One final note that might help your father: He should remember that at 65, he also has Medicare eligibility. If his previous employer was providing health insurance that's now ending, he should ensure he's enrolled in Medicare to avoid any gaps in coverage. There's a Special Enrollment Period when you lose employer coverage. Regarding his job search: There are programs specifically designed to help older workers find employment. The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) is one such program. Also, California has workforce centers that offer specialized assistance for older job seekers. Wishing your dad the best of luck navigating this transition. It's challenging at any age, but with 27 years of experience, he has valuable skills to offer employers.

I went through something similar with my mom when she was 64 and got laid off from her office job. She was so worried about the whole process, but it turned out to be much more straightforward than we expected. The key thing is to apply right away - don't wait! And make sure your dad keeps good records of his job search activities. I created a simple spreadsheet for my mom to track where she applied, when, and any follow-up. It made the biweekly certifications so much easier. Also, if he's not super comfortable with computers, many libraries offer free help with online applications. The librarians at our local branch were incredibly patient and helped my mom navigate the UI Online system. Hang in there - this is definitely manageable!

One more thing to consider: depending on how much your weekly benefit amount is, you might still get partial benefits even after reporting this income. EDD doesn't deduct dollar-for-dollar - they use a formula where you can earn up to 25% of your weekly benefit without reduction, then they reduce by the amount over that threshold. So if your weekly benefit is high enough, you might not lose everything.

I went through something very similar last year and wanted to share what worked for me. I had delayed commission payments from my previous employer that came in 2 months after I started collecting UI benefits. Here's what I did: 1. Reported the income on my certification (as required) 2. Immediately called EDD and explained it was for work performed before my claim started 3. They made notes in my account and told me to keep all documentation The key is being proactive about explaining the situation. Don't just report it and hope for the best - call them right away. Yes, it might reduce your benefits for that certification period, but if you can prove the work was done before your claim began, they can often adjust it retroactively. Also, keep copies of everything: the check stub showing the pay period dates, any correspondence with your employer or union about the delayed payment, and your original final pay stub that shows the overtime was missing. This documentation will be crucial if you need to appeal. The system isn't perfect, but they do have processes to handle these situations when you advocate for yourself properly.

I'm in the exact same boat! This is my first time on unemployment and I certified for my second time yesterday. Both weeks are still showing as pending and I'm getting really anxious about it. Reading through all these comments is actually making me feel a lot better though - sounds like this is pretty normal for first payments. I'm going to try to be patient and wait the full 5 business days like Dylan suggested before I start calling. It's just so stressful when you're depending on this money to pay bills! Fingers crossed both our payments go through soon 🤞

I've been through this exact situation multiple times and here's what I've learned: first payments after the waiting week almost always take longer because EDD does additional verification checks on new claims. The system flags first-time certifications for extra review even when everything is correct. I'd recommend checking your payment history every morning around 6 AM - that's usually when status changes happen overnight. Also, if you have the EDD debit card, sometimes the money shows up there before the website updates the status. Don't stress too much unless it hits day 7-8, then definitely call. The waiting is the worst part but it's completely normal!

Quick update - how did things turn out? Were you approved?

Congrats on getting approved! This is exactly what I needed to hear since I'm going through a similar situation right now. Just had my eligibility interview last week after reporting reduced hours at my retail job due to school schedule conflicts. The interviewer asked the same questions about why I didn't report changes, even though I've been properly certifying with the correct reason codes. It's so frustrating how they make it sound like you did something wrong when you followed their own instructions! Thanks for sharing the positive outcome - gives me hope that mine will work out too.

I had a similar situation last month. Won my appeal but my money got stuck in the system. I waited two weeks and nothing happened, so I called them. Turns out they needed me to verify my identity AGAIN even though I'd already done it through ID.me. Such a headache. But after I called and sorted it out, the money was in my account within 48 hours. I wasted days trying to call the regular number without getting through. The trick is calling right when they open at 8am, but even then it's a mess. My sister told me about this service called Claimyr that got her through to an EDD agent without the endless waiting and busy signals. It worked for me too - check out their demo at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. The website is claimyr.com. Way better than spending all day hitting redial!

Congrats on winning your appeal! I just went through this exact same situation a few weeks ago. After my appeal was approved, it took about 6 business days for the money to hit my account. The key thing is to make sure you don't have any outstanding certifications or verification requirements that could hold things up. A couple things that helped me: First, I logged into UI Online every day to check if there were any new messages or required actions. Second, I made sure my direct deposit info was still valid (banks sometimes change routing numbers). And third, when the payments did come through, they were split by certification period like others mentioned - so don't worry if you see multiple smaller deposits instead of one big lump sum. The waiting is nerve-wracking after such a long appeal process, but you're almost there! Keep checking your account daily and the status should change from "appeal pending" to "paid" before the money actually appears in your bank.