This exact thing happened to my sister last month! She waited by the phone for the entire 2-hour window they gave her, and then nothing. When she finally got through to someone a few days later, they told her the interviewer had "technical difficulties" but couldn't reschedule her for almost 3 weeks. I'm really glad you already got through and have a new date set for Friday - that's actually pretty fast compared to what most people are experiencing right now. One tip that helped my sister: she wrote out a timeline of events leading up to her job separation so she could reference it during the interview without getting flustered. The interviewers seem to appreciate when you can give them clear, chronological information. It's so messed up that they put all the burden on claimants to follow up when THEY miss the appointments, but at least you're back on track now. Hope Friday goes smoothly for you!

This is such a frustrating but unfortunately common experience with EDD right now! I'm really glad you were persistent and finally got through to get your interview rescheduled for Friday. The fact that they admitted it was due to "departmental needs" shows this is a systemic issue on their end, not something you did wrong. Since you have a family emergency situation, definitely have all your documentation organized and ready - medical records, any correspondence about the emergency, etc. Practice explaining the timeline clearly and stick to the key facts about why leaving your job was necessary. The interviewers are usually looking to establish "good cause" for your separation. One thing that might help is to call in a few minutes before your scheduled time on Friday, just in case they're running early or have technical issues again. And don't worry about the 3+ week delay in benefits - once they approve your claim, you should get back payments for all the weeks you've been waiting. You've gotten through the hardest part (actually reaching EDD!), so hopefully Friday will be smooth sailing. Keep us posted on how it goes!

I've been dealing with the same callback nightmare for the past 3 weeks! Scheduled two different callbacks and got absolutely nothing. The first one was supposed to come within 5 business days - that was 21 days ago. The second callback was scheduled after I waited on hold for 2 hours just to get to the callback scheduling system, and that was 8 days ago with no call. At this point I'm convinced the callback system is just a way to get us to stop calling. I'm going to try some of the manual calling strategies mentioned here, but honestly considering paying for one of those services too since I can't keep missing work to sit by the phone waiting for a call that will never come. This whole system is completely broken and it's affecting real people's lives!

The callback system is absolutely useless - I've been waiting 16 days now after being told 3-5 business days. At this point I'm convinced it's designed to make us give up rather than actually help. Reading through all these experiences, it's clear this isn't just bad luck but a systematic failure. I'm going to start calling manually tomorrow using the timing tips people shared (Wednesday 2-4pm, avoid lunch hour) and if that doesn't work within a few days, I'll probably try Claimyr too. We shouldn't have to pay for services that our tax dollars are supposed to fund, but when you're facing eviction or can't buy groceries, sometimes you don't have a choice. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - at least now I know I'm not alone in this nightmare!

I've been dealing with EDD for months and here's what I learned about those sudden hangups - they're often not intentional! The system has a built-in timeout feature that disconnects calls if there's too much silence or if the rep takes too long to pull up your file. When they answer, immediately say "Hi, I'm calling about my unemployment claim and I have all my information ready" - this prevents the auto-disconnect. Also, have your SSN, claim number, and last 4 digits of your phone number ready to rattle off quickly. The faster you can get through their verification process, the less likely you are to get disconnected due to system timeouts.

Another strategy that worked for me when dealing with certification issues specifically - try calling the Technical Support line at 1-800-300-5616 and press 6-7-2 when you hear the menu. This gets you to the UI Online technical support team, and while they're supposed to handle website issues, they can often see your certification status and help resolve simple date/timing questions without transferring you. They tend to be less overwhelmed than the main claims department and I've found them to be more patient. Just frame your question as "I'm having technical difficulties understanding my certification requirements" rather than saying it's a claims issue. Worth a shot if the other numbers don't work out!

I'm so sorry you're going through this Emma - the false statement penalty system is really harsh and confusing. One thing I want to emphasize that others have touched on: make sure you save EVERYTHING related to your appeal in multiple places (email yourself copies, print them out, save to cloud storage). I learned this the hard way when my computer crashed during my appeal process and I almost lost crucial documentation. Also, if you do end up speaking with an EDD representative (whether through Claimyr or by getting lucky with the phone lines), take detailed notes of everything they say including their name, the date/time, and any reference numbers they give you. Sometimes phone reps give conflicting information, so having that documented can be really helpful if issues come up later. The good news is that temporary work situations like yours are exactly the kind of cases where appeals often succeed, especially when you can show a pattern of honest reporting like others have suggested. The system knows people make innocent mistakes with temp work because the reporting can be confusing. Keep fighting this - you're being way more proactive than most people would be!

I'm really sorry you're dealing with this Emma - the stress and confusion of penalty weeks is absolutely awful, especially when you have no idea what triggered them. Reading through everything, it sounds like you're handling this exactly right by appealing quickly and gathering all your documentation. One additional thing that might help: when you're preparing for your hearing, try to reconstruct not just WHAT you reported, but HOW you reported it. For example, did you use the dropdown menus in UI Online to report the temp work? Did you enter it as "wages" or maybe categorize it differently? Sometimes the issue isn't that you didn't report income, but that it got categorized in a way that didn't match what the employer reported to EDD. Also, temp agencies can be tricky because they sometimes report earnings to EDD under different timelines than when you actually did the work. Your January work might have been reported by them in February, which could create confusion in EDD's system about when you should have reported it. The fact that you have emails and documentation from the temp agency puts you in a really strong position for your appeal. Most people don't have that level of backup proof, so you're already ahead of the game. Hang in there - this process is frustrating but you're doing everything right to fight it!

I'm so sorry you're going through this! I had a similar experience last summer - my check for $743 never arrived and I spent nearly 6 weeks getting it sorted out. The whole process is incredibly frustrating, especially when you're already under financial stress. A few things that helped me during the wait: - I called my bank to see if they had any emergency hardship programs while waiting for government benefits. Some banks will provide small bridge loans or waive overdraft fees in these situations. - My local Salvation Army had an emergency assistance program that helped with utilities while I waited. They moved pretty quickly once I showed them my UI Online account proving the payment was issued but lost. - I also found it helpful to send my landlord a screenshot of my UI Online account showing the payment status along with a brief letter explaining the situation. While they weren't thrilled about the delay, having official documentation seemed to buy me some goodwill. The waiting period before they'll even start processing the replacement is absolutely maddening, but unfortunately it's set in stone. Once you hit that 10 business day mark, be prepared to call multiple times and don't let them brush you off with "wait longer" - you have the right to start the replacement process at that point. Hang in there - the money will eventually come through, but I know that doesn't help with immediate bills. Definitely explore those local assistance programs others have mentioned while you wait!

I'm new to this community but unfortunately not new to EDD headaches! I went through almost the exact same situation about a year ago - check showed as "paid" in my account but never arrived in my mailbox. Here's what I learned from that nightmare: The 10 business day wait is frustrating but absolutely mandatory - they literally cannot process a replacement before then due to state regulations. However, once those 10 days are up, you have options beyond just waiting around. What worked for me was calling EDD at exactly 8:00 AM on business day #10 (they seem to have the shortest hold times right when they open). I had all my info ready - claim number, payment date, exact amount, etc. The rep was able to immediately put in the stop payment and reissue request since I was past the waiting period. In the meantime, definitely reach out to local resources! I called 211 and they connected me with emergency rental assistance that helped bridge the gap. Also, most utility companies will give you extensions if you can show documentation that your government benefits were issued but lost in the mail. The whole process took about 3 weeks total for me, but having those backup support systems in place made it way less stressful. Don't suffer in silence - there are resources out there to help while you wait for EDD to get their act together! You'll get through this! 💪