I work seasonal construction and deal with this every winter. The trick is documenting EVERYTHING. I keep a spreadsheet with each job I apply to, when I applied, company contact info, any response. Even jobs that aren't perfect matches but I could do. When I certified I just put yes for looking for work and I've never had an issue. But one year I had a friend who got randomly selected for an eligibility interview about his job search and he couldn't prove what he'd been doing and got disqualified. So keep records!!!!!

I'm in a similar situation - laid off from a niche technical role where there aren't many local opportunities. From what I've learned researching this, you absolutely don't have to apply for jobs you can't realistically take due to distance. EDD recognizes "suitable work" includes reasonable commuting distance considerations. Here's what I'd recommend based on my research: - Apply to manufacturing/machining jobs within your reasonable commute range, even if they're not aerospace specific - Look into quality control, inspection, or maintenance tech roles that use your precision skills - Consider reaching out to local community colleges about machining instructor positions (many value industry experience) - Document everything meticulously - job applications, networking efforts, any skills courses The key is showing genuine effort to find work that's actually feasible for your situation. Your specialized skills are valuable, but you may need to think creatively about how they transfer to other local opportunities. Don't stress too much about having to apply everywhere - EDD wants to see reasonable job search efforts, not impossible commitments.

I've been through multiple EDD appeal hearings and one thing that really helped me was creating a simple one-page summary of the key facts to refer to during the hearing. Include things like your hire date, job duties, last day worked, and timeline of events. The judge appreciates when you can quickly reference specific dates and details without fumbling around. Also, don't be surprised if your employer tries to bring up unrelated issues or old complaints to muddy the waters. Stay focused on the specific reason for separation - in your case, the client termination that eliminated your position. If they start bringing up irrelevant stuff, the judge will usually redirect them back to what matters. One more thing - if your employer claims you were fired for cause, they need to show they followed progressive discipline (warnings, write-ups, etc.) and that you were aware your job was in jeopardy. The fact that you had no formal termination paperwork and were never told about performance issues actually works strongly in your favor. You sound well-prepared. The judges are experienced with these situations and can usually spot when an employer is being vindictive versus having legitimate cause for termination.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that you should request a copy of your personnel file from your employer before the hearing if you haven't already. In California, they're required to provide it within 30 days of your request. This could reveal any documentation (or lack thereof) about your performance and the termination decision. Also, since you mentioned this involves a client with disabilities, make sure you're clear about whether you were employed directly by the agency/company or if you were contracted through a regional center program. The employment classification matters for benefit eligibility, and sometimes these arrangements can be more complex than they appear. If possible, try to get a brief statement from someone at the regional center confirming that services were terminated by your employer, not due to any issues with your care or performance. Even a simple email confirmation could be valuable evidence. The fact that you found out about losing your job by calling the regional center rather than being notified by your employer is actually strong evidence that this wasn't a typical termination for cause. Document that timeline clearly - when you last worked, when you attempted to contact your employer, and when you discovered through the regional center that services had ended.

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!