see i told u itd be fine!! they just gotta check boxes for their system update thing. my cousin said the same thing happened with him!

That's such a relief to hear your interview went well! I'm going through something similar right now - EDD wants to interview me about a claim from 2019. Your experience gives me hope that being honest about what I can and can't remember will be enough. Did they ask for any specific documentation during the interview, or was it mostly just verbal confirmation of your separation reason? I'm trying to prepare as much as possible but like you, most of my records from that far back are long gone.

To directly answer your question - no, you absolutely do not need to wait until you file taxes to start a new unemployment claim. The two systems are separate. EDD verifies your wages through employer reporting, not your tax returns. File your new claim immediately if you're currently unemployed, and make sure you're completing your work search activities every week.

Just wanted to add that when you file your new claim, make sure you have your Social Security card and ID ready - sometimes the system asks you to verify your identity again even though you had a previous claim. Also, if your temp work was through a staffing agency, make sure EDD has the correct employer information because sometimes there can be delays if they can't verify wages from temp agencies. Good luck with your application!

I'm currently waiting for my appeal decision too - had my hearing 2 weeks ago and the anxiety is brutal! Reading everyone's experiences here is both reassuring and terrifying at the same time. It sounds like anywhere from 5 days to 8 weeks is possible depending on the circumstances. For what it's worth, the fact that the judge seemed understanding during your hearing is a really good sign. I've heard that when judges are skeptical of the employer's case, they sometimes take a bit more time to thoroughly review the evidence to make sure their decision is bulletproof. Hang in there - we're all in this together! 🤞

I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago! My hearing was on a Tuesday and I got my decision letter in the mail the following Friday - so exactly 10 days including weekends. The judge at my hearing also seemed sympathetic to my case (employer claimed I was fired for cause when I was actually laid off due to budget cuts). What really helped my stress levels was setting up Informed Delivery with USPS so I could see what mail was coming each day. That way I wasn't obsessively checking the mailbox multiple times a day - I could just check the email preview in the morning. The decision letter comes in a standard white EDD envelope, nothing fancy. One tip: if you do win your appeal, make sure to certify for benefits immediately for all the weeks you've been disqualified. Don't wait! I made that mistake and it delayed my backpay by another week. The whole process from decision letter to first payment hitting my account took about 12 days total. Stay strong - the waiting is absolutely brutal but most people do get favorable decisions when the employer misclassifies a layoff as a quit. You've got this! 💪

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! Just wanted to share what I learned from calling around today - apparently some EDD offices have different policies about walk-ins versus appointments. The Sacramento office told me they only do appointments, but when I called the Stockton office, they said they accept walk-ins for "account access emergencies" on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 8-10am (first come, first served). Might be worth calling multiple offices in your area to see if any have more flexible policies. Also, I discovered that if you have ANY old tax documents that show EDD payments from previous years, those can help with identity verification even if you don't have your customer account number. Hope this helps and good luck - this whole system is so frustrating!

I work as a benefits advocate and see this situation frequently. Here are some additional options that might help while you're pursuing the in-person route: 1. **ID.me verification bypass**: If you can access the EDD website at all, look for the "Forgot Username/Password" option and try using ID.me verification instead of the old email/phone. Sometimes this works even when the contact info is outdated. 2. **Employment Development Department Disability Insurance (DI) offices**: These are separate from regular EDD offices and often have shorter wait times. They can sometimes help with UI account issues too - worth calling to ask. 3. **Document everything**: Keep records of every call, visit attempt, and person you speak with. If you end up needing to escalate to supervisors or file complaints, this documentation becomes crucial. 4. **Local workforce development boards**: Many counties have these and they often have direct lines to EDD that bypass the regular customer service bottleneck. The key is to have multiple irons in the fire simultaneously. While waiting for your in-person appointment, keep trying the assembly office route and other phone options. I've seen people get through faster by trying multiple approaches rather than waiting for just one to work. Stay persistent - you will get through this!

Honestly this whole thing just shows how broken the entire unemployment system is. They make people wait FOUR YEARS to get money they were entitled to during one of the worst economic crises ever, and we're supposed to be grateful? People lost homes, went into debt, and destroyed their credit while waiting for these payments that EDD was legally required to provide. And now they just drop money on you with no explanation or apology. The entire department needs to be investigated and overhauled.

This is actually really encouraging to hear! I filed for unemployment in September 2021 and got stuck in the dreaded "pending" status for what felt like forever. Eventually gave up after months of trying to get through to someone who could help. Never thought I'd see that money but now I'm wondering if I should check my UI Online account to see if anything similar happened with my claim. Did you have to do anything special to reactivate your account or was the payment activity just automatically showing up when you logged in?