EDD claim approved after quitting to care for my mother with Alzheimer's - conditional eligibility questions
I resigned from my retail management job two months ago to become a full-time caregiver for my mother who was diagnosed with late-stage Alzheimer's. My siblings live out of state, and we couldn't afford professional care with her limited savings. I initially didn't think I'd qualify for unemployment, but my former HR manager suggested I apply since I quit for 'good cause.' To my surprise, EDD approved my claim last week! I completed the phone interview where I explained my situation and provided my mother's medical documentation. I'm currently receiving $572/week, but I'm nervous about maintaining eligibility. The EDD rep mentioned something about 'remaining available for part-time work' and 'good cause family care provisions.' Does anyone have experience with this specific situation? How strict is EDD about the part-time work availability when you're a full-time caregiver? I'm worried about losing benefits if I can't realistically take a job right now.
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Amina Toure
Yes, you can absolutely get unemployment in your situation. The key term here is 'good cause' which includes quitting to care for a seriously ill family member. But there are some important requirements to maintain eligibility: 1. You must remain 'available for work' even as a caregiver. This typically means you need to be available for part-time work that accommodates your caregiving schedule. 2. During certification, you must answer truthfully that you're looking for work and available to accept work. 3. You need to complete work search activities each week (applying to jobs, networking, etc.) I went through something similar with my father's cancer treatment last year. I found that EDD was actually pretty understanding about my limited availability as long as I was honest about looking for flexible/remote/part-time opportunities that would work with my caregiving responsibilities.
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Paolo Ricci
•Thanks for this detailed explanation! Did you have to provide ongoing documentation of your father's condition? My mother's doctor provided a letter initially, but I'm not sure if I need regular updates from her physician.
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Oliver Zimmermann
congrats on gettin approved! my sister got denied when she tried this for our grandpa. EDD is so random sometimes lol
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Amina Toure
•It's not random - the key difference is usually in how you document the situation and present it during the eligibility interview. For family care situations, they look at: 1) Is there documentation from a medical provider? 2) Are you the only reasonable person available to provide care? 3) Did you try alternatives before quitting? 4) Are you still available for some type of work? The documentation and interview answers make all the difference.
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CosmicCommander
BE VERY CAREFUL with your certifications!!! I was in a similar situation caring for my husband after his stroke, and EDD approved me but then HIT ME WITH AN OVERPAYMENT after 3 months!!! They said I wasn't "truly available for work" even though I told them repeatedly I could only work part-time evening shifts when my daughter could watch him. They made me PAY BACK $4,800 and added a 30% penalty!!! The system is DESIGNED to trick you!!
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Natasha Volkova
•omg that's awful! did you appeal? my cousin had to appeal something similar and got it reversed
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Javier Torres
Have you considered applying for Paid Family Leave instead of UI? That's specifically designed for caregiving situations like yours. It only lasts for 8 weeks though, but might be more appropriate than unemployment since you don't have to certify that you're looking for work.
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Paolo Ricci
•I was actually denied for PFL because I had already quit my job when I applied. Apparently you need to be employed or on approved leave from your employer to qualify. The EDD representative suggested unemployment instead since my reason for leaving was qualifying.
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Emma Davis
I went through this exact situation with my father's Parkinson's in 2025. Here's what worked for me to maintain eligibility: 1. Document EVERYTHING - keep copies of all medical records and a care log showing hours you provide care 2. Apply to at least 3 jobs weekly that could accommodate your schedule (remote, flexible, or part-time evening work) 3. Be consistent in your certifications about your availability constraints 4. If you get called for an eligibility interview (I had 3 during my claim), have your documentation ready And most importantly - if you need to speak directly with an EDD representative about your specific situation, use Claimyr.com to get through to an actual person. Regular phone lines are basically impossible to get through on, but Claimyr got me connected in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km Staying in regular contact with EDD about your situation will help prevent any misunderstandings about your eligibility.
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Paolo Ricci
•This is incredibly helpful, thank you! I'll check out that service. I've been trying to call them with follow-up questions but keep getting the "we're experiencing high call volume" message and getting disconnected. Having a real person to talk to would be amazing.
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Malik Johnson
just wondering how much u get each week? im in a similar situation wit my mom but scared to quit my job if benefits r too low
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Paolo Ricci
•I'm getting $572/week, which is definitely less than my full-time job paid. It depends on your earnings in your base period. You can use the EDD calculator on their website to estimate what you might receive before making any decisions.
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Natasha Volkova
my buddy works at edd and he says they're really cracking down on ppl who aren't actually available for work. you gotta be super careful on your bi-weekly certification forms. don't say you weren't looking for work or not available or they'll cut you off.
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Amina Toure
One important thing to keep in mind: Under California's family care provisions, you are still considered "available for work" even with caregiving responsibilities IF you're available for a substantial field of employment. This doesn't mean you need to be available for ANY job, but rather jobs that would accommodate your situation. Your best protection is to keep a detailed record of: 1. Your work search activities (job applications, inquiries, networking) 2. Any part-time, flexible, or remote positions you've applied to 3. Updates on your mother's condition and care requirements I also recommend checking in with EDD every few months to confirm your continued eligibility. This shows good faith and helps prevent potential overpayment situations down the line.
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Paolo Ricci
•This is so reassuring, thank you! I'll start keeping better records of everything. Do you know if there's a specific form I should use for tracking my work search activities, or should I just create my own log?
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Oliver Zimmermann
i think there's some kind of special program for caregivers thru the state but its not edd. might wanna look into that too?
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Amina Toure
•You're likely thinking of In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), which is different from unemployment. IHSS can actually pay family members to provide care in some circumstances. It's administered by county social services, not EDD. This could potentially be a good long-term solution that would allow the original poster to be employed as a caregiver while meeting their unemployment work requirements.
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Paolo Ricci
Thank you everyone for the amazing advice! I've taken notes and will definitely be more careful with my certifications. I'm going to look into both the Claimyr service to speak with an EDD rep directly and the IHSS program someone mentioned. I'm relieved to hear I'm not the only one navigating this complicated situation. I'll update this thread after I talk to EDD and get more clarification on my specific case.
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