Brooklyn, congratulations on your new job! 🎉 I can totally relate to your privacy concerns - I had the exact same worries when I started my current position after being on unemployment for about 4 months last year. From my experience, EDD did not contact my employer at all. What I learned is that EDD's main focus is on fraud prevention (people who work while still collecting benefits) rather than verifying every legitimate job placement. Their wage verification process is typically done through automated quarterly wage matching using data that employers already submit for tax purposes - not direct contact about individual cases. Your new employer will only receive standard new hire paperwork (DE 34 form) that they're required to file for ALL new employees, regardless of unemployment history. Nothing in that documentation would reveal your previous benefit status. Just be completely accurate when you report your new job on your final certification and stop certifying once you start working full-time. Then you can focus entirely on doing amazing at your new role! You've earned this opportunity after months of searching - time to celebrate this fresh start! 💪

Hey Brooklyn, huge congrats on landing the new job! 🎉 I went through this exact same situation about 10 months ago after being unemployed for 3 months, and I totally understand your privacy concerns about EDD potentially contacting your new employer. The good news is that EDD never contacted my employer at all, and from reading through this thread, that seems to be the overwhelmingly common experience. EDD's primary focus is really on fraud prevention - catching people who continue collecting benefits while working - rather than verifying every person who legitimately transitions back to employment. When they do wage verification, it's through automated quarterly wage matching using data that employers already submit for tax purposes, not direct calls or letters about individual former claimants. Your employer will only receive standard new hire paperwork (DE 34 form) that they process for ALL employees regardless of employment background. My advice is exactly what everyone else has said: be completely accurate when reporting your new job on your final certification, stop certifying once you start full-time work, and then focus entirely on excelling in your new role. You've more than earned this fresh start after 4 months of searching! Don't let these privacy worries overshadow your amazing achievement. You can start your new job with confidence knowing your unemployment history will stay private. Best of luck! 💪

The call in notice response system worked better pre-pandemic when you could visit offices in person. Now it's all phone-based and the infrastructure can't handle the volume.

Final update: Got my call in notice response completed using automated calling service. Took 28 minutes total vs the 6 days I spent trying manually. Should have done it from day 1.

Timothy, I'm so sorry you're dealing with this incredibly frustrating situation - 3 weeks without SDI payments while trying your best to comply with their call-in notice is completely unacceptable. This thread has become an amazing resource of strategies from community members who've faced similar bureaucratic nightmares. I wanted to add one more approach that helped a family member: try contacting the California Department of Consumer Affairs at 1-800-952-5210. They have an advocacy division that sometimes intervenes when state agencies aren't responding to citizens following proper procedures. Explain that you've been unable to comply with EDD's call-in notice due to their own system failure (full voicemail for over a week) and that you're now 3 weeks without payments. They can sometimes fast-track these cases by contacting EDD directly on your behalf. Also, document the exact dates and times of every call attempt you've made - this creates a clear record that you've been trying to comply while their system has been failing. Between all the brilliant strategies shared here (the early morning calls, technical unit numbers, executive contacts, ADA line, assemblyperson offices, and now Consumer Affairs), you have a really comprehensive action plan. The fact that so many people have faced similar issues and found solutions shows you're not alone in this fight. Don't give up - you deserve to receive the benefits you're entitled to, and one of these approaches will definitely break through the bureaucratic wall!

Timothy, I'm so sorry you're going through this - 3 weeks without SDI payments while diligently trying to follow their procedures is absolutely unacceptable. This thread has become an incredible resource of practical solutions from people who've actually navigated similar situations. I wanted to add one more strategy that helped me last year: try calling the EDD's Legislative Affairs office at 1-916-654-8210. They handle cases that come from elected officials but sometimes will take direct calls about systemic failures like yours. When you call, emphasize that their own broken system (full voicemail for a week) is preventing you from complying with their call-in notice - this frames it as an operational issue they need to fix rather than just another routine inquiry. Also, if you have a smartphone, try using the callback feature on the EDD website while simultaneously trying the early morning calling strategy others mentioned - sometimes having multiple requests in their system helps. The fact that you've been SMS messaging your number consistently actually works in your favor - it shows continuous good faith effort to comply despite their system failure. Between all the amazing strategies shared here and your persistent efforts, I'm confident you'll get this resolved soon. This community really shows that we have each other's backs when the bureaucracy fails us. Keep fighting - you deserve those payments!

This whole situation is absolutely infuriating and unfortunately way too common. I've been helping people navigate EDD/BofA fraud issues for the past two years, and your case hits all the classic red flags of their broken system. Here's what's really important that I haven't seen mentioned yet: BofA has an internal escalation process called a "second level review" that most reps won't tell you about. When you file your CFPB complaint (which you absolutely should), also demand a second level review of all denied claims. Use those exact words. Also, since you never received the cards, this technically falls under "card not received" fraud, which has different protections than regular unauthorized transaction fraud. BofA should have issued you replacement cards immediately when you first contacted them about never receiving the originals, regardless of when the fraud occurred. One more critical point: California has additional consumer protections beyond federal regulations. Contact the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) in addition to the CFPB. They've been cracking down on BofA's EDD practices specifically. Don't let them gaslight you about time limits - the clock doesn't start ticking until you had reasonable opportunity to discover the fraud, which clearly wasn't possible for cards you never received. Keep fighting!

I'm in a very similar situation and this thread is incredibly valuable. BofA denied my EDD fraud claims for cards I never received, and like you, they keep changing their excuses. What's particularly maddening is how they treat us like we're trying to scam them when WE'RE the victims of identity theft. I wanted to add one thing that helped me document my case better: I requested my full EDD payment history AND my BofA account activity logs through their formal records request process. This showed clear discrepancies in the IP addresses and locations where the cards were used versus where I actually live. It's additional evidence that the transactions couldn't have been made by me. Also, for anyone reading this who's in a similar situation - screenshot and save this entire thread! The collective advice here is better than anything I've gotten from BofA's customer service in months of calls. The point about Regulation E's discovery rule and the "second level review" process are game-changers. Zane, please keep us updated on your CFPB complaint. I'm filing mine this week and would love to know if that route works. We shouldn't have to become legal experts just to get our stolen money back, but this community is proving that knowledge is power when fighting these denials.

I've been getting EDD direct deposits for about a year now and wanted to share some insights that might help with future payments. With Bank of America specifically, I've found they're one of the most consistent banks for EDD timing - usually 24-48 hours from "paid" status to funds in account. The first payment almost always takes longer (48-72 hours) because EDD does additional verification to make sure your banking details are correct and the account is active. After that verification period, it becomes very predictable. One thing I learned is that EDD processes payments in overnight batches, typically between midnight and 4 AM Pacific time, so if your certification shows "paid" late in the evening, it might not actually get sent to your bank until the next batch cycle. This can add 12-24 hours to the timeline. Also, I'd highly recommend setting up BofA's mobile push notifications for any deposit activity - it's a game changer for peace of mind since you'll know instantly when money hits instead of constantly checking your balance. The anxiety definitely gets much better once you understand your bank's pattern and have been through a few payment cycles!

I've been getting EDD direct deposits for about 3 months now and your experience matches exactly what I went through! With BofA, that 36-hour timeline for your first payment is completely normal. What I've noticed is that the initial payment always takes a bit longer because they're verifying your account information and setting up the direct deposit pathway in their system. After that first payment though, it becomes super predictable - mine now consistently hit within 24-36 hours of showing "paid" status. BofA typically processes government deposits during their early morning cycle (usually between 3-6 AM), so I've gotten into the habit of checking my account when I wake up rather than staying up late refreshing the app. One thing that really helped my peace of mind was setting up instant deposit alerts through the BofA mobile app - now I get a notification the second any money hits my account instead of constantly wondering. The timing really does become much more reliable once you've been through a few cycles, which makes budgeting so much easier. Glad you got that first payment sorted out before rent was due!