mobile app once you get your UI Online account set up - makes certifying much easier - Consider reaching out to aerospace industry recruiters early on, even if you're not ready to interview yet. They often have insights about market conditions and can keep you in mind for future openings - LinkedIn Premium might be worth the cost during your job search - the InMail credits and expanded search features can be valuable for someone in a specialized field Also, don't underestimate the emotional side of this transition. After 24 years with one company, job searching feels completely foreign. Be patient with yourself as you learn the process. The community here is really supportive, so don't hesitate to ask questions as they come up!

This situation is more common than you'd think! When EDD processes claims, they sometimes initially evaluate based on one employer but then shift to another if the first doesn't meet eligibility requirements. Since you have the same EDDCAN number on both letters but now see DoorDash as your employer in UI Online, it looks like they redirected your claim to use your gig work earnings instead. Here's what I'd recommend: 1. Go ahead and certify when your weeks become available - the system is clearly set up for you to receive benefits 2. Still file that appeal for the Davis Marketing disqualification ASAP (you have 30 days from the notice date) 3. Keep detailed records of everything - screenshots of UI Online, copies of all letters, etc. The fact that you're seeing tax withholding options means your claim is definitely active. Don't let the conflicting letters stress you out too much - EDD's communication is notoriously confusing, but the important thing is that you have an active claim number and can certify for benefits while you're job searching. Good luck with everything, and definitely fight that misconduct determination if you know it's false!

I went through something very similar last year! Got a disqualification letter on Tuesday and then an EDDCAN number on Friday - I was so confused. Turns out EDD had shifted my claim to use my part-time retail job instead of my full-time position where I got "terminated for cause" (which was bogus). The key thing is that EDDCAN number - that means you have an active claim! I'd suggest logging into UI Online and checking if you have any weeks available to certify. If you do, go ahead and certify. The worst that happens is they say you're not eligible, but if the system is letting you certify, that's usually a good sign. Also definitely appeal that misconduct determination from Davis Marketing. Even if you're getting benefits through the DoorDash claim now, having a misconduct on your record could hurt you for future claims. I appealed mine and won because my employer couldn't provide any actual evidence of the misconduct they claimed. The whole process took about 6 weeks from appeal to hearing, but it was worth it to clear my record. Stay persistent!

UPDATE: My payment status just changed from pending to paid about an hour ago! It's not in my account yet but at least it's moving forward. Thanks everyone for your help and sharing your experiences - it really helped keep me from panicking too much!

lucky!! mine is still pending :( guess ill try calling tomorrow

Oh and one other thing - while your waiting for the appeal make sure you KEEP CERTIFYING for benefits every two weeks even though your getting denied right now! If you win your appeal they'll pay you for all those weeks but ONLY if you certified for them!! A lot of people dont realize this and miss out on backpay

I went through a very similar situation last year and want to share some additional tips that helped me win my appeal. First, document EVERYTHING - I created a timeline with dates, times, and exact quotes from conversations. Second, if you have any coworkers who witnessed positive feedback about your performance or heard the termination meeting, ask them to write brief statements for you (they don't have to attend the hearing). Third, look up your company's employee handbook - if they didn't follow their own progressive discipline policy before terminating you, that's huge evidence in your favor. The fact that they said you were "showing great improvement" just two weeks before letting you go is actually really strong evidence that this wasn't misconduct. Stay strong and don't let them intimidate you - the appeal process exists exactly for situations like this where employers try to avoid paying into the unemployment system by making false claims!

UPDATE: I finally got through today! Used a combination of the tips from this thread - called at 8:01am exactly, used the 1-2-4 prompt sequence, and was on hold for about 45 minutes but finally spoke to someone. The rep confirmed it was indeed a name change issue causing the verification problem. For anyone else with this problem, persistence is key! Thank you everyone for your help!

That's such great news that you finally got through! Your post was so relatable - I'm dealing with a similar situation right now where I've been trying to file for disability benefits and keep hitting the same phone system walls. The 1-2-4 prompt tip is gold, I'm definitely going to try that tomorrow morning. It's crazy how these government phone systems seem designed to frustrate people into giving up. Thanks for sharing your success story and what actually worked - gives the rest of us hope that persistence really does pay off eventually!