EDD claim status confusion - can't tell if I'm approved despite disqualified weeks

the first wk is always a waiting period n not paid, but ur 2nd wk being disqualified means something's wrong. check ur inbox for any messages about eligibility interviews or id verification requirements. they changed everything in the system last month n now its hard 2 find stuff

When both weeks show as disqualified, it usually means there's an eligibility issue with your claim. The system won't necessarily give you a clear 'approved' or 'denied' status. Instead, look for a section called 'Claim Information' or 'Claim Summary' that should show your weekly benefit amount (WBA). If you see a dollar amount there, your claim was approved, but there's still an issue preventing payment. Common reasons include: 1. Incomplete work search information 2. Reporting earnings incorrectly 3. Answering a certification question in a way that triggered automatic disqualification 4. Identity verification still pending You should call EDD directly to find out exactly what's happening, as this won't resolve itself without action.

my claim was like this too. the system is so glitchy after the update. i couldnt even log in for 4 days after their maintenance window. just keep certifying every 2 weeks even with the disqualified status, that way when they fix whatever the issue is youll get backpay

This is definitely an issue that requires calling EDD directly. The disqualification status means there's a specific reason they're not paying you, and it's not just the waiting week policy. It could be anything from answering a certification question incorrectly to needing to verify your identity. In the online portal, check these areas: 1. Claim Summary - see if there's a weekly benefit amount shown (indicates approved claim) 2. Certifications - look for specific error messages under each week 3. Notifications/Messages - sometimes there are letters that don't show up as inbox messages If you're still not seeing anything explaining the disqualification, you'll need to call EDD. Make sure to note your claim start date and have your ID ready when you call.

I went through this EXACT same situation in January! Both weeks disqualified but had a WBA amount. Turns out I had answered NO to being able to work because I was in the hospital for 2 days (thinking I needed to be honest). I spent THREE WEEKS trying to get through on the phone lines - constantly busy or "we're experiencing high call volume" messages. Finally I found Claimyr (claimyr.com) which got me connected to an EDD rep in about 20 minutes. They have this demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km The EDD rep told me I just needed to file a simple appeal for those weeks and explained how I could still certify for current weeks while that was pending. Seriously saved me so much frustration after wasting hours trying to call myself.

@OP: Based on your follow-up comment that you see a Weekly Benefit Amount of $425, your claim has indeed been approved. The disqualifications are specific to those two weeks, not your entire claim. This is actually good news because it means you just need to resolve whatever caused those specific weeks to be disqualified. The most common certification errors that cause disqualification are: - Answering "No" to being available for work - Reporting that you refused work - Not completing the required work search activities - Reporting school attendance without indicating you're still available for work Did you answer differently on any questions for those weeks compared to how you would normally answer?

@user7: I totally understand the frustration about having to pay for something that should be free. I felt the same way! But after spending literally hours redialing for weeks (and potentially missing out on thousands in benefits), the connection fee was worth it to me. Saved me so much stress. But yeah, in an ideal world, we shouldn't need services like this.

@OP: Yes, not listing your work search activities could absolutely be the reason! EDD has gotten much stricter about work search documentation since 2025 began. You need to list at least 3 work search activities per week with specific details. You have two options here: 1. File an appeal using the "Appeal Form" in your UI Online account under the "More Services" section. Explain that you did perform work searches but didn't understand you needed to document them. Include details of the searches you did. 2. Call EDD and explain the situation. Sometimes they can remove the disqualification without a formal appeal if it was clearly a misunderstanding. For future certifications, always document your work search activities in detail. This includes employer names, positions, application dates, contact methods, and any follow-ups.

u know what's weird is that the first week should be unpaid waiting period but not DISQUALIFIED. when i had my claim it just said "not paid - waiting week" but never said disqualified. something else is def going on with ur claim

@OP: Regarding your first week - when the system shows "disqualified" instead of "waiting week not paid," it usually indicates that the disqualification reason (likely the work search documentation issue) is overriding the waiting week status. Once you resolve the disqualification issue, that first week will still remain unpaid as your waiting week, but the status will probably change to reflect that. For your second week, once you resolve the issue, that should change to paid status. When you call, make sure to ask specifically about both weeks so you understand exactly what's happening with each one. And remember to continue certifying every two weeks while this gets sorted out!

u might also wanna check if u reported any earnings during those weeks? even small amounts can mess things up if u didnt report them right. like if u worked part time or got vacation pay

I’m going thru the same thing she goin thru

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now! Filed my claim last month and both of my first two weeks came back as "disqualified" with no clear explanation. Like you, I have a weekly benefit amount showing ($380 in my case), so I know the claim itself was approved, but those disqualified weeks are really confusing. After reading through all these responses, I'm pretty sure I made the same mistake with the work search documentation. I was doing job searches but didn't realize I needed to list specific details for each one. I just checked "yes" that I looked for work but left the details section mostly blank. I'm planning to call EDD tomorrow morning and try to get this sorted out. If I manage to get through and learn anything helpful, I'll come back and update this thread. The new interface really doesn't make it clear what information is required vs. optional, which is causing a lot of these issues for people. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's helpful to know this is fixable and that continuing to certify while it gets resolved is the right approach!

I'm dealing with the exact same issue! Filed my claim two weeks ago and both weeks came back as "disqualified" even though I can see my weekly benefit amount ($350) in the system. Like everyone else here, I think I messed up the work search documentation - I was applying to jobs but didn't realize I needed to list every single detail when certifying. The new UI interface is absolutely terrible compared to the old one. Nothing is intuitive anymore and it's not clear what fields are required vs optional. I've been job hunting actively (mostly through company websites and job boards) but when I certified, I just clicked "yes" for work search without filling in all the employer details because I thought it was optional. Based on what everyone's sharing, it sounds like this is becoming a really common problem since they updated the system. I'm going to try calling EDD tomorrow but not looking forward to the wait times. At least it's reassuring to know the claim itself is approved and this can potentially be fixed with an appeal or by talking to a rep. Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences - it's helpful to know I'm not alone in this mess!

This is exactly what happened to me back in February! The "disqualified" status on both weeks (including what should have been the waiting week) is almost always related to incomplete work search documentation in the new system. Since you mentioned you have a WBA of $425, your claim is definitely approved - this is just a certification issue. The new interface is absolutely awful at making it clear which fields are required. I made the same mistake of thinking the detailed work search entries were optional. What worked for me was calling EDD and explaining that I HAD done the required work searches but didn't understand the documentation requirements. The rep was able to remove the disqualifications over the phone once I provided the specific job search details (company names, positions, dates applied, method of contact). Pro tip: Write down at least 3-5 specific job applications you made during those weeks with as much detail as you can remember before you call. Having that information ready made the call go much smoother. And definitely keep certifying every two weeks while this gets resolved - you'll get backpay once it's fixed. The phone lines are brutal, but it's worth it to get this sorted out quickly rather than waiting for an appeal to process.

I'm going through the EXACT same thing right now! Filed my claim about 10 days ago and both weeks came back as "disqualified" with no explanation. Like everyone else here, I can see my weekly benefit amount ($315) in the claim summary, so I know it was approved, but those disqualifications had me panicking. After reading through all these responses, I'm 99% sure I made the same work search documentation mistake. I was actively applying to jobs every day (mostly through LinkedIn and company career pages) but when I certified, I just answered "yes" to the work search question without filling in all the detailed information about each application. The new interface really doesn't make it clear that those fields are actually required! This is so frustrating because I've been doing way more than the minimum 3 job searches per week, but apparently that doesn't matter if you don't document it properly in their system. I'm going to try calling EDD tomorrow with a list of all my job applications from those weeks. Hopefully they can fix it over the phone like some of you experienced. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories - it's such a relief to know this is a common issue with a solution and not something more serious wrong with my claim!

Wow, reading through all these comments has been incredibly reassuring! I'm a newcomer to this community and just started my unemployment claim process last week. I haven't gotten my first certification results yet, but after seeing all these similar experiences with the work search documentation issues, I'm definitely going to make sure I document everything in detail from the start. It sounds like the new UI interface is causing a lot of confusion for people who are doing the work searches but not documenting them properly in the system. I've been keeping a job search log anyway (company names, positions, dates, contact methods) so hopefully that will help me avoid the "disqualified" status that so many of you have experienced. For those still dealing with this issue - it's really encouraging to see that people have been able to get it resolved by calling EDD with their job search details ready. The fact that you can see your weekly benefit amounts means your claims are approved, which is the hardest part! Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions. This thread is going to save a lot of people from making the same documentation mistakes. I'll make sure to update if I run into any issues with my certification!

I'm in a very similar situation and this thread has been incredibly helpful! Filed my claim 2 weeks ago and got the same "disqualified" status on both weeks despite having a WBA showing ($267). Like everyone else here, I was actively job searching but clearly didn't understand the documentation requirements in the new system. I've been applying to jobs daily through Indeed, LinkedIn, and company websites, but when I certified I just answered "yes" to work search without filling in the detailed employer information because it seemed optional. The new interface is so poorly designed - it really should make required fields more obvious! Based on all the advice here, I'm going to call EDD tomorrow morning with my job search spreadsheet ready. I've been tracking applications anyway, so I have company names, positions, application dates, and methods for those weeks. It's really encouraging to hear that several people got this resolved over the phone by providing those details to a rep. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's such a relief to know this is a fixable documentation issue and not something wrong with my actual claim approval. I'll definitely continue certifying while this gets sorted out. Hoping the phone lines aren't too brutal tomorrow!

I'm going through the exact same frustrating experience right now! Just got my first certification results back and both weeks show "disqualified" with no explanation whatsoever. Like many others here, I can see my weekly benefit amount ($338) in the claim summary, so I know my claim was approved, but those disqualifications had me completely panicked until I found this thread. After reading everyone's experiences, I'm pretty certain I made the same work search documentation mistake. I've been applying to 4-5 jobs per week through Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and directly on company career sites, but when I certified I just answered "yes" to the work search question without filling in all the detailed information about each specific application. The new UI system is absolutely terrible - those detail fields really look optional rather than required! I'm planning to call EDD tomorrow morning with a detailed list of my job applications from those weeks (company names, positions, dates, application methods). It's really encouraging to read that several people have gotten this resolved over the phone by providing those specifics to a rep. This whole situation is so stressful when you're already dealing with job loss, but this thread has been a lifesaver in understanding what's actually happening. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories and solutions - you've probably saved dozens of people from making the same mistakes!

I'm dealing with the exact same issue! Filed my claim about 10 days ago and both of my first two weeks came back as "disqualified" even though I can see my weekly benefit amount ($402) in the system. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a huge relief - I was starting to panic that something was seriously wrong with my entire claim. Like so many others, I'm pretty sure I made the work search documentation mistake. I've been applying to jobs every single day (easily 5-6 applications per week through Indeed, LinkedIn, and company career pages) but when I certified, I just answered "yes" to looking for work without filling out all those detailed fields. They honestly looked like optional bonus information rather than required documentation! The new interface is absolutely horrible compared to what I expected based on friends' descriptions of the old system. Nothing is intuitive and it's causing the same mistake for tons of people. I'm going to call EDD tomorrow with my job search log ready - I've been tracking everything in a spreadsheet anyway because I'm serious about finding work quickly. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories and solutions. This thread is going to save so many people from the same documentation nightmare. It's encouraging to know this is fixable and that our claims are actually approved - we just need to get past this certification hurdle!

I'm experiencing the exact same frustrating situation! Just filed my claim last week and I'm still waiting for my first certification results, but after reading through all these experiences, I'm definitely prepared for potential issues now. It's incredibly helpful that so many people have shared their stories here. What strikes me most is how the new EDD interface seems to be systematically causing the same documentation mistake for tons of people. The fact that required work search fields appear optional is such a massive design flaw - it's creating unnecessary stress and delays for people who are already dealing with job loss. I've been keeping detailed records of my job search activities in a spreadsheet (company names, positions, application dates, methods used, follow-up actions) specifically because I've heard horror stories about EDD documentation requirements. After reading this thread, I'm going to make absolutely sure to enter every single detail into their system during certification, even if the fields look optional. For everyone dealing with the "disqualified" weeks issue - it's so encouraging to see that multiple people have gotten it resolved by calling with their job search details ready. The fact that you can all see your weekly benefit amounts means your claims are approved, which is the hardest part! This really seems to be a fixable certification documentation issue rather than anything wrong with your actual eligibility. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread - you're probably saving dozens of people from making the same mistakes and providing a clear path to resolution for those already dealing with it. This is exactly what community support should look like!