Just wanted to follow up - did you ever get through to the SDI office? Were you able to find out what's happening with your claim? I'm curious because I'll need to deal with an IME review later this year too.

I'm dealing with a similar IME situation right now and this thread has been so helpful! One thing I learned from my case worker is that you can actually request a status update on your IME report through the SDI online portal - there's a "Contact Us" section where you can send a secure message asking specifically about IME report processing times. This way you have a written record of your inquiry and they're supposed to respond within 5 business days. It's been more reliable for me than trying to get through on the phone lines. Also, if your payments do get interrupted while waiting for the report, make sure to keep certifying for benefits if you're still within your benefit period - the payments should be retroactive once everything gets sorted out.

Timothy, I'm so sorry you're dealing with this frustrating situation - 3 weeks without SDI payments is completely unacceptable, especially when you're doing everything they asked. I've been through something similar and know how stressful it can be. Beyond all the excellent advice already shared here, I'd suggest one more approach: try contacting the EDD's Office of Public Affairs and Outreach. They sometimes have direct lines to supervisors who can expedite cases like yours where the normal process has clearly broken down. You can find their contact info on the EDD website under "Contact Us." Also, when you do get through to someone (using any of the numbers people have shared), be sure to mention that the specific office number they gave you has had a full voicemail for over a week - this is a system failure on their end that's preventing you from complying with their own call-in notice. Document that you've been trying to comply but their system won't allow it. This puts the responsibility back on them where it belongs. Keep fighting - you shouldn't have to pay third-party services when the state's own system is failing you. The community here has your back, and I'm confident one of these strategies will get you the help you need!

Timothy, I'm really sorry you're going through this - three weeks without SDI payments while trying to follow their procedures is incredibly stressful and unfair. Reading through all the advice here, I want to add one more suggestion that helped me when I was stuck in a similar loop: try calling the EDD main switchboard at 1-800-300-5616 and ask to speak with a supervisor about a "system failure preventing compliance with call-in notice requirements." Use those exact words - it flags your case as a technical issue rather than just another callback request. Also, since you mentioned the voicemail accepts SMS with your phone number, send one more message but include the phrase "unable to comply due to full voicemail system" - this creates documentation that their system malfunction is the barrier, not your efforts. I'd also recommend trying the callback feature on the EDD website if you haven't already - sometimes the online callback requests get routed differently than phone calls. The community has shared so many great strategies here, and I'm hopeful that combining a few of these approaches will finally get you the help you deserve. Don't give up - this is clearly a system failure, not anything you've done wrong!

Another tip that worked for me - try calling the technical support line (1-866-333-4606) instead of the main number. Sometimes they can transfer you directly to a claims specialist without you having to go through the main queue. I discovered this by accident when I was having trouble logging into my UI Online account. The tech support person was actually able to look at my claim status and connected me to someone who could help with my pending payments. It's not guaranteed to work every time, but it's worth a shot if you keep getting hung up on with the main line!

One more thing that helped me when I was dealing with a similar pending claim issue - if you have a local assembly member or state senator's office nearby, they sometimes have constituent services that can help with EDD issues. I contacted my assembly member's office after being stuck for almost 2 months and they were able to escalate my case directly to EDD. It took about a week after that for someone from EDD to call me back, but they resolved my issue in that one phone call. It's worth looking up who represents your district and giving their office a call - they deal with EDD problems pretty regularly and know how to get things moving. Just another option if the phone calls and other methods don't work out!

I'm on day 6 since my claim was approved and already getting anxious about when my card will arrive! Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both comforting and nerve-wracking - it's great to know I'm not alone, but seeing people wait over a month is scary. I'm definitely going to try calling that Bank of America number (1-866-692-9374) that @Charlee Coleman shared to at least confirm mine has been mailed out. Also signing up for USPS Informed Delivery right now after seeing so many people recommend it. Thanks to everyone for sharing their timelines and tips - this community is seriously helping me stay sane during this waiting period! Hopefully mine shows up in the next week or so 🤞

I'm currently on day 15 since my claim was approved and still waiting! This thread has been a lifesaver - I had no idea there were so many helpful tricks like calling the Bank of America line directly. Just tried 1-866-692-9374 and they told me my card was actually mailed out 8 days ago, which is such a huge relief to at least know it's in transit. Also just set up USPS Informed Delivery after seeing everyone recommend it here. It's crazy how much the timeline varies for different people, but knowing I'm not alone in this waiting game really helps with the anxiety. Bills are definitely piling up but at least now I have better ways to track things. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and all the practical tips! 🙏

I work for a company that processes unemployment claims in another state, and this scenario is incredibly common across different state systems. What you're experiencing is essentially a template mismatch - EDD's automated system uses standard letter templates that weren't designed to handle the specific situation where someone reports "returned to work" but is still employed with that same employer. When you certified and reported returning to work on February 5th, you did everything correctly. The system properly suspended your benefits, but then triggered an automated workflow that sends a "last employer" inquiry letter. Unfortunately, the template assumes you're no longer with that employer, which creates this confusing situation. I'd recommend contacting EDD through UI Online first with a brief explanation. Something like: "I received a letter dated [date] regarding my 'last employer' [company name]. This employer is actually my current employer where I've been working since January 23, 2025, as reported during my February 5th certification. Please update records to reflect I am still employed there." Keep it factual and reference specific dates. This helps them locate your file quickly and make the necessary corrections. Most importantly, don't worry - you handled your certification properly and this is just a system quirk that gets resolved routinely.

I just went through this exact same situation about 3 weeks ago! Got that confusing "last employer" letter about my current job and panicked thinking I had messed up my certification somehow. Turns out it's just a really common glitch in EDD's system. When you report returning to work during certification (which you did correctly), their automated letter system gets confused and sends out a standard "last employer" inquiry even though you're still working there. I sent a message through UI Online explaining the situation and got a response back in about a week confirming everything was fine and my records were updated. The customer service rep even said this happens "all the time" and that I had certified properly. Don't stress about it - you did everything right! Just reach out to them through UI Online to get your records corrected so there's no confusion if you ever need to file again in the future. The peace of mind is definitely worth it.