Can I collect unemployment if I'm taking care of a family member? California EDD situation

So does that mean I should stop certifying for UI? I already filed the UI claim before I understood the difference. I don't want to certify for weeks where I genuinely wasn't available and then get hit with an overpayment later.

Filing a UI claim made sense to do — quitting to care for a parent is exactly the kind of situation EDD wants to review in a phone interview, not something they just auto-deny. The interview is where you explain your circumstances. But yes, every week you certify, you're saying you were able and available for work that week. If you weren't, that's the honest answer. PFL is the program designed for your situation — file that in SDI Online.

PFL only pays for a certain number of weeks though right? I thought it was like 8 weeks max or something. Does it kick in right away or is there a waiting period like with unemployment?

The number of weeks and waiting rules for PFL are EDD's SDI program to explain — I don't want to guess at the specifics. Best to check EDD's site under Paid Family Leave or call them directly. What I know for certain is you file it in SDI Online and it's separate from your UI claim.

Did you end up getting approved after your interview? I'm trying to figure out what documentation I should even have ready.

Gather anything that shows the nature of your mom's condition and that you had no real alternative — a doctor's note, any emails you sent your employer asking about leave options, that kind of thing. I'm not going to tell you EDD approved me because of any specific reason, I got a determination in the mail and it went from there. What I will say is having the documentation made the interview feel a lot less chaotic.

The DE 4800 also lists the questions EDD is likely to ask, right? So you can kind of prepare your answers before the interviewer phones at that time. I didn't realize that the first time and went into mine completely blind.

Six weeks of adjudication with no notice — that's really scary. Glad you got it sorted. My claim just shows pending right now so I'm watching for mail every single day.

Pending weeks in Claim History just mean EDD still has something to decide or verify. It doesn't mean denied, it just means wait.

Exactly — pending is not a verdict. Mine sat at pending the whole time. The DE 4800 never landed because my address was wrong in the system, which is why I needed to actually talk to someone instead of just refreshing UI Online.

Someone told me that if you quit for family reasons EDD automatically denies you because you chose to leave. That doesn't sound right based on what you're saying.

Not accurate. EDD's own language is 'if you quit, you need to show that you had a good reason' — the door is open to show that reason in the interview. Automatic denial isn't a thing for voluntary quits; the interview exists so you can make your case.

okay good because I was about to tell my cousin not to even bother filing and that would have been bad advice

I did get that letter and I genuinely thought it meant I was good to go. Thank you for clarifying that because I was about to relax completely.

Super common confusion. The determination comes later, either as payments showing up for the weeks you certified, or as a Notice of Determination in the mail if EDD decides you don't qualify.

So if you get denied you get a letter explaining why? And there's an appeal process?

Yes — a Notice of Determination with an Appeal Form attached. You have 30 calendar days from the mailing date on that notice to appeal in writing if you disagree with the decision.

Filing an appeal after a denial because of a missed interview you weren't notified about — that's a valid reason to appeal and also a reason to explain why you missed the deadline if the 30 days is already close.

Yeah my late appeal included a note explaining the address issue. The Office of Appeals scheduled a hearing and I got the Notice of Hearing about two weeks before. Still waiting on the judge's decision.

The CalJOBS registration thing — did you have to do that too during all of this? Because I got a notice about registering there and I'm not sure if that's separate from everything else with my claim.

I got that notice too. The DE 8405 gives you 21 days from the date on it to register in CalJOBS and post a resume or EDD can stop your payments. It's annoying when you're already dealing with everything else but don't skip it.

wait so nothing was ever taken from my paycheck for unemployment? I always assumed that's what part of my taxes covered

Nope. The CASDI line on your paystub goes to Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave, which is why those are the wage-replacement programs funded on your side. UI is on the employer side.

I had no idea about that distinction. So in a situation like mine where I quit to care for my mom, I could potentially have both a UI claim being reviewed AND file PFL separately for the same period?

You can file for both programs but EDD won't pay you from both for the same days — they pay from one at a time. PFL is probably the cleaner fit for weeks when you're genuinely not available for work. The UI eligibility question is about whether your quit had a good reason, which is separate.

Does the CalJOBS requirement still apply even if my claim ends up being adjudicated because I quit? Or only after I'm approved?

The DE 8405 notice sets the clock running from its own date — the adjudication being open doesn't pause that deadline from what I experienced. I'd register in CalJOBS and get the resume up before the 21 days runs out just to be safe, and ask EDD at your interview if there are any exceptions for your situation.

And the alternate base period — someone in another thread said you can ask for it to get a higher benefit amount. Is that true?

The alternate base period gets used automatically by EDD, but only if the standard one doesn't produce a valid claim at all. It doesn't bump up your weekly amount if you already have a valid claim under the standard period. So no, you can't just ask for it to get a higher number.

ah I definitely read that wrong somewhere. good to know before I tried to push for it

This is both helpful and terrifying. Did you keep certifying through the whole appeal process? I read somewhere that you have to keep certifying or they can't pay back weeks even if you win.

Yes — keep certifying every two weeks through the whole appeal. If the judge rules in your favor, EDD can only pay the weeks that were certified. If you stop certifying you lose those weeks even on a successful appeal.

How did the hearing actually work? Did EDD send someone to argue against you or is it just you and the judge?

It was me and the administrative law judge. I testified under oath and answered the judge's questions. The hearing notice came by mail at least ten days before. You can have anyone represent you — an attorney, a union rep, yourself.

How far out was the interview date from when you used it? I'm trying to figure out how urgently I need to act.

Mine was about two weeks out from when I found out. Having that heads-up was the whole point — knowing the date meant I could have everything ready and make sure my phone was with me at that exact time.

oh wow I made this same mistake. I thought the interview notice meant I was already being denied and I almost didn't show up because I thought it didn't matter

Please show up — if you miss the interview, EDD decides your case without your side of the story. If you miss it, phone EDD that same day and try to get it rescheduled.

I confused them too at first. Interview = EDD asking questions before deciding. Appeal = you contesting a decision after EDD already decided. Very different stages.

What about Social Security? I know some older claimants have both Social Security and unemployment questions.

Social Security doesn't get deducted from unemployment benefits and you don't report it when certifying. That one I'm pretty confident on based on EDD's rules. But pension is different — that one EDD decides on.

Having that paper trail is genuinely useful. The question you're going to be asked is essentially what steps you took before quitting — did you ask about leave, were there other options, was there anyone else who could have helped. Having evidence that you explored alternatives makes your case stronger.

There really was no one else. He has no other family in the state and my employer specifically said leave wasn't available in my role. I have that in writing which I think is important.

That written denial of leave is valuable documentation — keep it in that folder. The question EDD is weighing is whether the circumstances left you no reasonable alternative to quitting.

Someone in my family swore there was a training extension or something where you could get more weeks if you went back to school. Is that real?

California Training Benefits is a real program — if EDD approves you for school or training, you can keep receiving benefits without searching for work, and there's a possible Training Extension. You'd need to ask before week 16 of your benefits. It's not automatic and not open to everyone, so definitely ask EDD if that's something you want to explore.

I didn't know that existed. My hours situation might make that relevant. Good to know before I'm already past week 16.

This is exactly what I'm worried about if I certify wrong. I want to make sure I understand the available/able-to-work question before I certify again.

The honest answer is key. If a week you were genuinely available for work — meaning you could have taken a job if one came up — you can certify yes. If a week you were fully occupied with caregiving and couldn't take a job, the honest answer is no. That might make those weeks not payable, but it also protects you from an overpayment later.

And an overpayment that wasn't fraud still has to be repaid — the waiver is possible but not guaranteed. Honest certification is the safer road.

I didn't even think about health coverage since my mom's care has been consuming everything. This is a helpful reminder. Does unemployment income count against Medi-Cal eligibility?

Whether your UI benefits count as income for Medi-Cal purposes is something the county decides when you apply — I can't tell you a rule on that. BenefitsCal walks you through the application and the county makes the determination. What I can say is I was on UI during my Medi-Cal period without any issue, but my situation might not match yours.

Hadn't thought about CalFresh either. We're a two-person household now with zero income coming in, so even a small amount of food assistance would genuinely help while I wait on EDD.

Apply now rather than waiting to see what EDD decides — the application is separate and the county reviews your current income situation. No reason to wait.

What if the week you're asking about you had some caregiving income — like getting paid to care for a family member? Does that count the same as regular wages?

Any earnings need to be reported the week they were earned, not when they're paid, and that includes all income you receive for work. EDD decides how it affects the payment. The Report Wages option in UI Online lets you work out a week's wages before certifying — but it only works for upcoming weeks, not ones you've already certified.

If you reported a past week wrong, you contact EDD through a message in UI Online or by phone — the Report Wages screen can't go back and fix a week already certified.

A schedule change that makes it impossible to meet a caregiving obligation you couldn't avoid — that's the kind of circumstance EDD listens to in the interview. Have anything in writing that documents the schedule change and that you raised it with your employer.

I have the new schedule in writing and a text thread where I told my manager it wasn't workable. Printing all of it for the interview folder.

Text thread counts as documentation. Print or screenshot it and keep it with your other papers. The interviewer asking you questions is your opportunity to lay out the whole situation clearly.

How do you reopen a claim? Is that just through UI Online or do you have to call?

UI Online is the fastest way to reopen an existing claim. Same myEDD login you've been using.

Also worth knowing — if you stop certifying during the appeal period and win, EDD can't pay those uncertified weeks. Keep certifying even when things feel uncertain.

ID.me not syncing with EDD is a thing that actually happens? I did verify through ID.me but I'll double check my status on EDD's end now.

Worth verifying — my ID.me account showed verified but EDD's system hadn't registered it. Knowing that specific thing was the only reason I could actually fix it.

Vacation pay payout — same thing? Because I had unused vacation paid out when I left my job.

Vacation pay is also on EDD's list of pay to report when certifying. How EDD treats it is their call, not something I can give you a rule on. Report it and let EDD decide — don't just leave it off your certification.

In-lieu-of-notice pay falls in that bucket too. Anything on that list goes into your certification and EDD makes the determination. Never just skip reporting something because you're not sure if it matters.

So the CalJOBS deadline running out can actually freeze your payments? That happened faster than I expected from reading the original notice.

Mine froze pretty quickly once the deadline passed. The fix was straightforward once I knew what it was — register, post a resume, tell EDD it's done. But I wouldn't have known what was holding things up without talking to someone.

The DE 8405 notice really should be treated as urgent. When I got mine I put it in a pile thinking it was general information. It's not — it's a deadline.