I just wanted to add my perspective as someone who went through this process about a year ago. My employer (a tech startup with around 100 employees) actually did show up to my hearing with their HR person and some documentation, but it ended up working in my favor because their story fell apart under questioning. The Administrative Law Judge was very thorough and kept asking specific questions about their misconduct claims. When they said I was terminated for "insubordination," the judge immediately wanted to know: What specific incident? Was there a written policy about this? Did I receive any warnings? Were there witnesses? They couldn't answer most of these questions with actual evidence. Meanwhile, I had emails showing that my "insubordination" was actually me questioning a directive that violated our own safety protocols - which is actually protected under California labor law. The whole experience taught me that these judges really do know the law and can spot weak cases from employers pretty quickly. They're not just rubber-stamping whatever the employer claims happened. Don't let the anxiety consume you - focus on organizing your facts and trust that the system actually works when you have the truth on your side. I got my benefits approved and received full back pay. You can do this!

I had my EDD appeal hearing about 5 months ago and can definitely relate to your anxiety! My former employer (a retail company with about 180 employees) did send their regional HR manager to the phone hearing, but honestly it wasn't as scary as I had built it up to be in my head. The Administrative Law Judge was very professional and structured the whole process clearly. The hearing lasted about 45 minutes, and what really struck me was how focused the judge was on the actual legal definition of misconduct rather than just accepting my employer's characterization of events. My employer claimed I was terminated for "violation of company policies," but when the judge asked for specific documentation - written warnings, progressive discipline records, evidence I knew about the policies I allegedly violated - they kept giving vague answers and couldn't produce much concrete evidence. What really helped my case was having a clear timeline showing that my termination happened right in the middle of a broader restructuring where they eliminated several positions across different departments. I also had my performance reviews which were consistently satisfactory. The judge kept coming back to questions like "If this employee's conduct was truly problematic, why wasn't it addressed through your normal disciplinary process?" and "Can you explain why this termination coincided with your department restructuring?" I won my appeal and received all my back pay about 3 weeks later. The key is staying calm, sticking to facts, and remembering that the burden is on them to prove actual willful misconduct - not just poor performance or being in the wrong place at the wrong time during layoffs. You're going to do great! Trust the process and focus on presenting the facts about the downsizing context.

Hey everyone! I'm also dealing with the Money Network card transition from BofA and this thread has been incredibly helpful. Just wanted to add that if you're having trouble with the app or website, try clearing your browser cache or updating the app to the latest version. I was getting error messages when trying to add my bank account info, and a simple app update fixed everything. Also, for those worried about security, the ACH transfer through the Money Network app uses the same encryption as most major banks, so it's actually quite safe. One last tip - keep a screenshot of your transfer confirmation number just in case you need to reference it later. The Money Network customer service isn't great, but having that confirmation number can help speed things up if there are any issues. Hope this helps others navigate this frustrating but manageable process!

Just wanted to share my recent experience since I went through this exact same situation last week! I had about $1,800 on my Money Network card and was dreading the transfer process after reading horror stories online. But honestly, it was way easier than I expected once I followed the right steps. First, I activated the card by calling the number on the back (took like 2 minutes). Then downloaded the Money Network app and did the identity verification - uploaded my license photos and answered some security questions. The whole verification took maybe 20 minutes and was approved within a few hours. For the actual transfer, I did what someone else mentioned and started with a small test amount ($100) just to make sure everything worked. It went through perfectly in 2 business days, so then I transferred the remaining balance. The $5,000 daily limit was more than enough for my needs. Pro tip: double check your bank's routing number! I almost messed that up. Also, if you do the transfer on a Friday, don't expect it until Tuesday/Wednesday since weekends don't count. The whole experience was actually pretty smooth once I got past the initial learning curve. Definitely recommend the app over calling customer service - saved me hours of being on hold!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now too! Just saw the weekly certification prompt this morning and my heart sank thinking my benefits were ending early. I still have about $9,200 left on my claim and have only been collecting since February, so I knew something seemed off. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a huge relief - it's clear this is just a normal EDD system quirk that happens occasionally for various reasons (holidays, system maintenance, etc.). It's so frustrating that they don't provide any explanation when these changes happen! Based on what everyone is saying, it sounds like the weekly certifications are temporary and will switch back to bi-weekly on their own within a few weeks. And the payment amounts work out to be exactly the same - just half the normal bi-weekly amount paid weekly instead. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here. It's really reassuring to know this is a common occurrence and not a sign that benefits are ending. The EDD system definitely keeps us all on our toes with these unexplained changes!

I just want to add my experience to reassure anyone else going through this! I had the exact same weekly certification switch happen to me back in January and I was absolutely convinced my benefits were ending early. I even stayed up all night researching and found horror stories online that made me panic even more. Turns out it was completely normal - mine lasted exactly 3 weeks before automatically switching back to bi-weekly. The payments were exactly what everyone else described: half my normal bi-weekly amount, paid weekly. So if I normally got $640 every two weeks, I got $320 each week during that period. Same total money, just different timing. What really helped me was tracking everything in a spreadsheet during those 3 weeks to prove to myself that my claim balance was decreasing at the normal rate. It was! The only difference was I was getting paid more frequently, which actually made budgeting easier. With your $8,400 balance and only 4 months of collecting, you're definitely nowhere near exhausting your 26-week benefit period. This weekly certification thing is just one of those random EDD system quirks that happens occasionally. Try not to let it stress you out - just keep certifying as prompted and it'll go back to normal on its own!

Hey everyone! Just wanted to add another option that worked for me when I was in this exact same situation last year. If you have a Costco membership (or know someone who does), their customer service desk will cash government checks for members with just a $2 fee - way cheaper than most other places! They're usually pretty fast too since not many people know about this service. Also, if you're worried about carrying cash around after cashing your check, many places like Walmart and grocery stores will let you immediately buy a prepaid Visa card or money order with the cash, which can be safer than walking around with hundreds in cash. Just another tip to add to this super helpful thread - this community really knows how to help each other navigate EDD's confusing system!

Hey Raúl! I just went through this exact same situation a couple months ago and was SO frustrated too. EDD definitely has a weird policy where they send the first payment as a paper check even when you select the debit card option - it's like their "security measure" or something, but they don't explain it anywhere which is super annoying! For cashing it, I'd definitely recommend Walmart over check cashing places. I made the mistake of going to a check cashing place first and they wanted $25 on a $400 check - absolutely ridiculous! Walmart only charged me $4 (since my check was under $1000) and the process was super quick. Just make sure you bring your ID and have exact cash for the fee. Your Money Network card should arrive within 7-10 days after this first payment, and then all future payments will go directly on that card. Hang in there - I know it's stressful when you really need that money!

I'm going through the exact same nightmare right now! Filed my reopen claim on May 4th (so 8 days ago) and my UI Online dashboard is still stuck showing "You may need to reopen your claim" like I never did anything. I'm also in construction and got laid off last month when our project wrapped up. What's really getting to me is that I had a similar issue when I first applied for unemployment about a year ago - spent weeks thinking my application disappeared only to find out it was processed but the system just never updated. You'd think they would have fixed these glitches by now! Based on all the advice here, I think I'm going to wait until Thursday (that'll be 2 weeks) and then try the Claimyr service that @Jay Lincoln and @Diego Rojas mentioned. It sounds way better than trying to get through on the phone myself. Has anyone tried calling EDD directly recently? Are the wait times still insane? Really hoping this gets resolved soon for all of us dealing with this. It's stressful enough being unemployed without having to wonder if your claim application even exists in their system!

I'm dealing with this EXACT same issue right now! Filed my reopen claim on May 8th (4 days ago) and my UI Online dashboard is still showing that same "You may need to reopen your claim" message like I never submitted anything. I'm also in construction and got laid off when my project ended last month. Reading through all these responses has been both helpful and stressful - it's reassuring to know this is a widespread glitch, but scary that some people waited weeks or had to call dozens of times. The fact that so many construction workers are experiencing this at the same time really seems to support what @Kendrick Webb said about the spike in reopen claims making this glitch worse. I think I'm going to follow the advice here and wait until next Tuesday (that'll be 10 days) and then try the Claimyr service that multiple people have had success with. @Diego Rojas's experience sounds exactly like what I need - getting connected to someone who can actually find and fix the stuck application instead of playing phone tag with EDD for hours. Has anyone who used Claimyr noticed any difference in how quickly their payments started coming through after getting the claim unstuck? I'm worried about potential delays even after the reopen gets processed. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it really helps to know we're not alone in dealing with this frustrating system!