How to apply for unemployment for IHSS workers through California EDD

This is so helpful, thank you! I did list my client by name but I wasn't sure if that was right. Should I also list the county IHSS office anywhere in the application? I see a spot for additional employers.

No, don't list the county as an additional employer unless you also did separate county work outside of IHSS caregiving. The county isn't your employer for UI wage purposes, they just administer the program. Only list your actual IHSS clients.

Wait I'm confused, I thought the state was the employer for IHSS workers? I remember reading something about that when I first started working as a caregiver.

The state is involved as fiscal intermediary but for unemployment insurance purposes the individual client is the employer of record. It's a weird system but that's how EDD processes it. Your W-2 would have been issued under your client's name/info.

Yeah the phone situation is stressing me out. I need to call to ask about my pending claim but can't get through at all.

honestly i ended up just waiting and my claim eventually processed on its own. but i still needed to call eventually for a different issue and it was brutal

I've never heard of this. Does it actually work? I really need to talk to someone about my IHSS claim specifically.

Yes it worked for me. I was able to actually have a real conversation with an EDD agent who pulled up my claim details and confirmed the IHSS employer listing was correct. Saved me a ton of stress.

seconding this, i used claimyr when my IHSS claim got flagged for adjudication and the agent i spoke with was able to tell me exactly what the issue was. way better than staring at a pending screen for weeks.

sounds too good to be true tbh, edd phones are impossible

The domestic service threshold thing is worrying me. I only worked about 20 hours a week so my quarterly earnings might be on the lower side. Is there a way to check what wages EDD has on file for me before my claim is fully processed?

Yes, once your claim is filed you can sometimes see the wage information EDD pulled from their records in your UI Online account. Look under the claim details section. If the wages shown seem incorrect or missing, that's when you'd want to contact EDD directly to verify because incorrect wage reporting for IHSS workers does happen sometimes.

the 1.25 times high quarter thing trips so many people up. i got denied my first time filing because i just barely missed that threshold. had to appeal and show additional income i had forgotten to account for

I said 'lack of work' on mine because my client's circumstances changed and there were no more hours available. Does that sound right?

That sounds exactly right. Lack of work is the correct characterization when your client's care needs transferred to a facility or another arrangement. You didn't choose to stop working, the work stopped being available.

this is good info, my coworker who does IHSS said the wrong separation reason is why her claim got stuck in adjudication for like 6 weeks. such a small thing to cause so many problems

You can potentially file for partial unemployment benefits if your hours were significantly reduced! California EDD has provisions for partial UI when your hours are cut substantially. Your weekly benefit amount would be reduced based on any earnings you still receive from those 18 hours, but you could potentially receive partial benefits for the difference. Worth filing and seeing what EDD determines.

oh wow I didn't know that was even a thing. I just assumed you had to be completely out of work. going to look into this now thank you

Yes partial UI is absolutely a thing in California. When you certify weekly you report your earnings from those 18 hours and EDD calculates whether you're still owed a partial benefit. Your weekly benefit amount minus your earnings (with a small earnings disregard) determines what you receive. It's worth filing even if you're not sure.

Good to know about the weekly certifications. I'm still on the IHSS registry hoping to match with a new client. So when I certify, I just report zero earnings until I get a new client placement?

Exactly. Zero earnings reported while you're registered but not actively working. The moment you get matched with a new client and start earning again, report those wages on your weekly certification. Staying on the registry while filing for UI is completely fine and expected.

this is exactly what i needed to know too. I wasn't sure if just being ON the registry counted as working somehow

Being on the IHSS registry is equivalent to being job searching, which EDD requires anyway. It doesn't count as employment or earnings unless you're actually providing care hours and receiving payment.

This is exactly my fear. My claim has been pending for 3 days now. How did you eventually get through to EDD to find out what was happening?

Honestly tried calling for two weeks straight, mornings only because I heard that's the best time. Eventually got through but it still took ages. A lot of people in my IHSS worker Facebook group started using that Claimyr service which apparently cuts through the phone queue. Wish I had known about it when I was in my stressful pending limbo period.

Several people in this thread have mentioned Claimyr now. I think I'm going to try it, 3 days of pending status with no info is already stressing me out.

wait this is news to me. so being on the IHSS registry isn't enough for the job search requirement? I need to also apply to other jobs??

I honestly am not 100% sure of the official answer, that's just what one EDD rep told me. I've seen conflicting info on this. Might be worth clarifying directly with EDD given your specific situation to make sure you're compliant.

The official stance is that IHSS workers are generally expected to search for work similar to their prior employment, which would include seeking new IHSS clients and other caregiving positions. Documenting your contacts through the IHSS registry system plus any applications to home care agencies or similar employers is the safest approach to satisfy the job search requirement.

yeah that's what i ended up doing. playing it safe with a mix of registry activity and broader caregiver job applications. better than risking a disqualification over it

That's terrifying. How long did the appeal take?

took about 9 weeks from when i filed the appeal to when the ALJ hearing happened. then another 3 weeks for the written decision. but i won. keep all your documentation, texts from your client, any official IHSS program correspondence about changes to care authorization, everything.

The voluntary quit misclassification for IHSS workers is unfortunately common. The key is clearly documenting in your initial application that the work ended due to the client's changed circumstances, not your choice. If you do get disqualified and need to appeal, like the above person said, gather any documentation showing the change in your client's care situation.

I do have my timesheet records saved electronically through the IHSS Electronic Services Portal. Should I upload those with my initial application or wait to see if EDD requests them?

You don't need to upload them with your initial application, EDD will request anything they need. But knowing where they are and having them ready means you can respond quickly if EDD does reach out, which helps avoid delays in processing.

this is great advice. I lost my documentation once when I switched phones and it made a difficult EDD situation so much worse. screenshot everything related to your IHSS work and claim

Yes, a significant reduction in authorized IHSS hours resulting in substantial wage loss is generally a qualifying reason for California UI. The key is that the reduction wasn't your choice and isn't a temporary situation. If the county officially reduced your client's care authorization and your hours and income dropped substantially as a result, you'd likely qualify for partial or full UI depending on how drastic the reduction was.

ok good because i've been afraid to file thinking they'd just deny me since technically i still have a client. the income drop is really significant though

File! The worst they can do is deny you and then you know for sure. But a 50% reduction in hours is definitely worth filing a claim for. Document the notice you received about the hour reduction as your evidence.

This is SO good to hear, thank you for coming back to update. I'm going to try Claimyr today honestly, my pending status has been going on too long with no updates.

Glad it worked out for you! The wage verification flag is super common for IHSS claims, exactly what happened to me too. Once an agent manually addresses it the claim usually moves pretty fast.

congrats on getting approved! gives me hope for my partial UI situation

No exception for IHSS workers - you go through the same standard California UI waiting period as any other claimant. Your first week of eligibility is an unpaid waiting week. So the first payment you receive covers your second week of eligible unemployment. This is the same for everyone regardless of what type of employment you had.

ok thanks, just wanted to make sure. i've heard people say different things about whether certain workers get exceptions

The waiting week is standard for all California UI claimants. There are no occupational exceptions. Just make sure you certify for that first week even though you won't receive payment for it - you have to certify to 'use' the waiting week and start your payment clock.

The morning redial game is exhausting and honestly unreliable. I mentioned it above but a lot of IHSS workers in my support group have been using Claimyr to get through to EDD without the whole redial nightmare. The demo video at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 explains how it works. When I finally did get through to an agent during my pending period they were able to at least tell me what stage my claim was in which brought a lot of relief even when nothing was resolved yet.

10 days of this anxiety is rough. I'll check out that video. Honestly at this point I just want to hear a human voice tell me my application is at least in the system correctly.

I feel you so much on this. I ended up using Claimyr to get through and the relief of just talking to an actual EDD agent who could look at my claim details was huge even before anything was resolved. Hang in there.

THANK YOU for saying this. I've seen so much wrong info floating around telling IHSS workers they can't file unemployment because they're 'not real employees.' That's completely false and it stops people from claiming benefits they've earned and paid into.

This is reassuring. I was a little uncertain about my eligibility status and this clarifies it.

i literally told my friend this last week and she didn't believe me. sending her this thread

Doing this right now, thank you. I hadn't thought to check my UI Online inbox separately from just looking at my claim status page.

Yes this is so important!! The UI Online inbox is easy to overlook but EDD puts critical notices and questionnaires in there. Missing a response deadline can hold up your claim significantly.

oh no I haven't been checking my inbox at all. logging in right now to set up notifications and check if anything is waiting there.

yes notifications are essential. also make sure your email address on file with EDD is one you actually check regularly. seems obvious but I had an old email on my account and almost missed everything