EDD claim stuck in 'eligibility review' despite completing ID.me verification last year

same thing happend to me in december!! took almost 3 weeks before it switched from pending to paid. edd is SO slow these days

3 WEEKS?? I can't wait that long. Did they ever explain why it was taking so long?

This is a common issue in 2025. The 'eligibility review' doesn't necessarily mean ID verification. It could be one of several things:\n\n1. Your previous employer is contesting the claim\n2. Your reported wages don't match what's in their system\n3. You answered a question during certification that triggered a review (like being out of state, refusing work, etc.)\n4. There's a quarterly wage review happening (common in January)\n\nMy advice: check your UI Online inbox for any messages requesting additional information, and try calling EDD early in the morning (8:00am sharp) to find out exactly what's causing the hold.

Thank you for the detailed explanation. I checked my inbox and there's nothing there asking for additional info. I'll try calling tomorrow morning. I'm worried it might be #1 - my employer had mentioned they were planning to fight any unemployment claims.

I just went through something similar! In my case, they were doing a quarterly wage review since I had worked part-time during my previous claim. If your old employer is contesting, you'll eventually get a phone interview scheduled. But honestly, waiting for that call can take FOREVER.\n\nI tried calling EDD for weeks with no luck - constant busy signals or getting disconnected after waiting on hold. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent. They have this system that calls EDD for you and gets you in the queue. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km\n\nThe agent was able to see exactly what was flagging my claim and gave me an estimate of when it would be resolved. Gave me peace of mind at least.

does this claimyr thing actually work? i'm skeptical of anything that claims to help with edd lol

It worked for me! I was just as skeptical. But after trying to call for literally 8 days straight with no luck, I was desperate. Got connected to an agent in about 20 minutes.

LISTEN UP - THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN BY DESIGN! EDD does this to EVERYONE now!! They leave claims pending for weeks hoping people will just give up and stop filing. I had a perfectly valid claim that sat in

This is actually good advice. My brother-in-law's claim was stuck for a month, and contacting his assembly member's office got it fixed in a few days.

I hadn't thought about contacting my assembly member. That's a good backup plan if calling doesn't work. Thanks!

Hey there, I work in HR and deal with unemployment claims regularly. January is always a mess for EDD because they're processing tons of new claims from seasonal holiday workers. Plus, many employers are slow to respond to claim notices after the holidays.\n\nOne thing to check: did you have any other income sources in the last 18 months? If you worked for multiple employers, sometimes that triggers additional reviews. Also, if your prior claim was within the same benefit year, they sometimes need to manually review to ensure you've earned enough wages since your last claim to establish a new one.\n\nOne quick clarification - ID.me verification typically lasts for quite a while, so that's probably not the issue here.

Thanks for the HR perspective! I did have two different employers in the past 18 months - my main job that I was laid off from and a part-time gig I did for about 3 months last summer. Maybe that's causing the review?

Try calling right when they open at 8am. Thats what i did. Got through after only like 20 minutes on hold

ur lucky! i tried calling at 8am sharp for a week straight and never got thru

UPDATE: I finally got through to EDD this morning after trying for 3 days straight (started calling at 7:59am and kept redialing). The agent said my claim was flagged because I had worked for multiple employers in my base period AND my previous employer indicated they would be contesting the claim. She said I'll be getting a phone interview scheduled to resolve the eligibility issue, but the wait for interviews is currently 2-3 weeks. So frustrating, but at least I know what's happening now.\n\nThanks everyone for your help and suggestions!

Glad you got answers! While waiting for the interview, make sure to:\n\n1. Continue certifying every two weeks\n2. Prepare documents showing you were laid off (termination letter, final pay stub, etc.)\n3. Document your work search activities thoroughly\n4. Keep detailed notes of any communications with your former employer\n\nIf your employer is contesting, they'll need to prove misconduct or voluntary quit. Being laid off due to lack of work is a qualifying reason for benefits, so keep documentation ready for your interview.

Thank you for the checklist! I have my termination letter which clearly states it was a position elimination due to department restructuring. Hopefully that will be enough. I'll definitely keep certifying.

my cousin werked for edd and said they r super backlogged right now. January always has like 3x the claims of other months so everythings delayed

Yeah they're \