Can you physically visit an EDD office when phone calls don't work?

there r no more edd offices that help w unemployment. they closed all those yrs ago. ur gonna need 2 keep calling or try the online portal. good luck its a nightmare

The previous commenter is correct. EDD no longer offers in-person services for Unemployment Insurance claims at their offices. The America's Job Centers of California (AJCC) locations that used to help with UI claims now only assist with job searching and resume help, not actual claim issues. Your best options are: 1. Keep calling the main UI number (1-800-300-5616) 2. Use UI Online to send a secure message through your account 3. Try calling right when they open at 8am 4. Call your state assembly member's office for assistance I've found that calling on Tuesday-Thursday tends to have slightly shorter wait times than Mondays and Fridays.

I had the SAME EXACT problem last month!!! Called 32 times in one week and couldn't get through. I was about to give up when someone on here told me about Claimyr.com - it's a service that basically calls EDD for you and then connects you when they get through to a rep. Saved me hours of frustration. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km I got connected to an EDD rep in about 45 minutes instead of spending days trying to get through. The rep fixed my pending issue right away once I actually talked to someone.

While there aren't EDD offices that handle UI claims anymore, I wanted to mention that if your claim says "pending issue" it typically means one of three things: 1. Identity verification problem 2. Eligibility interview needed 3. Employer dispute Have you received any notices in the mail or in your UI Online inbox about scheduling an eligibility interview or providing additional documentation? Sometimes these notices get overlooked but they're the actual reason for the pending status.

when i had a pending issue i just waited it out and it resolved itself after 3 weeks. sometimes the system just glitches. have u tried certifying anyway?

THE ENTIRE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU GIVE UP!!! I spent 6 WEEKS trying to get my claim fixed and the second I mentioned I contacted my assembly member suddenly my issue was fixed in 24 hours. It's all a scam to reduce the number of people who successfully get benefits. The EDD is DELIBERATELY understaffed and they DON'T CARE about us. That's why they got rid of the in-person offices - so they don't have to look you in the eye when they screw you over.

I heard that some AJCC locations (America's Job Centers) have EDD staff on certain days of the week, but they only help with very specific issues. You'd need to call your local AJCC to see if this is true. Might be worth a try?

Based on your update that you found a notice about verifying employer information, you definitely need to speak with an EDD representative. This is a common reason for pending status, and they need to confirm details with you and possibly your former employer. Since you've identified the specific issue now, when you do reach a representative (whether through persistent calling, the Claimyr service someone mentioned, or assembly member assistance), make sure to tell them immediately about the employer verification notice. This will help them address your specific issue more efficiently. Hang in there - once you get through to someone, these types of issues are usually resolved fairly quickly.

I went through something similar last year and here's what finally worked for me: Try calling the 1-800-300-5616 number at exactly 8:00:01 AM, not 8:00 AM. The system seems to reset right after the hour and you have a slightly better chance. Also, if you get the busy message, hang up immediately and redial - don't wait for it to disconnect you. I did this about 20 times one morning and finally got through to the hold queue around 8:30 AM. Since you found that employer verification notice, that's actually good news because it means your issue has a clear resolution path. When you do get through, have your employer's information ready (company name, dates of employment, reason for separation, etc.) because they'll likely need to verify those details over the phone. Good luck! The system is definitely broken but once you get a real person, they can usually fix these verification issues pretty quickly.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now and wanted to share another option that might help. If you have a local state senator or assembly member's office, their constituent services team can sometimes get through to EDD much faster than individual callers. I contacted my assembly member's office last week about my pending claim and they were able to get a response from EDD within 3 business days. You can usually find your representatives on the CA legislature website by entering your zip code. When you call or email their office, explain that you've been trying to reach EDD for weeks without success and that you have a specific issue (the employer verification you found). They often have direct contacts at EDD for constituent issues. Also, since you mentioned rent is due next week, you might want to look into emergency rental assistance programs in San Bernardino County while you're waiting for this to get resolved. Many counties have programs specifically for people waiting on unemployment benefits.