When I was going through identity verification last year, I spent TWO MONTHS with no benefits because of EDD's incompetence!!!! I submitted and resubmitted documents THREE TIMES and they still claimed they "never received them" even though I had confirmation emails!!!! The entire system is DESIGNED to deny legitimate claims and make us give up!!!! The only thing that worked was when I contacted my state assembly member's office and they intervened on my behalf. Don't waste your time with their phone system - it's BROKEN ON PURPOSE!!!!

UPDATE: Just wanted to let everyone know that I finally got through to EDD this morning! I used the Claimyr service that someone suggested here, and it actually worked - got me connected to a live agent in about 20 minutes. The agent confirmed they received my ID verification but it was still in the processing queue. She was able to expedite it while I was on the phone, and my conditional payment hold has been lifted! All my pending payments should be released in the next 24-48 hours. Such a relief! Thanks everyone for your advice.

One important thing to note: if the judge rules in your favor, your EDD account won't necessarily update right away. Even after you receive the favorable decision letter, it can take 7-10 business days for EDD to process the judge's order and release your payments. If it goes beyond that timeframe, that's when you need to start making calls. Also, if the decision is not in your favor, you have 30 days from the mailing date (not the date you receive it) to file an appeal to the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, which is the second level of appeal.

the whole system is rigged against us regular people. good luck but don't hold your breath. they made me wait 8 weeks just to DENY me again after my appeal hearing. total waste of time.

so did u figure it out?? were u able to certify??

UPDATE: I got through!! Used the Claimyr service someone recommended and was connected to an EDD rep in about 20 minutes. The rep confirmed there was a certification block because of the overpayment. She removed it and let me certify for the missed weeks right while on the phone. She said the block shouldn't come back while my appeal is being processed, but if it does, I should call back right away. Payment is pending now! Thanks everyone for your help!

Quick update question - is your hearing in-person, phone, or video? The process is slightly different for each format. For phone hearings, make sure you're in a quiet place with good reception. For video, test your connection beforehand. For in-person, arrive 30 minutes early and dress business casual. Also, after the hearing, regardless of the outcome, you should follow up with EDD about that waiting week. If you've already served a waiting week during your benefit year, you shouldn't need to serve another one just because of this issue. That might be a separate administrative error they need to fix.

good luck tomorrow! let us know how it goes!

I'm a former disability claims specialist, and I want to clarify something important: your husband MUST BE VERY CAREFUL if applying for both SSDI and UI simultaneously. For SSDI, he needs to prove he cannot perform substantial gainful activity. For UI, he needs to prove he CAN work. These are fundamentally contradictory claims. If he pursues both simultaneously, he could potentially face issues with one or both agencies questioning his credibility. I'd recommend consulting with a disability attorney before proceeding with both applications at once.

btw make sure ur husband ansers the EDD questions right when he certifies!!! the one about "were u able and available for work" MUST be yes or they auto-deny u!!!! also the part about did u look for work needs to be yes with actual job applications