Can a military spouse collect unemployment due to PCS - California EDD question

All California, three years at the same place. So I'd still be filing a California claim even from out of state - that's actually a relief to know, thank you.

Yep, same thing happened to a friend of mine - moved to a different state mid-claim and kept collecting through California EDD the whole time. The claim stays where the wages were earned.

$310 a week and it was approved after a PCS quit? That's really helpful to hear. And good tip on filing the same week you stop working - I hadn't thought about the timing mattering that much.

Timing the application to the week you stop is smart. I waited almost two weeks after my last day and lost those weeks entirely since the claim only goes back to when you apply.

How long did it take before the first payment came through for you? I'm about to be in a similar situation and trying to figure out how many weeks of a gap to budget for.

For me it was about three weeks from application to first payment hitting the Money Network card - roughly what EDD says it takes to process a new claim. The first certification covered the waiting week plus one paid week.

So I'd still have to do the phone interview even with the orders as evidence? I was hoping the documentation would just make it automatic but that makes sense that there's still a process.

Always a phone interview when you quit, doesn't matter the reason. Had one for a quit that was pretty clear cut and it was still required. Keep the DE 4800 somewhere you can find it and be near your phone at the time it lists.

The interview isn't as scary as it sounds - mine was about fifteen minutes, they asked when I last worked, why I left, whether I had documentation. Just be straightforward and have the orders in front of you.

That's a really common mix-up - it's about where you worked and paid into the system, not where you live when you file. Someone who worked in California and then moved to another state can still file a California claim. EDD's own process covers this.

Ohhhh okay that makes sense. I always assumed it worked like income tax where your state of residence matters. Thanks for clearing that up.

I've been at the same salary for two years so it probably won't swing too wildly, but I had no idea EDD could use the alternate window automatically. That's good to know so I'm not panicking thinking there's an error.

Had this exact confusion on my own claim - kept thinking EDD made a mistake on my benefit amount. Turns out my raise from the previous year was just outside the standard base period window so the alternate base period was what saved me from having an invalid claim.

CalJOBS registration is tied to a notice EDD sends called the DE 8405 - most claimants have 21 days from that notice to register and post a resume or payments can be affected. Whether there's an exception for someone living out of state, I honestly don't know the answer to that one with certainty - best to ask EDD directly when you do your phone interview or through a message in UI Online.

Okay flagging this for my own situation - I'll make sure to ask about it at the phone interview since I'll definitely be out of state before I get any mail from EDD.

Yeah I'd bring it up at the interview for sure. I ended up registering in CalJOBS even though I'd moved because nobody told me I didn't have to, and it honestly wasn't that hard from out of state - caljobs.ca.gov works from anywhere.

Pending in Claim History just means EDD is still working out eligibility or verifying something - it's not a denial. After a quit the interview has to happen, then EDD makes a decision. If they approve it, those certified weeks get paid. If they don't, a Notice of Determination comes in the mail with an appeal form attached.

Mine cleared up without any action on my part, I just kept certifying every two weeks like I was supposed to. Took about three and a half weeks after the interview before I saw payments.

Good to know I should keep certifying even if weeks sit as Pending - I would have panicked and stopped if I saw that screen.

Ugh that is brutal. The UI Online interface gives zero indication that you should keep going - it just sits there showing Pending with no explanation.

Genuinely horrified reading this - I would have done the same thing. Saving this comment, keeping certifying no matter what.

Seriously the number one mistake people make. If you stop certifying EDD can only pay weeks that were certified, full stop. Keep going even when it looks like nothing is happening.

Not a dumb question at all. After you apply, EDD sends you a Continued Claim form or you do it in UI Online - basically every two weeks you're answering questions about whether you worked, looked for work, were available and able to work during those weeks. It's how EDD confirms you still qualify and it's how the payments get triggered. Without certifying, nothing gets paid out.

Oh that makes way more sense than I thought. So you're not just waiting passively - you have to actively do something every two weeks. Got it.

Super practical tip, thank you. I'll put together a little packet - the orders, the official report date, my last day of work - so I can just reference it during the call without scrambling.

Documentation made a huge difference on my interview too. Even for straightforward situations, being able to cite specific dates instead of saying 'sometime in the fall' makes you sound way more credible.

EDD doesn't publish an exhaustive list of what counts as good cause - their standard is basically that you had a compelling reason a reasonable person would have quit for, and that you tried to keep the job if that was possible. PCS relocation with a non-remote job fits that framework pretty naturally, but EDD still makes the call after hearing from both the claimant and the employer.

So there's no guarantee even with the orders, you still have to make the case at the interview. Helpful to know going in with realistic expectations.

My cousin went through this and was approved, but she said the interviewer specifically asked whether she looked into whether the job could become remote before she resigned. She had already asked HR and gotten a no in writing, which helped a lot.

Severance pay doesn't block you from filing right away - you can apply the same week you stop working regardless of severance. EDD does ask you to report it when you certify, and EDD makes the call on how it affects any individual week. The safe move is to report it honestly and let EDD sort it out.

That's different from what I'd heard - I thought severance delayed everything by however many weeks it covered. Glad to know you can at least file immediately.

The 'severance delays your claim' thing is a really persistent myth. You report it, EDD decides, but it doesn't prevent you from applying the moment you stop working.

EDD's requirement is that you're able to work, available for work, and genuinely looking for work for every week you claim. Being in the middle of a move doesn't automatically excuse you from that - you'd want to actually be applying for jobs in your new location during those weeks. If you're not able or available to work in a given week, you don't claim it.

This is something I need to think about carefully. I probably won't be fully settled and job-hunting-ready for at least a week or two after we arrive. I'll make sure I'm honest on the certifications about which weeks I was actually available.

Exactly - better to skip a week on the certification than to claim it and have EDD question it later. Overpayments are a nightmare to deal with.

EDD doesn't have a formal expedite process that I'm aware of - processing a new claim just takes about three weeks and that's pretty standard. The best thing is to apply the same week you stop working so you're not adding any extra delay. Having CalFresh as a resource in the meantime is worth looking into if money is tight - you apply through BenefitsCal and unemployment benefits count as income for it.

CalFresh during the gap is a good idea I hadn't thought of. Applying to multiple things at once makes sense.

The DE 429Z and your first payment are two different things. The DE 429Z is a document EDD mails early on that shows your weekly benefit amount and the most the claim can pay in total - it's not saying you've been approved or that money is coming. Payments come separately after you certify and EDD decides eligibility. If anything on the DE 429Z looks wrong, you'd appeal within 30 days of the mailing date.

Okay that clears up so much confusion. I thought the DE 429Z was essentially a 'you're approved' letter and was baffled why people were waiting so long after getting it.

Ugh I made that same assumption. Got the DE 429Z, thought I was done waiting, then spent two more weeks wondering why no money appeared.

If EDD denies, they mail a Notice of Determination with the reason and an Appeal Form called the DE 1000M. You have 30 calendar days from the mailing date to appeal in writing - send it to the address on the notice. EDD reviews it first, then it goes to an administrative law judge at the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. The notice for the hearing comes by mail at least 10 days before the date.

30 days is not a lot of time to get organized if you're also in the middle of moving. Worth keeping an eye on the mail carefully in those first weeks.

Adding this to my mental checklist - watch the mail closely, don't let a denial notice sit around because that clock starts on the mailing date not when you open it.

UI benefits are taxable federal income no matter where you're living when you receive them. California EDD won't touch them for state income tax, but your new state's tax rules are a separate question that EDD can't answer - that's between you and wherever you end up living. EDD sends a 1099G each January, and you can also find it in UI Online under Payments then Form 1099G.

Good to know the California side is handled - I'll have to look into what my new state does with it. At least I can opt into the 10% federal withholding through EDD so I'm not hit with a surprise bill.

EDD's rules on exactly how military pay and allowances are counted aren't something anyone here should be guessing at - that's really a question to put directly to EDD, either at the phone interview or through a message in UI Online. The safe answer is to report anything you're unsure about and let EDD decide.

Fair point. I'll ask EDD directly rather than go off forum speculation. The interview is a good time to raise it.

Really important logistics note - if we're mid-move when the DE 4800 arrives I might need to have mail forwarded fast or check if EDD can reach me at an updated phone number. I'll update my contact info in myEDD before we leave.

Updating your phone number in myEDD before you leave is exactly the right move. The last thing you want is to miss the interview because they're dialing an old number.

Yep, $450 is California's maximum weekly benefit amount right now. You can estimate what yours would be with the Unemployment Benefit Calculator on EDD's site before you apply - it gives you a rough sense based on your quarterly earnings. The actual number shows up on the DE 429Z after you apply.

I was earning well over that so I guess I'd hit the cap. Good to know going in so I can plan the budget around $450 rather than a percentage of my actual salary.

ID.me being the actual holdup rather than the PCS documentation is not something I would have figured out without talking to someone. Good reminder to get that set up properly before anything else.

The ID.me step trips so many people up and they never know it's the issue because Pending in UI Online just says Pending - no detail about what specifically is being waited on.

EDD's rule is to report wages in the week they were earned, not the week the check arrives. So if that last paycheck is paying you for work you did before your claim week started, it wouldn't go on your certification for the new claim. If any of those hours overlap into a week you're claiming, report them for that week.

Earned not received - that's the key I was missing. So I need to match the wages to the actual days worked, not the payment date. That's clearer than anything I'd read before.

This thread has genuinely answered more of my questions than two hours of googling did. I'm going to go apply the week I stop working, get the ID.me done immediately, watch for the DE 4800, and keep certifying no matter what.