Finally finished EDD penalty weeks but 'waiting period served' message - will I get paid next certification?

So I got hit with penalty weeks after applying for unemployment in September (messed up on some previous claim from years ago that I didn't even remember). I've been certifying every two weeks like clockwork even though I knew I wouldn't get paid during penalty weeks. For the last certification, the first week showed the usual 'serving penalty week' message but the second week now says 'waiting period served for week ending - -' instead of another penalty week. Does this mean my penalty weeks are finally over? Will I actually get paid when I certify next time? I'm so confused about what this 'waiting period' message means versus the penalty week message. Anyone dealt with this before? I'm getting desperate as my savings are basically gone at this point.

0 coins

19 comments

LunarEclipse

•18d

Good news! The 'waiting period served' message means you've completed your penalty weeks AND your standard one-week waiting period (which everyone has to serve when starting a new claim). The waiting period is unpaid for everyone, regardless of penalties. Your next certification should result in payment as long as you meet all other eligibility requirements. The system processes it this way because technically your claim benefits can only begin after both penalty weeks AND the waiting period are completed.

0 coins

Paolo Esposito

•17d

That delay is actually quite common with first payments after penalty weeks. EDD's system sometimes flags the transition from penalty to regular payments for additional review. If it takes more than 7 days after certification, then it might be worth calling to check if there's an issue. By the way, if you ever need to reach EDD and can't get through on the phone lines, I discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through when I was dealing with a similar issue. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. Really helped when I needed to confirm my first payment after penalties was actually coming through.

0 coins

FireflyDreams

•17d

I've dealt with penalty weeks and the waiting period before. Here's how EDD processes them: 1. Penalty weeks must be served first (these are unpaid) 2. Then the standard one-week waiting period (also unpaid) 3. After both are completed, normal benefit payments begin So yes, your next certification should result in payment as long as you continue to meet eligibility requirements. The waiting period message is actually good news - it means you've completed your penalties and the standard waiting week that everyone has to serve. The system is confusing because it processes these sequentially rather than concurrently.

0 coins