Thank you everyone for the amazing advice! I've taken notes and will definitely be more careful with my certifications. I'm going to look into both the Claimyr service to speak with an EDD rep directly and the IHSS program someone mentioned. I'm relieved to hear I'm not the only one navigating this complicated situation. I'll update this thread after I talk to EDD and get more clarification on my specific case.

I'm in a very similar situation - caring for my elderly father with dementia after quitting my job last year. One thing that really helped me was setting up a dedicated email account just for job applications and EDD correspondence. This way I could easily track and document all my work search activities in one place. Also, when you do your bi-weekly certifications, be very specific about your availability constraints. I always write something like "Available for part-time remote or flexible evening work that accommodates caregiving schedule" rather than just checking "yes" to availability. This shows EDD that you're being honest about your limitations while still being genuinely available for appropriate work. The stress of worrying about losing benefits on top of caregiving is overwhelming, but documenting everything and being transparent with EDD has worked well for me so far. Hang in there - you're doing an incredible thing for your mother.

Just wanted to add - make sure you're checking your physical mail too, not just your UI Online inbox! EDD sometimes sends disqualification notices through regular mail that explain exactly what the issue is. My neighbor almost missed her appeal deadline because the notice went to her mailbox and not her online account.

I'm going through almost the exact same thing right now! Filed my claim in late February, got approved mid-March, and have been certifying religiously but haven't seen a penny. Just checked my account yesterday and three of my weeks that were pending are now showing disqualification with zero explanation. I've been calling EDD nonstop but it's impossible to get through. Reading through these comments is giving me some hope though - sounds like a lot of people have had this resolved through their assembly reps. I'm going to contact mine today. This whole system is such a nightmare! Please keep us updated on what your assembly person finds out, and I'll do the same if I hear anything helpful. We're all in this together!

UPDATE: Finally got through to EDD this morning! Called right at 8:00am and had to wait on hold for over an hour, but eventually spoke with a rep who identified the problem. Just like many of you said, my old pandemic claim was stuck in some kind of 'inactive' status rather than properly expired. The representative had to transfer me to a tier 2 specialist (another 20 minute wait), but they were able to reset something in their system. I was then able to file my new claim while on the phone with them. They said I should be able to certify for my first two weeks in about 10 days. Thank you all for your help and suggestions!

So glad you were able to get this sorted out! Your experience perfectly illustrates why this system is so frustrating - it's a simple backend flag that takes 5 minutes to fix but requires jumping through so many hoops to reach someone who can actually do it. Thanks for posting the update, it gives hope to others dealing with the same loop issue. Hopefully EDD will eventually fix their website to handle these expired claim transitions better so people don't have to spend hours on hold for what should be a simple online process.

UPDATE: I wanted to thank everyone for their advice! I followed the suggestions here - filed a police report, called Money Network and specifically asked for the fraud department, and used Claimyr to actually get through to an EDD representative. The EDD rep was able to confirm my identity and did a three-way call with Money Network while I was on the line. Having the EDD rep there made all the difference! Money Network is sending me a replacement card with expedited shipping (should arrive in 3 business days) and they're adding extra security measures to my account. The EDD rep also helped me set up direct deposit for future payments so I won't have to worry about card issues again. Still not sure how the hacker got into my account in the first place, but at least it's getting resolved. Thanks again for all your help!

This is such a relief to hear! I went through something similar a few months ago and it was absolutely terrifying being locked out of my benefits. The three-way call approach is genius - I wish I had known about that trick when I was dealing with my situation. For anyone else reading this who might face a similar issue, I'd also recommend taking screenshots of your account settings regularly (like your registered email, phone number, etc.) so you have proof of what your legitimate account info should be. It helped me when I had to verify my identity later. Lucas, make sure to monitor your account closely for the next few weeks even after you get the new card, just to be safe!