EDD appeal hearing just happened - how long until decision letter arrives?
My fiancé just had his EDD appeal hearing this morning for a disqualification on his unemployment claim. The judge seemed pretty fair and listened to his side about the workplace incident. His former employer showed up with HR and claimed he violated company policy, but my fiancé explained the policy was never communicated to any employees. The whole hearing lasted about 45 minutes. Does anyone know how long it typically takes to get the decision after an appeal hearing? The judge didn't say much about timing at the end. We're really anxious because rent is due next week and we're hoping this gets resolved in his favor. His last payment was over 2 months ago when they suddenly disqualified him.
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Chloe Anderson
The ALJ (Administrative Law Judge) generally issues a written decision within 2-3 weeks after the hearing. The decision will be mailed to the address on file with EDD. If it's been more than 30 days, your fiancé should contact the Office of Appeals that handled his case to check on the status. Make sure his address is current in the UI Online system so he doesn't miss the letter. The decision letter will explain the judge's reasoning and what happens next.
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Omar Fawaz
•Thank you so much! That helps a lot. We were hoping it would be faster but at least now we know what to expect. Do you know if they also notify through UI Online or just through mail?
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Diego Vargas
My appeal took 27 days to get the decision. Was a nerve wracking wait but i won and got all my back payments! Just make sure his address is up to date!!!
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Omar Fawaz
•That gives me some hope! Did they pay you right away after the decision or was there another waiting period?
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Anastasia Fedorov
its totally random tbh. my freind got his in like 10 days but mine took almost 6 weeks!! And we both had our hearings the same day with the same judge lol. EDD makes no sense sometimes
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StarStrider
•This is accurate. I work in legal assistance (not for EDD), and decision timelines vary widely depending on the judge's caseload, complexity of the case, and current backlog. Decisions that require more research or analysis of complex workplace policies typically take longer. While waiting, make sure your fiancé continues certifying for benefits biweekly even though payments are on hold. If he wins the appeal, he'll need to be current on certifications to receive all back payments.
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Sean Doyle
I went through this back in January. The judge will review the recording, notes, and documentation from both sides before making a decision. In my case, it took exactly 16 days to receive the letter in the mail. If your fiancé wins, payments should resume within 3-5 business days after the decision, including all retroactive payments. One thing to keep in mind - if the decision isn't in his favor, there's still an option to appeal to the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board (second level appeal). But that would take even longer to resolve. By the way, if you're struggling to contact EDD about anything related to the appeal, I highly recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They helped me get through to an EDD representative when I couldn't get any status updates on my appeal. They have a video demo that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km
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Omar Fawaz
•Thanks for the timeline details! That's super helpful to know about the retroactive payments. I didn't realize there was a second level appeal option either - hopefully we don't need it but good to know just in case. I'll check out that service if we need to reach EDD. We've been trying to call them about the appeal but never get through.
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Zara Rashid
DONT GET UR HOPES UP!! My hearing seemd to go great but i still got DENIED!! The system is rigged against workers and they side with employers 90% of the time no matter what!! The judge was super nice to me in the hearing then completly twisted everything in the decision letter. Im still fighting it 3 months later!!
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Luca Romano
•Not true actually. EDD appeal statistics show about 50-55% of claimants win their appeals. But yeah the waiting is awful, took me almost 4 weeks to get my letter. Good luck to ur fiance!
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StarStrider
One important detail - the appeal decision will arrive in a nondescript envelope from the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, not from EDD directly. Many people miss it because it doesn't look official. After receiving the decision, if it's favorable, the EDD system needs time to process it. Your fiancé should check his UI Online account daily after receiving the decision letter. The status should update from "Disqualified" to "Paid" for the contested weeks. If he doesn't see any change in UI Online within 10 days of receiving a favorable decision, he should contact EDD directly to ensure they're implementing the judge's ruling.
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Omar Fawaz
•Oh wow, thank you for that tip about the envelope! We definitely would have been watching for something official looking with an EDD logo. I'll make sure we check the mail carefully and keep an eye on his UI Online account too.
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Diego Vargas
U gotta tell us what happened at the appeal!!! What was he disqualified for? Mite help us give better advice
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Omar Fawaz
•They disqualified him for "misconduct" but it was totally unfair. He worked at a warehouse and they claimed he violated safety protocol by not securing a load properly. But they literally gave workers 30 seconds to secure each pallet and never trained anyone on the "proper" method until AFTER someone got injured (not him). His supervisor even admitted during the hearing that the time constraints made it impossible to follow the procedure they were supposedly violating. Hope the judge saw through it all.
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Chloe Anderson
While waiting for the decision, make sure your fiancé continues certifying for benefits every two weeks even though payments are on hold. This is absolutely critical. If he wins the appeal, he'll only receive back payments for weeks he properly certified for. Also, start documenting his work search activities if he hasn't already. The judge might have mentioned this during the hearing, but sometimes claimants miss this detail. He needs to be actively looking for work and keeping records of applications, interviews, etc., to remain eligible regardless of the appeal outcome.
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Omar Fawaz
•He's definitely been keeping up with certifications every two weeks! I didn't realize how important the work search documentation was though - I'll make sure he's writing everything down. Thank you!
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