One more thing to add - if 8 weeks pass and you still haven't received your refund, you can also try contacting your state assembly member's office. They have liaisons who work directly with EDD and can often get answers when regular channels fail. Just Google "[your city] state assembly member" to find your representative.

I went through something similar last year with a $900 overpayment where they intercepted both my refunds totaling $1,150. The good news is that yes, you should definitely get that $268 back! In my case, it took about 7 weeks to receive the refund check, and like others mentioned, it came from the State Controller's Office with minimal explanation. One tip I'd add - keep screenshots of your UI Online account showing that credit balance, just in case you need proof later. Also, if you need to call them about it, the best time I found to get through was Tuesday or Wednesday mornings right when they open at 8 AM. The Collections Division folks were actually pretty helpful once I got connected. The waiting is frustrating, but the system does eventually work for refunds when they clearly owe you money. Just be patient and keep monitoring your account!

Update: I called my doctor and they're filling out the SDI form today. I also started my UI application for the reduced hours period before I got sick. Thanks everyone for the help! I'll update again once I know if everything got approved.

Great to hear you're making progress with both applications! Just a heads up - when you transition back from SDI to UI after you recover, you might need to reopen your UI claim rather than filing a brand new one. The system should recognize your existing claim and just reactivate it. Also, keep all your medical documentation from your doctor handy in case EDD requests additional verification for your SDI claim. The transition between programs can sometimes trigger additional reviews, but as long as your dates and documentation are clear, you should be fine. Wishing you a speedy recovery!

Just wanted to follow up - if you do manage to get through to EDD, make sure to specifically ask about conditional payments. In some cases, they can release payments while waiting for the interview if your hardship qualifies. Not guaranteed, but worth asking about. Also, document every call attempt you make. If your benefits are eventually approved, you may be eligible for back pay for all weeks you were qualified but not paid due to their processing delays.

Any luck getting through to EDD? One thing to keep in mind - when they do call for your interview, they'll likely ask detailed questions about your separation. Be honest but concise. If it truly was a workforce reduction, they'll want to know why you specifically were selected, whether there was a seniority system, if others were also laid off (even if in different departments), etc. Having clear, factual answers ready will help your case.

Just wanted to follow up - how is your claim going? Were you able to get it processed? Federal employee claims usually take 3-4 weeks to process even when everything goes smoothly because of the extra verification steps required.

I went through this exact situation when I was laid off from the Forest Service two years ago. A few additional tips that might help: 1) Keep detailed records of all your communications with EDD - dates, times, who you spoke with, and what they told you. Federal claims seem to get transferred between different departments a lot. 2) If you haven't already, request your complete personnel file from your former agency including all SF-50s. Sometimes they need documentation beyond just your final SF-8. 3) The "pending federal verification" status is normal but frustrating - your former agency has 10 business days to respond to EDD's inquiry, but many take longer. 4) Consider reaching out to your former HR department directly to confirm they received and processed EDD's verification request. Sometimes there are communication gaps. The good news is once it's approved, you'll get backpay for all the weeks you've been waiting. Hang in there!

Glad you got it working! For anyone else facing this issue in the future, special characters in names (hyphens, apostrophes, spaces, etc.) are a common source of registration problems with UI Online. The EDD's database sometimes stores these differently than how they appear on official documents. Always try variations of your name format if you encounter matching errors.

Oh wow, this is such a relief to read! I've been banging my head against the wall with the exact same issue for the past week. My last name has a hyphen in it and I bet that's what's causing my problems too. Going to try entering it without the hyphen tomorrow morning. It's so typical of EDD to have a system that can't handle basic punctuation that appears on legal documents! Thanks for sharing your solution - you probably just saved me hours of frustration and multiple failed phone attempts.