EDD approved benefits after reasonable assurance denial - still need to certify?
So I'm completely confused about my EDD claim status. I'm a substitute teacher and applied for unemployment during summer break. I initially got denied because of 'reasonable assurance' that I'd have work in the fall semester. The denial letter came about 3 weeks ago. But yesterday I checked my account and there's $1,850 sitting there on my EDD debit card?? AND they're still sending me certification notices telling me to certify for the next two weeks. I'm afraid to touch the money because I don't want to get hit with an overpayment later. Has this happened to anyone else? Should I keep certifying? Should I call EDD to report this apparent mistake or just consider myself lucky? I'm worried they'll realize the error and demand all the money back with penalties.
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Keisha Robinson
This actually isn't uncommon. What likely happened is that your initial denial was reconsidered or you qualified under a different eligibility category. School employees with reasonable assurance typically don't qualify during scheduled breaks, BUT there are exceptions. Did you work for any non-educational employers during your base period? That could explain why you still qualified despite the reasonable assurance issue. I would definitely continue certifying as required, but I'd also recommend calling EDD to confirm your eligibility status so you don't get surprised with an overpayment notice later.
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Yara Haddad
•Thanks for the insight! I did work about 15 hours a week at a tutoring center that's not affiliated with the school district. Could that be why? I'm still nervous about spending any of this money until I know for sure.
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Paolo Conti
same thing happend to me last summer!! i got denied but then got paid anyway. i called them and they said my case got reviewed by a specialist who overturned the initial denial. something about my non-school earnings being enough to qualify me even with reasonable assurance. definitely keep certifying!!!
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Yara Haddad
•That's a huge relief to hear! I'll keep certifying then. Did they explain anything about how they calculated your benefits with the mixed income sources?
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Amina Sow
The EDD system is BROKEN and CONFUSING by design. They routinely deny people automatically and then reverse it when a human actually reviews the claim. I've seen this happen with at least 4 different teacher friends. They get denied, then suddenly approved, with ZERO explanation of what changed. Then they're afraid to use the money. EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT - hoping you'll just give up and not get benefits you're entitled to!!! KEEP CERTIFYING and use your money. If they made a mistake, it's on THEM not you.
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GalaxyGazer
•absolutely this 👆 the system is designed to discourage claims
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Oliver Wagner
If I were you I would call and ask what's happening before spending any money. I had a friend who spent the money and then got hit with an overpayment notice 3 months later and had to pay everything back plus a penalty. The EDD makes mistakes all the time.
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Natasha Kuznetsova
•I second this advice. While it's possible your claim was reconsidered due to your non-educational employment, it's always better to verify directly with EDD. The problem is getting through to them - you'll likely face long wait times or get disconnected. If you need to reach EDD quickly, I'd recommend trying Claimyr (claimyr.com). They help you get through to an EDD agent without the usual phone frustrations. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. I used them when I had a similar confusing situation with my claim, and was able to talk to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of spending days trying.
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Javier Mendoza
My cousin works for EDD (not speaking officially of course) and he says reasonable assurance denials get appealed and overturned all the time if you worked ANY non-school jobs during your base period. Did you do ANY other work besides substitute teaching? Even like 10 hours somewhere else could qualify you for some benefits. What happened is they probably reviewed your wage history after the initial denial and found you qualified under different criteria. Keep certifying!!!!
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Yara Haddad
•Yes! I worked at a private tutoring center that's completely separate from the school district. About 15 hours weekly on top of my subbing. That makes so much more sense now. I'll definitely keep certifying.
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GalaxyGazer
just keep the money lol they made the mistake not u
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Keisha Robinson
•This is dangerous advice. EDD can and will issue overpayment notices even years later, and if they determine you knew you weren't eligible, they can assess penalties on top of requiring repayment. Always better to verify your eligibility.
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Yara Haddad
UPDATE: I finally got through to EDD today! The rep explained that while I initially got denied for reasonable assurance as a substitute teacher, they did a second review and found I qualified based on my tutoring center work, which wasn't subject to the reasonable assurance rule since it's a private company. My benefit amount is lower than it would've been with just substitute teaching, but I do qualify! Thanks everyone for your help. And special thanks to whoever suggested Claimyr - that's how I finally got through after trying for days.
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Paolo Conti
•yay!!! glad it worked out for u!! make sure u keep certifying every 2 weeks
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