EDD appeal wait time now 4+ months - should I keep waiting or take action?
I filed an appeal with EDD after being disqualified for benefits back in November 2024. It's now mid-March 2025, and I STILL haven't heard anything back about my hearing date. That's over 4 months of waiting! I know the system is backlogged since the pandemic, but this seems excessive even by EDD standards. My wife keeps telling me to be patient and that we'll eventually hear back, but our savings are almost depleted. I've tried calling the appeals office twice a week for the past month, but either get disconnected or told there's no update. Has anyone else waited this long for an appeal hearing to be scheduled? At what point should I stop waiting and try something else? My car payment is due next week and I'm getting seriously worried.
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Ana Erdoğan
welcome to edd hell lol. i waited 5 months for my appeal last year. system is completely broken
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Ezra Bates
•5 months?! That's insane. Did they ever give you a reason for the delay when you finally got your hearing?
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Sophia Carson
Unfortunately 4 months is actually pretty standard for appeals right now. The system is extremely backlogged from the pandemic still, plus they had that big computer system upgrade in December that delayed everything even more. I'm currently at 4.5 months waiting for my own appeal hearing. One thing that helped me was contacting my state assembly member's office - they have EDD liaisons who can sometimes get updates that we can't when calling directly. Worth a try!
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Ezra Bates
•Thank you for the assembly member tip! I didn't even think about that option. I'll look up who represents my district tomorrow.
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Elijah Knight
Appeal system has been crazy slow since covid. Did you check your online account to see if anything was posted there? Sometimes they send letters that never arrive but the info is in the UI portal.
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Ezra Bates
•I just double-checked my UI Online account and there's nothing new there either. Just the original disqualification and confirmation that my appeal was received. Super frustrating!
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Brooklyn Foley
You need to be proactive at this point. I was in a similar situation last year and what finally worked was reaching an EDD appeals specialist who could check the status of my appeal. Regular EDD reps often can't access this information. I struggled for weeks trying to reach someone until I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an EDD representative who specialized in appeals. They were able to tell me my appeal had been assigned but not scheduled yet, and they expedited it due to financial hardship. You can see how their system works in this video: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km Also, definitely contact your state assembly member as suggested above. Using both approaches got my appeal scheduled within 2 weeks after waiting 3+ months.
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Ezra Bates
•Thank you for the detailed advice! I'll check out that service because I'm desperate to talk to someone who can actually help. Did they tell you why your appeal was delayed when you finally got through?
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Brooklyn Foley
•They told me appeals were being processed in batches based on filing date, and mine had somehow been miscategorized into a later batch. The specialist was able to move it to the correct priority group once I got through. Without speaking to the right person, I might have waited another 2-3 months.
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Jay Lincoln
Appeals Specialist here. The current timeframe for appeal hearings is approximately 4-6 months depending on your county and the complexity of your case. While frustrating, this is unfortunately normal in the current environment. To potentially speed things up: 1. Submit a hardship request in writing to the Appeals Office (include your appeal case number and explain your financial situation) 2. Call the Appeals Office directly (not the general EDD line) at 1-800-300-5616, then press 1 for English, then 6 for Appeals 3. Check your UI Online account weekly for updates 4. Ensure all your contact information is current 5. Contact your state representative as mentioned If you're experiencing severe financial hardship (eviction risk, utility shutoffs), make sure to emphasize this in your hardship request. The Appeals Office can expedite cases in genuine emergency situations.
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Ezra Bates
•This is incredibly helpful information! I didn't even know I could submit a hardship request. I'll draft that letter tonight and send it tomorrow. Thank you so much for the detailed steps.
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Jay Lincoln
•You're welcome. One more tip: when submitting the hardship request, include any documentation that supports your hardship claim (past due notices, eviction warnings, etc.). This increases the chances of your case being expedited. Best of luck!
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Jessica Suarez
my cousin waited 7 months for appeal and ended up winning! dont give up lol just keep calling. the squeaky wheel gets the grease or whatever
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Marcus Williams
I know exactly how you feel! I was waiting FOREVER for my hearing and almost gave up. The worst part is not knowing if they even received your appeal paperwork or if it's just sitting in a pile somewhere. Have you tried calling the Judge's office directly? That's what finally worked for me after 4 months of waiting. The general EDD people were useless but the actual Appeals office had better info.
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Ezra Bates
•I didn't realize I could call the Judge's office directly! Do you happen to remember the number you used? I've only been calling the main EDD line.
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Marcus Williams
•I don't remember exactly but it should be on any paperwork you received confirming your appeal. It might say something like "Office of Appeals" or "Appeals Board" with a different number than the main EDD line. Each regional office has their own number. Check all the fine print on those letters!
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Sophia Carson
Just wanted to update that after my last post, I finally got my appeal hearing scheduled! It took almost exactly 5 months from filing the appeal to getting the hearing date. The hearing is scheduled for next week. My advice is to keep documenting everything, keep all your evidence organized, and be ready when they finally contact you. The notice came very suddenly with only 10 days advance warning.
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Ezra Bates
•Congratulations on finally getting a date! That gives me some hope. Did they send the notice by mail or did it show up in your UI Online account?
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Sophia Carson
•Both actually! It appeared in my UI Online inbox and I received the physical letter about 4 days later. Make sure you're checking your online account daily if possible.
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Lily Young
The appeal system is completely overloaded right now. I work in a legal aid office, and we're seeing wait times of 4-7 months across all our clients' cases. This is significantly longer than the pre-pandemic standard of 6-8 weeks. While waiting, make sure you: 1. Continue certifying for weeks (if the system allows you) 2. Document all attempts to contact EDD (dates, times, who you spoke with) 3. Gather and organize all evidence supporting your case 4. Apply for other assistance programs if eligible (food stamps, rental assistance) If you're facing immediate financial crisis, consider contacting 211 for emergency assistance resources in your area while your appeal is pending.
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Ezra Bates
•Thank you for the professional advice. I've been certifying every two weeks even though the payments show as $0 due to the disqualification. At least I'm documenting my continued eligibility. The 211 suggestion is helpful too - I'll give them a call tomorrow.
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Elijah Knight
Has anyone ever tried going IN PERSON to the appeals office??? I'm wondering if that works better than calling?
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Lily Young
•In-person visits to Appeals Offices are generally by appointment only since 2023. While you can attempt a walk-in, most offices will simply take your information and call you back later. The Appeals Offices are separate from regular EDD offices and often have stricter access protocols. Your best bet is still calling the Appeals line directly or using assistance services to reach them by phone.
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