Any luck getting through to EDD? One thing to keep in mind - when they do call for your interview, they'll likely ask detailed questions about your separation. Be honest but concise. If it truly was a workforce reduction, they'll want to know why you specifically were selected, whether there was a seniority system, if others were also laid off (even if in different departments), etc. Having clear, factual answers ready will help your case.

This is exactly why the EDD system is so broken - employers can just claim "misconduct" to avoid paying into the unemployment fund, and then workers have to wait weeks to defend themselves while bills pile up. I went through something similar last year where my employer tried to claim I was fired for cause when they really just wanted to avoid a layoff designation. A few things that helped me prepare for the interview: 1) Get any written communication about your termination (emails, texts, letters), 2) Document the timeline of events leading up to your layoff, 3) If you have any coworkers who can verify it was presented as a workforce reduction (even if they can't officially testify), note their names and contact info, and 4) Review your employee handbook about their progressive discipline policy - if they claim misconduct but didn't follow their own procedures, that's huge. The good news is that if your employer is falsely claiming misconduct, the interviewer will usually be able to tell. They deal with these disputes all the time and know the difference between legitimate misconduct and employers trying to game the system. Stay calm, stick to facts, and don't let them intimidate you. You got this!

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!

Glad you got it working! For anyone else facing this issue in the future, special characters in names (hyphens, apostrophes, spaces, etc.) are a common source of registration problems with UI Online. The EDD's database sometimes stores these differently than how they appear on official documents. Always try variations of your name format if you encounter matching errors.

Oh wow, this is such a relief to read! I've been banging my head against the wall with the exact same issue for the past week. My last name has a hyphen in it and I bet that's what's causing my problems too. Going to try entering it without the hyphen tomorrow morning. It's so typical of EDD to have a system that can't handle basic punctuation that appears on legal documents! Thanks for sharing your solution - you probably just saved me hours of frustration and multiple failed phone attempts.

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.