How long does it take to reopen an unemployment claim with California EDD?

Thanks - it's been almost 2 months since I last certified so I guess manual review is probably what's happening. Should I be certifying right now even though the status still shows inactive?

Yes, definitely try to certify. The system sometimes allows it even when the claim looks inactive on the surface. If it blocks you then call EDD to get it sorted out before you lose more weeks.

This is good info. I didn't know about the 30 day threshold. Wish I had known this when I reopened mine last year lol

I did report all my contract income correctly when I was working. I just stopped certifying once the contract started because I was earning over my weekly benefit amount anyway. Would that cause issues?

That's actually the right way to handle it. Stopping certification when you're over your benefit amount is fine and shouldn't cause adjudication issues. You should be in decent shape timeline-wise then.

wait does that mean you have to keep certifying even if you're making money?? I always thought you just stopped when you got a job

It depends on how much you're making. If it's part time or below your weekly benefit amount you're supposed to keep certifying and report the income. EDD will reduce your payment accordingly. If you're making more than your benefit amount you can stop but you should report back when employment ends.

Two weeks of trying to call sounds like a nightmare. I haven't tried calling yet but I'm already dreading it. I'll bookmark that link in case I need it.

Claimyr worked for me too when I needed to sort out an adjudication hold. Got through way faster than any time I tried calling directly.

is this actually legit? never heard of it before

Yeah it's legit. I was skeptical too but it genuinely just helps you get through to EDD. You watch the demo video and it explains how it works.

This is what I was afraid of. Did you have any way to speed things up or just had to wait it out?

just waited mostly. calling helped once i actually got through but getting through was the hard part

Oh wow I didn't even think about the job search piece. I started applying places but I haven't been formally logging anything. Is there a specific format EDD wants?

You don't need to submit the log unless asked but you need to keep it. Record the employer name, contact information, date of contact, and type of contact (application submitted, interview, etc.). The EDD website has a template if you search for job search record. Three activities per week minimum.

this is real important info. my cousin got disqualified because she didn't keep track and couldn't prove her job search when they audited her. keep records of everything

That's really encouraging to hear. Did you have a long gap before reopening yours or was it fairly recent?

Mine was about 6 weeks gap. So similar to your situation. No issues came up so hopefully you'll have the same experience.

Lucky you lol mine took forever and I had a shorter gap than that. I think it really just depends on luck and which EDD rep processes your stuff

It depends on timing. If your benefit year had already expired you would need a new claim anyway. But if you were still within your benefit year and had remaining weeks, reopening is the better option because it preserves your original weekly benefit amount. If you filed a new claim and your wages in the base period were lower, your new benefit amount could be less.

ugh my benefit year was still active I think. oh well nothing I can do about it now

For future reference - the benefit year is 52 weeks from when you filed your original claim. If you're still within that window and have unused weeks, always try to reopen rather than filing new.

Yikes that sounds like a total nightmare. I only submitted once and got a confirmation screen so hopefully I'm okay. I'll keep this in mind though.

yeah the confirmation screen is the key thing. if you got that you're probably fine. i never got one which is why i kept trying

This is why I always screenshot everything when I do anything on UI Online. Having documentation of what you submitted and when has saved me more than once

Good call. I've been so focused on UI Online I haven't checked my physical mail in a week. Going to check it right now actually.

This happened to me - missed a letter asking me to verify my last employer info and my claim got put on hold for three weeks because of it. Always always always check the mail

Mine has been pending for 6 business days now. I think normal is 1-3 business days but some people in this thread said it can take longer without it being a problem.

4-6 business days with no update is still within normal range but if you hit 10 business days I'd start trying to call. At that point something may need manual intervention.

Okay that's reassuring. I'll give it until next week before I panic.

I wasn't on standby - my contract ended so I'm genuinely back to job searching. But this is good info for others.

This is correct and worth emphasizing. Standby status doesn't automatically carry over when you reopen a claim. You need to re-certify the standby with your employer's information.

I've been checking claim summary obsessively lol. It just says the same thing every day. I'll try to be patient a bit longer.

the obsessive checking is so real. I refreshed mine probably 20 times a day when I was waiting. it doesn't change any faster but at least you feel like you're doing something

That's a scary thought. My contract ended because the project was completed - it's documented in my contract terms. But I can see how an employer might spin that differently if they wanted to.

Keep any documentation of your original contract and the terms around project completion. If it comes to an employer dispute hearing you'll want to show that the end date was predetermined by the contract itself, not a voluntary quit.

This is really important advice. Employer disputes are one of the most common reasons claim reopens get kicked into adjudication. Always have your separation documentation ready.

No, reopening doesn't extend your benefit year. Your benefit year is set when you first file and runs for 52 weeks regardless of how many times you open and close the claim within that period. If you reach the end of your benefit year with unused weeks you generally lose them.

oh that's unfortunate. so I should be trying to use my weeks before the year ends even if I'm working part time and only getting partial benefits?

If you're working part time and earning less than your weekly benefit amount, yes you should be certifying and collecting the partial amount. Don't let weeks expire unused if you qualify for partial benefits.

I might try this if mine doesn't move by end of week. Getting real answers sounds a lot better than just guessing.

seconding this. I wish I had known about it when I had my double submission disaster. would have saved me so much stress

This breakdown is really helpful, thank you. I'm going to give it until the end of next week and then try calling if nothing has changed.

That sounds like a reasonable plan. Good luck - hopefully it just goes through on its own and you don't have to fight for it.

Oh interesting I hadn't thought about that. Do you have to worry about giving out personal info in those groups?

Don't post your SSN or claim ID publicly obviously but general questions are fine. Most people are just sharing experiences not asking for personal details

This is reassuring, thank you for sharing. Today is business day 7 for me so maybe I'm almost there.

Fingers crossed for you! Check UI Online first thing tomorrow morning.

Great news! Make sure you certify for ALL the weeks since your contract ended if the system lets you backdate. You may be able to claim those weeks retroactively.

So glad it worked out. Thanks for coming back to update - those real outcome posts are exactly what people need when they're searching and panicking.

Congrats! And yes - try to certify back to when your contract ended. You may have been losing weeks unnecessarily during the wait.

Good reminder about backdating - you should be able to request to certify for past weeks through UI Online or by calling EDD. Don't assume those weeks are lost.