Can you get unemployment if you were terminated from your job in California?

This is really reassuring to hear. So even though it says 'terminated' on my separation paperwork, EDD looks past that label and investigates the actual reason?

Exactly. California EDD will contact your former employer to get their side of the story too. Your employer has to specifically claim misconduct and provide evidence of it. A lot of employers don't even respond to EDD's request for information, which usually works in the claimant's favor.

this is right, my coworker got fired and still collected UI for like 5 months no problem

Did you have to submit any documents yourself or was it mostly just answering their questions online?

Mostly answering questions through UI Online. They ask about your last day, reason given for termination, whether you received any warnings, if there was a PIP, stuff like that. I didn't upload documents but I had everything ready just in case they requested it during adjudication.

Same experience here. The questionnaire is pretty detailed but just answer everything honestly and you should be fine if it was really just a performance thing.

how long did it take before you got your first payment after being approved

I've already tried calling twice and couldn't get through. I'll check this out if my claim gets stuck.

ugh EDD phone lines are the WORST. I spent 3 weeks trying to reach anyone after my claim went pending. wish i knew about something like this

Does this actually work? I'm always suspicious of third party services when it comes to EDD stuff

Yeah it worked for me - I was connected to a real EDD agent within the same day. It's not sketchy, it just handles the hold/callback process for you so you're not sitting there redialing for hours.

That's actually really good advice. I've been screenshotting my performance reviews from my work email just in case.

This is an important point. Termination claims do have a higher denial rate than layoffs, which is why documentation matters. If you get denied the appeal process through California EDD is actually pretty claimant-friendly, but you have 30 days from the Notice of Determination to file your appeal so don't sleep on it.

Agreed. I would also write down a detailed timeline of your employment and the termination conversation while it's fresh. Dates, who was in the room, exact words used if you remember them. It sounds like overkill but appeals can happen months later and details get fuzzy.

Generally no - voluntarily quitting disqualifies you unless you can show 'good cause' for leaving, which has to be work-related and something a reasonable person would also have quit over. Things like unsafe working conditions, significant pay cuts, or being forced to do something illegal can qualify. Just walking away because you didn't like the job usually won't cut it with EDD.

ok yeah my friend should probably just file then since they got terminated not quit lol

asking for a' friend 😂'we ve all beenthere

I filed online yesterday actually! So I'm already in the system. Now I'm just waiting to see if it goes to adjudication or gets approved directly.

Good move. For termination cases going to adjudication is pretty much the default since EDD has to verify the separation reason with your employer. Don't interpret adjudication as a bad sign, it's just their process for contested separations.

Also make sure you're certifying your weekly claims even during adjudication! A lot of people don't realize you still have to do this every two weeks. If your claim does get approved they'll back-pay the weeks you certified for.

Unfortunately the online portal doesn't give you a ton of status detail for adjudication cases. The most reliable way to get a real update is to actually speak with an EDD representative by phone, which as everyone here knows is easier said than done.

This is exactly when I'd say try Claimyr again - claimyr.com. When my termination claim was stuck in adjudication with zero updates online I used it to get through to an EDD agent who was able to actually pull up my case notes and tell me what stage of review it was in and roughly when a decision was expected. Made a huge difference just knowing what was actually happening.

Ugh ok I'll try it. I've called EDD 7 times in the past week and got through exactly zero times. At this point anything is worth trying.

11 days isn't that bad honestly, I've heard of people waiting 6-8 weeks in adjudication for termination cases. Hang in there.

So California actually has relatively claimant-friendly rules compared to other states? That's good to know.

Yes, California's misconduct standard is considered one of the more protective ones for workers. The burden is essentially on your employer to prove misconduct, not on you to prove you didn't commit it.

This is correct and worth emphasizing. The EDD adjudicator will look at whether your employer can substantiate a misconduct claim. Vague performance complaints without documented progressive discipline rarely hold up.

Good to hear a straightforward success story. Did your employer contest the claim at all or did they just not respond?

honestly no idea if they responded or not, EDD just approved it and that was that. never heard anything from my old employer about it

An isolated mistake that wasn't intentional is textbook NOT misconduct under California law. You have solid grounds to appeal this. File your appeal within 30 days of the date on your Notice of Determination - do not miss this deadline. In your appeal statement explain that the incident was an unintentional error, it was isolated with no prior disciplinary history, and there was no willful disregard of company policy. The appeal hearing will be with an Administrative Law Judge at the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board.

File that appeal immediately. I appealed my denial and won. The ALJ hearings are actually pretty fair in my experience, they're not just rubber stamping what EDD decided initially.

Thank you both. I had no idea I could appeal this. Filing today.

Also keep certifying your weekly claims during the appeal period. If you win the appeal you'll receive payments for all weeks you certified, going back to when your claim was originally filed.

Terminated for' cause is employer language, not EDD language. EDD'doesn t take that phrase at face value - they investigate what the actual cause was. If the cause'doesn t meet the legal standard for misconduct under California UI code, you still qualify.'Don t let that phrase scare you off fromfiling.

Yep, I'd bet half the termination letters in California say 'for cause' just because HR writes them that way. EDD looks at the substance of what actually happened.

Ok filing tonight. Thank you for talking me off the ledge lol

Really good advice. I haven't gotten the questionnaire yet but I'll definitely treat it seriously when it comes.

How long do you typically have to respond to that questionnaire? I want to make sure I don't miss a deadline.

I believe it's 10 days from when they send it. Check the letter carefully for the deadline date. If you need more time you can call EDD and ask for an extension but obviously getting through to them is the challenge lol.

If you're having trouble reaching EDD to ask about the questionnaire deadline or anything else, Claimyr worked really well for me - claimyr.com. They got me connected to an EDD agent much faster than I could on my own and the agent was able to answer all my procedural questions about my termination case.

EDD typically mails a questionnaire to your former employer within the first 1-2 weeks of your claim being filed. The employer has a limited time to respond. If they don't respond EDD usually proceeds based on your information alone, which generally leads to approval.

so if my old job is kind of disorganized and probably won't respond that's actually good for me?

In practice, yes. Non-response from employers is very common and typically results in claims being approved since EDD has no evidence of misconduct to weigh against your statement.

One warning from 6 months ago does not automatically equal misconduct. EDD looks at the totality of circumstances. A single isolated warning, especially one that's several months old with no further issues, rarely establishes the pattern of behavior needed to prove misconduct. File your claim and explain your full work history honestly. The fact that you had no further issues after the warning actually helps demonstrate you weren't engaging in willful disregard of your employer's interests.

Agreed. Misconduct under California UI law typically requires more than one incident, especially when there's time between the warning and the termination. Context matters a lot. What was the warning for, if you don't mind sharing?

It was for being late twice in one week. That's literally it. And then I was terminated months later for 'performance issues' with no other documentation between the warning and the firing.

That's a very weak misconduct case for your employer. Two tardiness incidents from half a year ago as the only documented issue, followed by vague 'performance' reasons? File that claim with confidence and document the absence of any formal PIP or additional discipline between that warning and your termination.

This is exactly what I needed to see right now, thank you! I'm currently in week 2 of adjudication and starting to spiral a little.

Week 2 is when I was also spiraling the most lol. It gets better. Just keep certifying and don't do anything to mess up your claim while waiting.

Congrats!! Gives me hope. Did you have to do anything to push it forward or did it just resolve on its own?

I did end up calling EDD to check on status around the 2.5 week mark - couldn't get through on my own so I used Claimyr (claimyr.com). The agent I spoke with confirmed everything looked on track and there were no issues needing my attention. Maybe that call helped, maybe the timing was coincidental, but either way I'd recommend checking in if it's been more than 3 weeks.

California EDD currently requires claimants to complete one job search activity per week and document it in your Job Search Log. Activities can include submitting applications, attending job fairs, registering with employment agencies, or participating in job training. You also need to be registered on CalJOBS within 21 days of filing. The minimum bar is pretty low but you do have to actually be doing SOMETHING each week and be able to document it.

So one application per week is technically sufficient? I've been doing way more than that but good to know I'm not accidentally under-complying.

One activity per week is the baseline requirement, yes. More is always better for your job search obviously but one counts for certification purposes. Just keep your records in case EDD ever asks for documentation.

Also make sure your CalJOBS profile is active and updated. EDD cross-references it sometimes and an inactive profile can create unnecessary complications.

Great news! Moving out of pending is a really good sign. Keep certifying and fingers crossed for a smooth approval.

Rooting for you! Come back and post the update when it's approved.

This is exactly the outcome we were hoping for. The fact that there's no request for additional information is encouraging - it suggests your employer either didn't contest it or couldn't substantiate a misconduct claim. Good luck!