Hey Ashley! Congratulations on your pregnancy! 🎉 I just went through this exact same process 3 months ago and wanted to share something that really helped me - when you file your SDI claim today (which yes, you can absolutely do right after your last day of work!), make sure to save or bookmark the confirmation page that shows your receipt number. The receipt number is what your doctor needs to complete their portion, but here's the key thing nobody told me: your doctor's office will likely ask YOU to provide them with the direct link to the SDI provider portal. When you get your confirmation, there should be instructions or a link specifically for healthcare providers. Save that link and send it to your doctor along with your receipt number. Also, I learned the hard way that calling and saying "I need help with EDD forms" doesn't always work. Instead, tell them "I need the medical provider to complete an SDI disability certification online using my receipt number." This specific language helps them understand exactly what needs to be done. Your regular maternity letter definitely won't be enough - your OB needs to log into the SDI system and complete the medical certification digitally. But don't stress, most OB offices do this regularly! Good luck and congratulations again! 💕

Hey Ashley! Congrats on your pregnancy! 🎉 I just wanted to add one more tip that really saved me time - when you file your SDI claim today, make sure you have your most recent paystub handy. EDD will ask for your gross wages from your last quarter of work, and having that info ready makes the application go much smoother. Also, something I wish someone had told me: after your doctor completes their portion online, you should get an email or text notification from EDD confirming that the medical certification was received. If you don't get this notification within a week of your doctor saying they submitted it, definitely call EDD to check the status. One more thing - if you end up having complications during delivery that require extended recovery time beyond the standard 6-8 weeks, your doctor can submit an updated certification to extend your benefits. Just keep that in mind for later! The whole process seems overwhelming at first, but you're asking all the right questions. Once you get both parts submitted, it really does move pretty quickly. Best of luck with everything and congratulations again on your little one! 💕

I'm in a really similar situation - just got laid off from my manufacturing job last week and my UI benefits are only $318/week. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been so reassuring! I was really worried about whether I could apply for CalFresh while on unemployment, but seeing all these success stories makes me feel much more confident. The key points that really helped me understand this: - CalFresh benefits are NOT reported as income when certifying for UI - UI benefits ARE reported as income when applying for CalFresh - These programs are designed to work together as safety nets - The BenefitsCal application process is much simpler than the EDD nightmare we all went through I'm definitely going to start my CalFresh application this weekend. My rent is $1100/month so even with UI I'm barely scraping by. The idea of having some grocery relief while I focus on finding a new job sounds amazing. Thanks to Chad for starting this thread and everyone who shared their real experiences. It's incredible how much this community helps during such stressful times. The manufacturing sector has been hit hard with layoffs lately, but at least we have these resources available while we get back on our feet!

I'm currently on both programs and can confirm everything everyone has said is accurate! Got laid off from my warehouse job 2 months ago and have been receiving $356/week UI plus $174/month CalFresh with zero issues. The application process was surprisingly smooth - used BenefitsCal and it took about 20 minutes online. Phone interview was maybe 10 minutes just confirming basic info. Got my EBT card in 13 days. One thing I'll add that might help - when you do your CalFresh phone interview, they'll ask about your job search activities. Just be honest that you're actively looking for work (which you have to do for UI anyway). They're very understanding that people use both programs temporarily while getting back on their feet. The grocery relief has been huge! Instead of buying the cheapest everything and still stressing about money, I can actually get nutritious food and focus my mental energy on job applications and interviews. That's exactly what these safety nets are designed for. Don't overthink it - if you need the help, apply! You've earned these benefits through your work history and taxes. The warehouse/logistics industry has been brutal with layoffs but these programs exist specifically to help us through situations like this. Good luck with your application Chad!

Just wanted to add my perspective as someone who works in payroll and has seen this scenario countless times - you're absolutely doing the right thing by continuing to certify even during your high-earning weeks. The EDD system is specifically designed to handle fluctuating income situations like yours. One thing that might ease your mind: when you report earnings above your WBA, the system automatically calculates $0 benefits for that week, but it also maintains your claim status and benefit year timeline. Think of those weeks as "paused" rather than "lost" - your remaining benefit balance stays exactly the same and will be there when your hours drop again. Also, since you mentioned being stressed about reapplying - as long as you're within your benefit year (which you are until June 2025) and you keep certifying regularly, you'll never need to file a new claim. The only time you'd need to reapply is if your benefit year expires or if you stop certifying for an extended period and your claim goes completely inactive. Your on-call situation is actually pretty standard in today's economy, so don't feel like you're gaming the system or doing anything wrong. You're using UI exactly as intended - as a safety net during periods of reduced work!

I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation! I work as an on-call substitute teacher and some weeks I get zero calls, then suddenly I'll get called for 3-4 days straight that puts me way over my WBA. What really helped me was calling EDD directly (took forever to get through) and the rep explained that as long as I keep certifying every two weeks and report everything honestly, my claim stays active even during those $0 weeks. She said the key is NEVER skip certifying, even when you know you won't get paid that period. One tip that might help - I started keeping a simple spreadsheet tracking my hours and earnings each week so when it's time to certify I have everything organized and accurate. Makes the whole process less stressful when you're prepared with exact numbers rather than trying to remember what you worked two weeks ago. You're definitely not alone in this - seems like more and more people are dealing with these irregular schedules while on UI. The system can handle it, just stay consistent with your certifications!

I'm 53 and just got laid off from my aerospace job after 19 years. This entire thread has been incredibly helpful as I'm facing the exact same pension dilemma! My company is offering me $1,650/month if I start my pension immediately. What really stands out to me from everyone's experiences is how crucial it is to be upfront with EDD from the very beginning. The horror stories about overpayments and months of delays are exactly what I want to avoid. I'm definitely going to call them before my first certification to get everything documented properly. The math makes sense now too - with my $1,650 monthly pension, I'd be looking at about a $380 weekly reduction from my UI benefits using the formula everyone mentioned. If I qualify for around $500/week, I'd end up with roughly $120/week after the offset. Not great, but better than nothing while I'm job searching. One thing I'm wondering about - has anyone dealt with a situation where the pension amount changes during your UI claim period? My pension includes potential annual adjustments based on company performance, though they're not guaranteed. Should I mention this possibility when I call EDD, or just report changes if/when they happen? Also really appreciate all the advice about CalJOBS and workforce services. At this stage of my career, I definitely need all the help I can get navigating the job market. The aerospace industry has been pretty volatile lately with all the defense spending changes. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed experiences. This community is invaluable for those of us trying to figure out these complicated situations!

I'm 60 and just went through this whole pension + unemployment maze myself! Got laid off from my municipal water department job after 22 years in December. My CalPERS pension is $1,980/month and I was absolutely terrified about how it would affect my UI benefits. Reading through everyone's experiences here, I realize I did everything right by accident - I called EDD immediately after filing and spent almost 4 hours on hold just to make sure they had all my pension details documented. The rep was actually really helpful once I got through and walked me through exactly how the offset would work. Ended up with about $95/week after the pension reduction, which honestly felt discouraging at first. But that small amount has been a lifesaver for gas money and small expenses during my job search. Plus staying in the EDD system meant I could access their job training programs - I'm actually doing a water treatment certification upgrade through WIOA funding that @Atticus mentioned! One thing I want to emphasize that really saved me headaches - I set up automatic tax withholding on both my pension AND my tiny UI payments from day one. After seeing @Savannah's warning about tax complications, I didn't want any surprises next April. My accountant said it was smart thinking. For anyone still hesitating about taking early pension because of the UI reduction - at our age, having that guaranteed monthly income provides such peace of mind even if it reduces other benefits. The combination of small UI payments + pension + staying connected to workforce services has actually worked out better than I expected. Hang in there everyone - this process is confusing but definitely manageable with the right approach!

I'm new to this community but wanted to share my experience since I just completed my verification interview last Friday! Like so many others here, I was really stressed when I first saw the interview scheduled after filing my new claim. This thread would have saved me so much anxiety if I'd found it sooner! My interview was at 11:15 AM and the rep called at exactly 11:17 AM. She was incredibly professional and started by explaining that these verification calls are now part of their standard process for 2025, especially for people who've had previous unemployment claims. The questions were exactly what everyone described: identity verification, last employer details, separation reason, job search status, and any work done between claims. I followed all the great advice from this thread - had my employment info written down, was in a quiet room with good cell reception, and had my UI Online account pulled up on my computer. The whole interview took 14 minutes and felt more like a friendly verification chat than an interrogation. One small thing I'll add that might help others: the rep asked me to confirm when I was last paid by my previous employer versus my actual last day of work, since those can sometimes be different dates. So it might be helpful to have both of those dates ready just in case. My payments continued processing normally throughout the entire process, and the rep confirmed everything looked good with my claim. She even mentioned that being organized and having all my information ready made the call much smoother. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here - this community is such a valuable resource for navigating EDD! Hope my experience helps reassure others who might be facing their first verification interview.

I'm new to this community but wanted to share my recent experience to hopefully help others! I just had my verification interview this past Tuesday after filing a new claim when my previous one expired. Like everyone else here, I was initially really worried when I saw the interview scheduled - I'd never had one before in all my years of filing claims. The interview was exactly like everyone described - professional, routine, and much shorter than I anticipated. The rep called at 1:45 PM for my 1:45 PM appointment and was very friendly from the start. She explained that these interviews are now standard practice in 2025 and are being conducted on about 35-40% of new claims as part of their enhanced verification process. The questions were straightforward: verified my identity, confirmed my last employer and job title, asked about my separation reason (I was laid off), verified I'm actively looking for work, and asked if I'd done any work between my last claim ending and filing this new one. Having all my employment dates and employer info written down beforehand made such a difference - I felt confident and prepared instead of scrambling for details. One thing that stood out was how the rep emphasized that this process actually helps legitimate claimants by catching any potential issues early rather than having them cause delays later. She said my claim looked good and everything would continue processing normally. The whole call took exactly 12 minutes. My payments have been processing without any issues throughout this entire process. What really helped reduce my stress was reading through all the experiences shared in this thread beforehand - knowing what to expect made all the difference! This community is such a great resource for navigating these EDD processes together.