EDD BOA $450 Hardship Payment - Who actually got it and how?

I actually received a $475 hardship payment from BOA about 3 weeks ago. It was completely unexpected - just showed up in my account with a description like 'BOA EDD HARDSHIP CREDIT'. My situation: my card was frozen for 'security reasons' during the pandemic and it took them almost a month to get me a new one. I never requested any hardship payment specifically. I think they're doing some kind of settlement to avoid a class action, but only paying people who meet certain criteria. When did your card access issues happen exactly? From what I understand, it needs to have been between March 2023 and October 2024, and the delay in replacement had to exceed 14 business days.

my sister got $410 and i got nothing even tho we both had our cards frozen at sametime!!! BOA is picking + choosing who gets $$$. total scam if u ask me. you have to DEMAND to speak to a supervisor and mention the 'settlement agreement' specifically. dont let them brush you off!!!

I've been dealing with EDD and BOA for YEARS and this is the first I'm hearing about any hardship payment! Typical that they wouldn't tell people about money they're owed. I had my card frozen in August 2023 for TWO MONTHS and had to borrow money from family to pay rent. Where's MY hardship payment??? Going to call them right now. Does anyone know if there's a specific department or option to select when calling?

I successfully received a $525 hardship payment last month after multiple calls to BOA. Here's what worked for me: I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a BOA EDD representative quickly instead of waiting for hours on hold. When I got through, I specifically asked for the "Card Deactivation Settlement Department" (which they'll initially claim doesn't exist). I referenced my card deactivation date, the length of time I was without access to funds, and mentioned I was aware of the settlement agreement. The first rep transferred me to a supervisor who processed my claim after verifying my details. They have a video showing how their service works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km - saved me hours of frustration and I got my payment deposited 9 days later.

I think some of you are confusing different BOA EDD card issues. There are actually TWO separate situations: 1) The pandemic-era frozen account settlement (March 2023-Oct 2024) which pays $350-650 depending on your situation 2) The current 2025 hardship payment program for people whose cards were deactivated during the system migration in January-February 2025, which is a flat $450 I received the second type. My card stopped working during the system update in January, and I got an automatic payment in April. I never had to request it. But for the older settlement, you definitely need to claim it - they're hoping most people won't know about it.

just got off phone w/ BOA after 1hr 20min!!! they DENIED me said i dont qualify because my card wasnt deactivated long enough!! only 12 days not 14!! this is BULL because i couldnt pay my rent and got a $75 late fee from my landlord!!! 😡😡😡

Has anyone actually received this mysterious payment recently (like in the past few weeks)? Or are all the payments from months ago? Just wondering if they're still processing these or if it's too late to even try...

UPDATE: I finally got through to BOA after using the Claimyr service that someone mentioned earlier. The rep initially gave me the same scripted response about "system-triggered payments," but when I specifically mentioned the Card Deactivation Settlement and gave the exact dates my card was inaccessible, their tone completely changed. They transferred me to a supervisor who confirmed I'm eligible for a $475 payment based on my balance at the time of deactivation and the 23-day replacement period. The payment should hit my account within 14 business days. They never would have processed this if I hadn't specifically asked and had all my information ready! Thanks everyone for your help - I'll update when/if the payment arrives.

This is incredibly helpful information! I've been dealing with BOA EDD issues for over a year and had no idea about any settlement payments. My card was frozen in September 2023 for almost 3 weeks after they flagged it for "suspicious activity" (which was just me withdrawing my own unemployment benefits). I lost out on paying bills on time and had to borrow money from friends. Based on what everyone is saying here, it sounds like I definitely qualify for the pandemic-era settlement. I'm going to try calling this week and specifically ask for the "Card Deactivation Settlement Department" like others mentioned. Has anyone had success getting documentation of their original card deactivation dates if they don't have the emails anymore? I'm worried they'll say I don't have enough proof of when it happened.

I had a similar experience with my EDD card being frozen in April 2024 for "verification purposes" and it took them 19 days to get me a replacement. Lost $623 that was on the card during that time and had to use credit cards for groceries. Never heard anything about a hardship payment until reading this thread! Called BOA three times over the past year and they always just said "system maintenance" or gave me the runaround. Based on everyone's advice here, I'm going to call back and specifically mention the Card Deactivation Settlement and ask for a supervisor right away. It's ridiculous that they're making people jump through hoops to get money they're legally entitled to. Will report back on what happens - this community is saving me so much frustration by sharing real experiences instead of the BS customer service scripts!

I just wanted to thank everyone in this thread for sharing their experiences! I had my EDD card frozen in July 2024 for 17 days after they said there was "unusual activity" (literally just me using my own benefits to pay rent). I had $542 on the card at the time and ended up having to ask my parents for money to cover basic expenses. I had NO idea about any settlement until reading this thread. Called BOA yesterday using the tips everyone shared - specifically asked for the "Card Deactivation Settlement Department" and mentioned the exact dates and circumstances. The first rep tried to give me the runaround, but I politely insisted on speaking to a supervisor. The supervisor was much more helpful and confirmed I qualify for a $485 payment! She said it should be deposited within 10-14 business days. It's absolutely criminal that they're not proactively notifying people about money they're legally owed. This community is doing BOA's job for them by actually informing people of their rights. I'll update when the payment comes through, but wanted to share another success story to encourage others to keep pushing!

This thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I had my EDD card deactivated in March 2024 for what they called "routine security verification" and it took them 21 days to get me a replacement card. I had around $680 on the card at the time and ended up overdrafting my regular bank account trying to cover my mortgage payment. I called BOA probably 6 times during those 21 days and they kept telling me "the system shows your replacement is being processed" but could never give me a timeline. When I finally got the new card, I was so relieved I never thought to ask for any compensation. Reading all these success stories, it sounds like I definitely qualify for the pandemic-era settlement! The fact that they're not automatically paying people who clearly qualify is infuriating. I'm going to call them this week armed with all the information from this thread. March 2024, 21 days, $680 balance - hopefully that gets me a decent settlement amount. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and the specific language to use when calling. This community is literally putting money back in people's pockets that BOA was hoping we'd never know about!

Just wanted to add my experience to this incredibly helpful thread! My EDD card was frozen in June 2024 for "security verification" and it took BOA exactly 16 days to send me a replacement. I had $445 on the card at the time and had to borrow money from my sister to pay for groceries and gas. Like many others here, I had no clue about any settlement payments until stumbling across this discussion. I called BOA this morning using all the advice from this thread - specifically asked for the "Card Deactivation Settlement Department" right away instead of letting them give me the standard runaround. The first rep tried to tell me no such department exists, but I politely insisted on speaking to a supervisor. The supervisor was able to pull up my account history immediately and confirmed I qualify for a $385 settlement payment based on my 16-day delay and account balance. She said the payment will be processed within 7-10 business days and gave me a reference number to track it. It's absolutely mind-blowing that BOA isn't proactively reaching out to people who qualify - they're clearly banking on most people never finding out about money they're legally owed. This community is doing amazing work by sharing real experiences and success strategies. I'll definitely update when the payment hits my account!

Wow, this thread is a goldmine of information! I had my EDD card frozen in February 2024 for 26 days after they claimed there was "suspicious account activity" - which was literally just me withdrawing my unemployment benefits to pay bills. I had $712 on the card at the time and ended up having to take out a payday loan just to keep my lights on. The stress and financial damage from that situation was unreal. I called BOA multiple times during those 26 days and they kept giving me different excuses - first it was "system maintenance," then "verification processing," then "high volume delays." Never once did anyone mention any kind of settlement or compensation program. Based on everyone's experiences here, it sounds like I definitely qualify for the pandemic-era settlement and should be looking at a pretty substantial payout given my 26-day delay and balance amount. I'm calling them tomorrow armed with all the strategies from this thread. The fact that they're making people hunt for information about money they're legally owed is absolutely predatory. Thank you to everyone who shared their success stories and the specific language to use - this community is literally saving people hundreds of dollars that BOA was hoping would just disappear. Will definitely update with my results!

This entire thread has been absolutely life-changing for me! I had my EDD card deactivated in October 2023 for what they called "routine account review" and it took them a whopping 28 days to get me a replacement. I had $834 on the card at the time - money I desperately needed for rent and basic living expenses. During those 28 days, I had to borrow from multiple family members, got hit with a $150 late fee from my landlord, and my credit card got maxed out buying groceries. I called BOA probably 15 times during that period and got nothing but scripted responses about "processing delays" and "high volume." Not ONCE did anyone mention any kind of settlement or compensation program. I honestly thought I was just screwed and had to eat the financial damage. Finding this thread feels like discovering buried treasure! Based on everyone's experiences, my October 2023 date puts me right in the pandemic-era settlement timeframe, and 28 days with an $834 balance should qualify me for a substantial payout. I'm calling BOA first thing Monday morning using all the strategies everyone has shared here - specifically asking for the "Card Deactivation Settlement Department" and being prepared with my exact dates and balance information. The fact that BOA is sitting on money that rightfully belongs to people who suffered financial hardship because of THEIR system failures is absolutely disgusting. This community is doing more to help EDD recipients than BOA or EDD themselves ever have. I'll definitely update with my results - hopefully I can add another success story to help others who might still be unaware of money they're owed. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences!

This thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I had my EDD card frozen in December 2023 for "security verification" and it took them 22 days to send a replacement. I had about $595 on the card at the time and ended up having to use my emergency credit card for rent and groceries. I called BOA at least 8 times during those 22 days and they kept telling me it was just "processing delays" - never once mentioned any settlement or compensation. I had no idea any of this existed until reading everyone's experiences here! Based on what others have shared, it sounds like I definitely qualify for the pandemic-era settlement. I'm going to call them this week using the "Card Deactivation Settlement Department" approach that's been so successful for others. It's absolutely infuriating that they're not proactively notifying people about money they're legally owed - this community is doing BOA's job for them! Thank you to everyone who shared their success stories and specific strategies. Will definitely update once I get through to them and hopefully can add another win to this thread!

This thread is absolutely incredible - I can't believe how much information everyone has shared! I had my EDD card frozen in January 2024 for what they called "account verification" and it took them 19 days to get me a replacement. I had $478 on the card at the time and ended up having to ask my roommate to cover my portion of utilities while waiting. I called BOA probably 6 times during those 19 days and they kept giving me vague responses about "processing time" and "system updates" - never once mentioned any settlement program! Reading all these success stories has me convinced I qualify for the pandemic-era settlement. I'm planning to call them tomorrow using the "Card Deactivation Settlement Department" strategy that so many of you have had success with. It's honestly shocking that they're not telling people about money they're entitled to - if it wasn't for this community, I never would have known this existed. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and the specific language that works. I'll definitely update once I get through to them and hopefully can add another success story to help others!

I've been following this thread closely and finally decided to share my own experience. My EDD card was frozen in September 2024 for "suspicious activity review" and it took them 20 days to send a replacement. I had $637 on the card at the time and ended up having to borrow money from my brother to pay my car payment and avoid a repo. I called BOA probably 10 times during those 20 days and got nothing but the standard "your request is being processed" response. Never heard a word about any settlement until finding this thread! Based on everyone's success stories, it sounds like I definitely qualify since September 2024 falls in the timeframe and 20 days is well over the 14-day threshold. I'm calling them tomorrow using the "Card Deactivation Settlement Department" approach that's worked so well for others here. It's absolutely mind-blowing that they're sitting on money that belongs to people who suffered because of their system failures. This community has been more helpful than any official BOA or EDD resource I've ever encountered. Will definitely report back with my results - hopefully I can add another success story to help others who might still be unaware they're owed money!

This thread has been absolutely incredible to read through! I had my EDD card frozen in November 2023 for what they called "routine security verification" and it took them 17 days to get me a replacement. I had $521 on the card at the time and ended up having to use a cash advance on my credit card just to pay for groceries and gas. I called BOA probably 8 times during those 17 days and they kept telling me it was just "system processing delays" - absolutely no mention of any settlement or compensation program! I had completely given up on getting any kind of restitution until stumbling across this discussion. Based on all the success stories shared here, it looks like my November 2023 timeframe with 17 days and $521 balance should definitely qualify me for the pandemic-era settlement. I'm planning to call them this week using the "Card Deactivation Settlement Department" strategy that has worked so well for everyone else. It's honestly disgusting that BOA isn't proactively notifying people about money they're legally entitled to - if it wasn't for this amazing community sharing real experiences, I never would have known this existed. Thank you to everyone who took the time to document their success stories and share the specific language that works with BOA. I'll definitely update once I get through to them and hopefully can add another win to this thread to help others who might still be unaware they're owed compensation!