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EDD appeal rejected after husband marked wrong termination reason - need advice for 2nd level appeal
My husband got denied for unemployment because he checked the wrong box for his separation reason on the initial application. He was actually laid off due to workforce reduction, but in his confusion with the online form he selected 'voluntarily quit' (which wasn't true at all). When he realized the mistake, he immediately filed an appeal explaining it was an honest error and provided his termination letter showing the layoff. Yesterday we got the appeal decision - DENIED. The judge said his explanation wasn't 'credible' despite us sending in the actual termination paperwork from his employer! We're now going on 14 weeks with ZERO income. We've got 2 kids, rent is $2,800/month, and our savings are completely depleted. He's been job searching every day but nothing has come through yet. We need to file a second-level appeal to the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, but I'm terrified we'll be denied again. Has anyone successfully won at this second appeal level after losing the first one? What evidence or arguments worked? Should we hire an attorney? We're desperate for any advice or success stories at this point.
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EDD extension after regular benefits exhausted - still partially employed
So my regular UI benefits just ran out last week (got the $0 remaining balance notice), and I received a message saying I 'may qualify for an extension' but don't need to do anything and will get approval in the mail if I'm eligible. Is this just their standard message they send everyone? I'm still working part-time (about 20 hours/week) at a restaurant and have been reporting these earnings throughout my claim. Will my partial employment affect whether I get approved for an extension? And if they do approve it, does anyone know the typical timeframe? Getting anxious since rent is due in 3 weeks...
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I just remembered something! When I got laid off from my serving job last year, I had another part-time gig too. The EDD person told me that if my hours get reduced by 20% or more it counts as a significant change! Your hours went from 25 to 20 which is exactly 20% less! Maybe that's why someone above mentioned a new "qualifying event"?
That's not completely right. The 20% thing is for Partial UI when you're still working but at reduced hours compared to normal. OP is already on partial UI. What matters is if they have enough wages in their base period quarters to qualify for a new claim, not the percentage reduction from an already reduced schedule.
Update: I finally got through to EDD this morning! The representative confirmed what many of you said - there are no automatic extensions currently available. However, she reviewed my case and said that because my hours were reduced again last month, I might qualify for a recalculation of my benefits. She's transferring my case to a specialist who will call me back within 7-10 business days. Fingers crossed this works out! Thanks everyone for all your advice and help.
how did u even get through?? ive been calling for days
I called right when they opened at 8:00 am and used the trick where you press 1-2-4 as soon as the automated system picks up. Still took about 6 attempts, but I finally got in the queue instead of getting disconnected.
Certified for EDD benefits yesterday but no payment showing in portal - wait or call?
I completed my bi-weekly certification yesterday morning around 9am and usually see some movement by now (either pending or paid status). My portal still shows absolutely nothing for this certification period - like I never even did it! The confirmation number is in my text messages though, so I know it went through. My previous payments have always shown up within 12 hours of certifying. Should I panic and start the EDD phone nightmare tomorrow morning, or is this normal sometimes? Do weekend certifications take longer to process? My rent is due Friday and I'm starting to stress out!
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my brother works for edd (not supposed to tell anyone lol) says they're doing system updates this week and lots of weekend certifications are delayed. shouldnt be anything to worry about!
thx for inside info! EDD never tells us anything
UPDATE for anyone finding this post later: The most likely explanation is the Monday holiday (Memorial Day) causing processing delays. EDD typically takes 48-72 hours after holidays to catch up on certifications. Since you certified on Sunday before a holiday, expect things to take 1-2 days longer than usual. Still recommend waiting until Thursday before calling.
You were right! It just showed up as PAID this morning. Thanks everyone for helping me not panic!
EDD certification confusion - how to report 3-day lump sum payment on UI?
Hey everyone, I'm in a weird spot and could use some guidance. I just landed a short-term gig that runs next weekend (Saturday through Monday). Here's the confusing part - they're paying me a single lump sum for all three days of work, not an hourly or daily rate. The problem is I need to certify for UI benefits that Sunday and I have no idea how to report this correctly. It's basically contract work where I'll be submitting an invoice. Do I split the payment evenly across the three days? Or report it all on the day I get paid (which might be weeks later)? I really don't want to mess this up and get hit with an overpayment notice down the road. Has anyone dealt with reporting lump sum contract work during certification?
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One more thing - make sure you report you were looking for work during this period EVEN THOUGH you had this short gig. Since it's temporary, you're still available for full-time employment and should be continuing your work search efforts. I got tripped up on this and almost lost benefits because I didn't report my work search activities during a week I had a short contract job.
That's really helpful - I wouldn't have thought of that. I'll make sure to keep up with my work search requirements even during this short job. Thank you!
OMG the EDD system is THE WORST for self-employed and contract workers!! I had to deal with this for MONTHS during the pandemic. Sometimes I think they intentionally make it confusing so they can later say you did it wrong and make you pay everything back. It's like they don't understand that not everyone has a simple hourly job with regular paychecks!!
PREACH! 👏 I swear they design these systems to trip people up. Then they send those scary overpayment notices months later when you're not expecting it.
EDD claim ending with $3k balance left - only 4.5 months in - are extensions possible?
Just checked my UI Online account and saw a notification that my unemployment benefits are ending next week! I'm totally confused because my claim is only 4.5 months old and I can see there's still around $3000 left in my benefit balance. I thought claims were supposed to last for a full year? Why would they suddenly cut me off when there's money remaining? Has anyone else dealt with this? Do they offer extensions or is there something I can do to continue receiving benefits? I've been applying for jobs consistently but the market in my field is terrible right now. Really need advice before my next certification date!
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my cousin had something like this happen and it was bcuz he didnt do enough job searches or something? did u make sure to list all ur work search activities when u certified???
Yes, I've been really careful about doing my work search requirements and recording them. I always list at least 3 job contacts each week.
Since you mentioned working part-time in January, that's almost certainly the trigger. When quarterly employer wage reports come in, the system automatically flags claims where there's any difference between what the employer reported and what you certified - even if it's just a small timing difference. The good news is that this is usually resolvable with a phone call to EDD. Once you speak with a representative, they'll likely release the hold if everything matches up. They might need to perform a quick eligibility interview, but that can often be done on the spot. Make sure you have records of your work dates and earnings available when you call.
UPDATE: I finally got through to EDD! You were right - it was because of the part-time work I did in January. The quarterly wage report from that employer came in and triggered an automatic review. The agent verified my certifications matched the employer report and removed the hold. My benefits will continue normally with my next certification. Such a relief! Thanks everyone for the help and advice!
Evelyn Kim
what about legal aid? i think they help with edd stuff for free if ur low income
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Raúl Mora
AuthorI hadn't considered that. We definitely qualify as low income at this point. I'll search for legal aid services in our area today. Thanks for the suggestion!
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Henrietta Beasley
Make sure to file your second appeal WITHIN 30 DAYS of receiving the first appeal decision! This deadline is super strict and they won't make exceptions. Send it certified mail so you have proof of when you submitted it.
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Raúl Mora
AuthorYes! We got the decision letter 3 days ago, so we have 27 days left. Planning to submit the second appeal by the end of this week after collecting all the additional documentation everyone has suggested. Great tip about using certified mail!
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