Disqualified for EDD but still able to certify - should I continue certifying?

You need to appeal the disqualification ASAP! There should be instructions on the disqualification notice about how to appeal. You have only 30 days from the date on the letter to file your appeal. In the meantime, yes, you should continue certifying for every eligible week even while disqualified. This protects your right to receive backpay if your appeal is successful. Make sure you're answering all certification questions honestly and documenting your work search activities.

same thing happened 2 me last month!! keep certifying 100%! my letter had some code about availability for work but i was available! after 3 weeks they fixed it without me doing anything lol. might just be a system glitch tbh

Section 1253(a) typically means they believe you weren't able and available for work. Did you indicate on any certification that you were sick, out of town, or not looking for work? Or maybe you didn't list your work search activities? Definitely appeal AND continue certifying, but here's a tip for actually reaching EDD: use Claimyr.com to get connected to an EDD representative without the endless redial nightmare. I was in your exact situation and wasted days trying to talk to someone until I found their service. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. Getting through to an actual agent is key to resolving disqualification issues.

I want to clarify some information here. A single doctor's appointment shouldn't cause disqualification under 1253(a) unless you certified that you were unable to work for the entire week. The disqualification notice should provide more specific details about why they determined you weren't able and available for work. Here's what you should do: 1. Continue certifying for benefits (as others have mentioned) 2. File your appeal using the DE 1000M form 3. Include documentation showing you are able and available for work 4. Contact EDD to understand exactly why you were disqualified 5. In your appeal, explain your situation clearly and provide evidence The appeal hearing will be scheduled within a few weeks. If you win, you'll receive all back payments for weeks you properly certified.

I got disqualified once but it was because I accidentally said I wasn't looking for work when I actually was. Make sure you read the letter carefully! Sometimes they don't explain it clearly but the reason is hidden in there somewhere. Just keep calling them every day too because sometimes the first person you talk to doesn't know how to fix it.

did u check ur inbox in UI Online? sometimes they send u messages there that explain stuff better than the letters

Just to be CRYSTAL CLEAR: if you keep certifying while disqualified and your appeal FAILS, you WILL have to pay back EVERY PENNY they paid you after the disqualification date! EDD loves to set these traps - they let you certify knowing full well they'll hit you with an overpayment notice later. Then they add penalties and interest. The system is DESIGNED to screw claimants! Been there, done that, got the garnished wages to prove it. 🤬

UPDATE: I managed to get through to EDD this morning! The rep explained that I was disqualified because on my certification for the week ending 5/24, I checked YES to the question "Was there any reason you could not accept full-time work each workday?" because of that doctor appointment. She said I should have marked NO since a single appointment doesn't make me unavailable for the whole week. I filed my appeal online and included a letter explaining the misunderstanding. The rep said to keep certifying while the appeal is pending. Thank you all for your help! Now just waiting for the appeal process...

This is a perfect example of why EDD's certification questions are so poorly designed! I'm a newcomer here but I've been reading through similar cases, and it's shocking how many people get disqualified for simple misunderstandings about those confusing questions. @Sean O'Connor - I'm really glad you got through to someone and figured out what happened. Your situation gives me hope because I'm dealing with something similar right now. I answered one of those availability questions wrong too because I thought being at a job interview for 3 hours meant I couldn't accept "full-time work" that day. For anyone else reading this thread - it seems like the key takeaway is that these questions are asking about your OVERALL availability for the week, not whether you had any brief periods where you couldn't work. The wording is so misleading! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, it's really helpful for those of us trying to navigate this system.

As someone new to this community, I want to thank everyone for sharing their experiences - this thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm currently dealing with my own EDD disqualification issue and was feeling completely lost until I read through all these responses. @Sean O'Connor - I'm so relieved to see your update that you got through to EDD and figured out the problem! Your situation really highlights how poorly worded those certification questions are. I made a similar mistake recently when I answered YES to being unable to accept full-time work because I had a family emergency that took up most of one morning. I thought any unavailability meant I should answer YES, but now I understand they want to know about your overall weekly availability. The advice here about continuing to certify while appealing seems consistent across everyone's experiences. I'm going to file my appeal this week and keep documenting everything. Does anyone know approximately how long the appeal process typically takes? I'm worried about my finances lasting that long, but it sounds like it's the only real option to get this resolved properly. Thanks again to everyone who shared their stories - it's made me feel much less alone in dealing with this confusing system!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to echo what others have said about how confusing EDD's certification questions are! I've been lurking here for a while trying to understand the system, and this thread really shows how many people get caught up by the same misleading wording. @Sean O'Connor - Your update is so encouraging! It's crazy that a single doctor's appointment can trigger a disqualification, but I'm glad you were able to get clarification from an actual EDD rep. The fact that they told you to keep certifying during the appeal gives me confidence that this is the right approach. For anyone else reading this who might be new like me - it seems like the pattern here is: 1) Don't panic if you can still certify after getting disqualified, 2) File your appeal ASAP (within 30 days), 3) Keep certifying to protect your right to backpay, and 4) Document everything. The availability questions really need to be rewritten to be clearer about whether they're asking about brief appointments vs. overall weekly availability. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences - it's incredibly valuable for those of us trying to navigate this system for the first time!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm really grateful for this detailed thread! I just received my own disqualification notice yesterday and was completely panicking until I found this discussion. @Sean O'Connor - Your experience with the doctor's appointment question is almost identical to what happened to me. I marked YES to being unable to accept full-time work because I had a dentist appointment that lasted 2 hours on a Wednesday. Like you, I thought ANY unavailability meant I should answer YES, but now I see these questions are asking about overall weekly availability. The advice everyone has given about continuing to certify while appealing seems consistent and reassuring. I was worried that certifying after getting disqualified might make things worse, but it sounds like it's actually necessary to protect your rights if the appeal succeeds. What really bothers me is how many people are getting tripped up by the exact same wording issues. EDD should definitely clarify these certification questions - it's ridiculous that routine medical appointments or job interviews can trigger disqualifications based on question misunderstandings. I'm going to file my appeal today and keep detailed records of everything. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and making this process feel less overwhelming!

As someone completely new to this community and the EDD system, this entire thread has been both eye-opening and reassuring! I just started my unemployment claim last week and hadn't even thought about how tricky those certification questions could be until reading everyone's experiences here. @Sean O'Connor - I'm so glad you got your situation resolved! Your story really highlights how important it is to understand what EDD is actually asking in those questions. The fact that a routine doctor's appointment can trigger a disqualification if you interpret the question wrong is honestly terrifying for someone like me who's just starting this process. What strikes me most is how many experienced community members are saying the same thing - continue certifying during appeals and document everything. That seems to be the golden rule here. I'm definitely going to be extra careful about how I answer those availability questions now that I understand they're asking about overall weekly availability rather than any brief periods of unavailability. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories and advice. This community seems like an incredible resource for navigating what appears to be a very confusing and poorly designed system. I feel much more prepared now to handle my own certifications going forward!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone for this incredibly detailed and helpful thread! I just found this community after getting my own EDD disqualification notice last week, and reading through all these experiences has been such a relief. @Sean O'Connor - Your update about figuring out the doctor's appointment question issue gives me so much hope! I'm dealing with what sounds like the exact same problem - I marked YES to being unable to accept full-time work because I had a job interview that lasted 3 hours on a Friday. Like everyone else here, I thought ANY time you couldn't work meant you should answer YES, but now I understand they want to know about overall weekly availability. The consistent advice from experienced members about filing appeals within 30 days and continuing to certify is really reassuring. I was terrified that certifying after being disqualified would get me in more trouble, but it sounds like it's actually the smart move to protect your backpay rights if the appeal succeeds. What really frustrates me is seeing how many people are getting caught by these same poorly worded questions! A job interview should definitely not disqualify someone - that's literally part of actively looking for work! EDD really needs to rewrite these certification questions to be clearer about what they're actually asking. I'm filing my appeal today and will keep detailed documentation of everything. Thank you all for creating such a supportive space where people can share real experiences and get practical advice!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to add my voice to thank everyone for sharing such detailed experiences in this thread! I just received my own disqualification notice two days ago and was completely lost until I found this discussion. Reading through @Sean O'Connor's journey from panic to resolution has been incredibly reassuring. Like so many others here, I think I fell into the same trap with those confusing certification questions. I marked YES to being unable to accept full-time work because I had a medical procedure that took up most of one morning, thinking that any unavailability meant I should answer affirmatively. What's striking is how many newcomers like myself are commenting with nearly identical situations - medical appointments, job interviews, brief family emergencies - all triggering disqualifications because of how those questions are worded. It really seems like EDD needs to completely rewrite those certification questions to clearly distinguish between brief, legitimate commitments and actually being unavailable for work for an entire week. The consistent advice from experienced community members about filing appeals within 30 days and continuing to certify during the process seems rock solid. I was initially afraid that certifying after being disqualified might be considered fraudulent, but everyone's explanations about protecting backpay rights make perfect sense. I'm filing my appeal tomorrow and will document everything carefully. Thank you all for creating such a supportive environment where people can learn from real experiences rather than trying to navigate EDD's confusing system alone!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone for this incredibly informative thread! I just joined after receiving my own disqualification notice last week, and reading through all these experiences has been both educational and comforting. @Sean O'Connor - Your success story gives me so much hope! Like many others here, I believe I made the same mistake with those confusing certification questions. I answered YES to being unable to accept full-time work because I had a half-day training session for a potential job opportunity. I thought any time away from being available meant I should answer YES, but now I understand they're asking about overall weekly availability. It's really troubling to see how many people are getting caught by the same poorly worded questions. The pattern is clear - honest claimants trying to do the right thing are getting disqualified due to question interpretation issues rather than actual eligibility problems. A job training session should definitely not disqualify someone, especially since it's directly related to improving employability! The consistent advice from experienced members about filing appeals within 30 days and continuing to certify is invaluable. I was initially worried that certifying after disqualification might cause more problems, but the explanations about protecting backpay rights make complete sense. I'm preparing my appeal this week and will document everything carefully. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and creating such a supportive space for navigating EDD's confusing system. This community is truly a lifesaver for people dealing with these issues!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm incredibly grateful to have found this thread! I just received my disqualification notice yesterday and was completely panicking until I read through everyone's experiences here. Like so many others, I believe I made the exact same mistake with those confusing certification questions. I marked YES to being unable to accept full-time work because I had a family emergency that required me to drive my elderly parent to the hospital one afternoon. I genuinely thought that any period where I couldn't work meant I should answer YES, but now I understand they're asking about overall availability for the entire week. @Sean O'Connor - Your success story and the update about getting through to EDD gives me so much hope! The fact that the representative explained these questions are about weekly availability rather than brief unavailability periods should really be made clearer in the actual certification process. What's most frustrating is seeing this clear pattern - so many honest people getting disqualified for the same question interpretation issues. A family medical emergency shouldn't disqualify someone from unemployment benefits, especially when you're actively job searching and available to work the vast majority of the week. The consistent advice from experienced members about filing appeals within 30 days and continuing to certify during the process has been invaluable. I was terrified that certifying after getting disqualified might make things worse, but everyone's explanations about protecting backpay rights make perfect sense. I'm filing my appeal today and will document everything carefully. Thank you all for creating such a supportive community where people can get real advice from others who've actually navigated these challenges. This thread has been a lifesaver!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to add my thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences in this thread! I just received my own disqualification notice three days ago and was absolutely terrified until I found this discussion. Reading through @Sean O'Connor's journey from confusion to resolution has been incredibly encouraging. Like so many others here, I think I fell into the same certification question trap - I marked YES to being unable to accept full-time work because I had to attend my child's school conference that lasted about 2 hours on a Tuesday afternoon. I genuinely believed that ANY time I couldn't work meant I should answer YES, but now I see these questions are about overall weekly availability. What's really eye-opening is how many newcomers are commenting with almost identical situations - medical appointments, family obligations, job interviews, training sessions - all legitimate activities that shouldn't disqualify someone from unemployment benefits. It seems like EDD's certification questions are creating a systemic problem where honest people are getting penalized for interpreting confusing wording differently than intended. The unanimous advice from experienced members about filing appeals within 30 days and continuing to certify during the process has been so valuable. I was initially scared that certifying after being disqualified might be seen as fraudulent, but the explanations about protecting your right to backpay make complete sense. I'm preparing my appeal letter this week and will make sure to clearly explain that I misunderstood what the availability question was asking. Thank you all for making this community such a supportive place where people can learn from real experiences and get practical guidance for navigating EDD's complex system!