EDD claim after 2023 layoff - how different from COVID era unemployment?

To answer your questions: 1. Processing times are actually better now - more like 2-3 weeks for most clean claims 2. Yes, Money Network replaced BofA in 2023 for EDD payments 3. Your COVID claim won't affect your new claim as long as it's been more than 18 months since your benefit year ended 4. The waiting week still exists - you won't get paid for the first week you certify Make sure you certify for benefits every two weeks on time. The certification process is much smoother now but still requires detailed work search information. They're stricter about work search activities now compared to during COVID when many requirements were waived.

ur sooooo lucky ur company isnt fighting it!! mine laid me off in may and then tried to say i was fired for performance even tho my whole team got cut. took me 8 WEEKS to get my first payment cuz they put a false statement flag on my acct!!! had to do phone interview and everything it was a nightmare

Money Network is definitely different from the old BofA system. You have two options now: 1. Direct deposit to your bank account (which is what you want) 2. Money Network debit card To set up direct deposit, you'll need to enter your bank info when you first file your claim. If you missed that step, you can still do it through your UI Online account under "Payment Methods" after your claim is established. Direct deposit usually takes 1-2 business days after certification is processed. One important thing - if you had direct deposit before with your COVID claim, that information won't carry over. You need to set it up again with this new claim.

I just went through this last month! Everything is WAY better than during COVID times lol. One tip - make sure your identity verification through ID.me is current. Mine had expired and I had to redo it which added like 5 days to my processing time. But once that was done my claim was approved pretty fast.

The REAL PROBLEM nobody's mentioning is that EDD is completely impossible to reach if any issues come up with your claim! I've been calling for TWO WEEKS about a 'pending' payment and can't get through to anyone. Just endless busy signals or the "we're experiencing high call volume" message before they hang up on you. I FINALLY got through yesterday using Claimyr (claimyr.com). Their service calls EDD for you and connects you when they get through. Saved me hours of redial hell. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km The EDD rep told me they're still understaffed but nowhere near as bad as during COVID. But if you need to talk to someone, good luck doing it without help.

I went thru same thing in April & something nobody mentioned yet is that you STILL have to do those stupid work search activities every week! I thought maybe they changed that after COVID but nope. You need to list 3 job contacts or work search activities for EACH WEEK when you certify. I almost got in trouble because I was only putting 1 per week at first lol. They want detailed info too - company name, contact details, position, etc.

When I filed back in January I got hit with a RANDOM ELIGIBILITY INTERVIEW even though my employer didn't contest anything. Took an extra 4 weeks before they approved my claim. Apparently they're doing a lot more random checks now to reduce fraud after all the COVID scams. So don't panic if you get an interview notice - just be prepared to explain your layoff situation.

One more tip I forgot to mention - since you mentioned budgeting, be aware that your weekly benefit amount might be different from your COVID claim if your earnings were different. Maximum benefit is now $550/week (up from $450 during COVID). Your benefit amount is roughly 50% of your average weekly wages during the highest quarter of your base period, up to that maximum. Base period is typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed. Since you filed in late June 2025, your base period would be January 2024 through December 2024. So whatever you earned during that period will determine your weekly benefit amount.

One last thing - once your claim is approved, certifying is much smoother now. The UI Online portal got a major update in 2024 and it's actually functional now (shocking, I know!). You can even use the mobile app for certifications which is WAY easier than the old system. Just make sure notifications are enabled so you don't miss your certification dates.

Just wanted to add that if you're in tech like me, make sure to look into the California Training Benefits (CTB) program while you're on unemployment. I used it during my claim last year to get AWS certifications which definitely helped me land interviews faster. You can get approved for up to 104 weeks of training benefits if you're learning skills for a high-demand occupation. The approval process takes a few extra weeks but it's worth it if you want to upskill while job hunting. Plus your weekly benefits continue during approved training so you're not losing money while learning new tech skills.