Can you get unemployment if fired for cause in California EDD?

The pending status had me spiraling so I really appreciate knowing someone got through and found out actual information. Did your adjudication resolve pretty quickly after the interview?

Retail management here too, fired last year. That whole experience of not knowing what 'for cause' means for your claim is awful. The interview really is where things get sorted out.

The claim went through a few weeks after the phone interview. EDD mailed me a Notice of Determination once it was decided.

I did get one written warning about the first missed inspection, then the second one happened about three weeks later. Would that one warning change how EDD sees it?

Having one prior warning doesn't seal your fate - EDD weighs the whole picture. What you describe, two missed entries in a month, isn't the same as, say, refusing a direct order or showing up drunk. Go into the phone interview and explain exactly what happened without embellishing.

This is right. The word 'misconduct' in EDD's world has a specific meaning that doesn't match how most HR departments use 'terminated for cause.' I've seen people get approved after being fired for attendance issues and other things employers call cause.

That's genuinely reassuring. How long between the interview and when you actually saw movement in UI Online?

Honestly it felt like forever but was probably about two and a half weeks. Payments for the pending weeks all processed once EDD decided.

Logistics and warehousing jobs love to throw 'for cause' on terminations. Good to know someone got through the interview and came out okay.

Pending in Claim History just means EDD hasn't made a decision on that week yet - could be they're waiting on the interview, verifying identity, or reviewing employer info. Definitely not a denial.

oh wow okay I completely misread that when I had my own claim last year. I was panicking for two weeks thinking pending = rejected

I hadn't thought about the employer response piece at all. So they have to actively prove something to EDD, not just say I was fired for cause?

Exactly. EDD runs its own process separate from whatever the company put in your termination paperwork. Your employer has to respond to EDD and show misconduct by their definition, not just HR's definition.

Yep, two totally different standards. HR can fire someone for all sorts of things that EDD would never call misconduct. The employer response period is real and matters.

Worth noting that 'denied' doesn't have to be the end - anyone who gets a Notice of Determination they disagree with has 30 calendar days from the mailing date on that notice to appeal in writing. The Appeal Form DE 1000M is included with the denial notice. The original poster's situation isn't hopeless even if the first decision goes the wrong way.

oh I didn't know about that appeal option, my cousin just accepted the denial. She probably could have fought it.

So many people don't appeal because they assume EDD's first decision is final. The 30-day window is real, and an administrative law judge hears the case - it's a full hearing where you can explain your side under oath.

Coming from someone in HR that is wild to hear honestly. I genuinely thought 'for cause' on my termination papers was basically EDD's answer too.

Completely understandable assumption - the language sounds official and final. File, go to your interview, tell the truth about what happened, and let EDD make the actual call.

The number of people who don't file just because of what's written on termination paperwork is probably huge. That paper is the company's document, not EDD's.

Missing that call is a real problem - if you don't pick up at the scheduled time, EDD moves forward deciding your case without your side of the story. That can mean delayed payments or a denial. If you know you can't be available, contact EDD at least one day before to ask about rescheduling. If you miss it and didn't do that, phone EDD the same day.

okay so you really need to be available at that exact time. got it

The date and time of the interview show up on your UI Online homepage and on the DE 4800 notice EDD mails you. Block that time off completely.

I did see something about CalJOBS when I was reading through the myEDD stuff. So I need to register and post a resume there within 21 days of that notice?

Yes - 21 days from the date on the DE 8405 they mail you. Missing it can pause your payments, so do it even while everything else is still pending.

CalJOBS registration is one of those things that feels like busywork when your whole focus is on the adjudication, but it really can hold up payments if you let the deadline pass.

I hadn't even gotten to thinking about amounts yet, still just hoping to get approved at all. Good to know the payment calculation is a separate thing from the misconduct question.

Completely separate. The DE 429Z notice EDD mails you will show your weekly benefit amount once they process the application - that number is set by your wages, full stop.

Exactly right. For a quit it's on the claimant to show good cause; for a firing it's on the employer to show misconduct. Opposite standards depending on how you left.

That's actually a relief to hear about my specific situation. So EDD isn't starting from the assumption that I did something wrong just because the company said 'for cause.

EDD runs its own investigation and doesn't just take the employer's word. That's why both sides get a phone interview.

The calm and factual part is what I keep reminding myself. I tend to over-explain when I'm nervous.

Over-explaining is natural when you're stressed but try to answer what's actually asked. The interviewer is gathering information, not cross-examining you.

Agree with this completely. Stick to the facts of what happened, don't editorialize, and let EDD weigh it.

Check the mailing date on that Notice of Determination right now - you have 30 calendar days from that date to appeal in writing. The DE 1000M appeal form came with the notice. If you're still inside that window, mail it today.

the notice is dated like 18 days ago so I still have time?? I had no idea I could appeal this

You have about 12 days left by my count. Send the appeal in writing, use the DE 1000M or write a letter, mail it to the address on the notice, and keep certifying every two weeks so any weeks that might be paid later are on record.

Is there anything specific I should bring to the hearing if I end up appealing my denial?

Anything that documents your side - emails, texts, your own notes about what happened, pay stubs if wages are part of the question. Gather everything that speaks to what you did and didn't do, in your own words and in writing.

Former HR person agreeing with this - contemporaneous notes written close to the time of the incident carry a lot of weight compared to memory recalled months later. Anything you have from around the time of the termination is valuable.

Hard lesson but at least you know the process now. The 'terminated for cause' wording really does scare people away from filing when they have every right to.

My termination papers said gross misconduct and I just assumed there was no point. Now reading that EDD has its own standard for what that word means... I'll never make that mistake again.

Three weeks of that high call volume wall sounds exhausting. Good to know there's a way through when you actually need a real answer.

Not being able to get a straight answer for weeks is what makes the whole adjudication period so stressful. Once I actually talked to someone and knew the file was complete, it got a lot easier to wait.

EDD's claim process is between you and EDD - unemployment benefit information isn't something that shows up on background checks or employment verifications in a way that's tied to EDD's internal decision. Your former employer already knows you filed because EDD mails them a notice, but future employers aren't in that loop through EDD.

okay good, that was something I was worried about. thanks

The fear that filing somehow follows you to the next job stops a lot of people from claiming benefits they're owed. File your claim, that's what the program exists for.

That's a painful way to find out. I've been certifying even though everything shows pending - glad to know that's the right call.

Yes, keep certifying through the whole thing. If EDD decides in your favor they can only pay weeks you actually certified for.

The 'wait until it's approved to certify' mistake is so easy to make when you're new to the process. Certify every two weeks, no exceptions.

Six weeks pending sounds rough. I appreciate knowing the agent could actually tell you where it stood without just saying 'wait for the determination.

The agent was clear about what had happened on the file, which weeks were pending, and that a Notice of Determination would be mailed when it was decided. That was enough to stop me from spiraling.

Contested claims where the employer actively responds to EDD do take longer but that's not necessarily a bad sign for the claimant. EDD is weighing both sides, which means your side counts too.

Eight years at the same company and two missed inspection logs feels very different from something like theft or harassment. I'm going to trust the process and go into that interview prepared.

Exactly that. Length of service, clean record except for recent incidents, nature of the policy violation - all of it goes into EDD's picture. You're not walking in with a strike already against you.

Agreed. Consistency of employment history is real context. Someone with eight years and no prior major incidents reads very differently than someone with a pattern of violations. Tell EDD your full story.