Call EDD
Back to California Unemployment

Mikayla Davison

I won my California EDD unemployment appeal - when do I get paid?

So I just got the decision letter in the mail yesterday and I WON my unemployment appeal!! I've been fighting this since February when California EDD disqualified me out of nowhere even though I was laid off from my warehouse job fair and square. The appeal hearing was about 6 weeks ago and honestly I had given up hope because it took so long to get a decision. Now that I finally have this letter saying the Administrative Law Judge ruled in my favor and overturned the disqualification, I have no idea what happens next. My UI Online account still shows the old disqualification status and hasn't updated yet. Does anyone know how long it actually takes for California EDD to process the appeal decision and start releasing payments? I have a ton of uncertified weeks piling up from when I stopped certifying because I thought I was disqualified for good. Do I need to go back and certify for all those missed weeks? I'm honestly confused about what steps I need to take right now to actually get the money I'm owed. Any help would be appreciated because I can't find clear answers anywhere on the California EDD website.

Congrats on winning!! That is huge. Okay so from my experience when I won my appeal back in like October the process took a few steps. First California EDD has to receive the decision from the CUIAB (that's the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board) and then process it on their end. That part alone took about 2 weeks for me. The big thing you need to do RIGHT NOW is go back and certify for all those weeks you missed. You have up to a year to certify for back weeks but you need to do it asap. Log into UI Online and look for the option to certify for prior weeks. Some people call them backdated certifications. For each week you'll answer the same questions about whether you were able and available to work and did any job searching. Once EDD processes everything the payments should release but don't expect it to happen overnight unfortunately.

0 coins

Thank you so much! I didn't know I could still certify for those weeks. I'm going to log in right now. Do I certify for them one at a time or is there a way to do them all at once?

0 coins

You do them one at a time unfortunately, each week is its own certification. Make sure your answers are accurate and consistent for each week. If you worked any hours or had any income during any of those weeks you have to report it or you could end up with an overpayment situation later which is a nightmare.

0 coins

Got it. I had a couple weeks where I did some gig work so I'll make sure to report those earnings accurately. Better safe than sorry after everything I've been through with this appeal.

0 coins

the status on UI online can lag behind reality by like 1-2 weeks after an appeal decision so dont panic if it still shows disqualified. the backend systems at edd update separately from what you see on the portal

0 coins

Yeah mine still shows disqualified which was freaking me out. Good to know it might just be a lag.

0 coins

same happened to me, showed disqualified for almost 3 weeks after I won then one day it just changed to paid lol

0 coins

I went through this exact situation last year and the thing that helped me most was actually getting someone at California EDD on the phone to confirm they received the CUIAB decision and to manually trigger the payment release. The problem is getting through to an actual agent is nearly impossible with regular calling. A friend told me about Claimyr (claimyr.com) which basically navigates the EDD phone system and holds your place in line then calls you back when an agent is available. There's a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 - seriously after my appeal win I was waiting weeks wondering where my money was and one phone call with an actual EDD agent got everything moving within a few days. The agent confirmed the decision had been received and flagged my account for expedited processing. Definitely worth it when you have back pay potentially worth thousands on the line.

0 coins

I've been trying to call EDD for three days straight and can't get through to anyone. Going to check out Claimyr right now, thank you for this.

0 coins

claimyr worked for me too when I had an adjudication issue, got through to an agent same day

0 coins

Does it actually work? I've tried everything to get through to edd and nothing has worked in months

0 coins

It worked for me twice now. You get a callback when an agent picks up so you're not just sitting on hold forever. The video link I shared shows the whole process.

0 coins

CONGRATULATIONS first of all!! Second I want to warn you that even after you win the appeal and certify for back weeks there can still be weird holds that pop up on individual week payments. Mine got flagged for an identity verification hold even after winning the appeal which made zero sense. California EDD is truly something else. Make sure you check UI Online every single day after you start certifying because if a hold appears you need to address it fast or the weeks just sit there indefinitely

0 coins

Ugh of course there could be more holds. What did you do when that happened to you?

0 coins

I had to call in and get an agent to manually clear it. Took me forever to get through. Wish I had known about better ways to reach them at the time

0 coins

this is so real the number of random holds edd puts on accounts is insane. I won my appeal and still waited 5 weeks because of some random unrelated flag on my account

0 coins

Quick question - when you say you stopped certifying do you mean you literally never submitted any certifications during the time you were disqualified? Or did you certify and just get denied? I ask because the process for recovering those weeks is slightly different depending on that. If you never certified at all you need to do the backdated certifications that others mentioned. If you DID certify and they just denied payment due to the disqualification then California EDD should theoretically process those automatically once the appeal decision is applied to your account. Either way getting an agent on the phone is really the fastest way to get clarity on exactly what they need from you.

0 coins

I stopped certifying completely after I got the disqualification notice. I just assumed there was no point. So sounds like I definitely need to do the backdated certifications.

0 coins

Yes exactly, go do those now. And keep records of every week you certify and when, screenshot the confirmation pages.

0 coins

this is good advice about screenshotting, I cannot stress enough to document EVERYTHING with California EDD

0 coins

congrats on winning!! honestly the appeals process is so stressful I'm so glad you got a good outcome. how long did the whole thing take start to finish if you don't mind me asking? I just filed my appeal last week and I'm trying to mentally prepare

0 coins

So from when I filed the appeal to when I got the decision letter was about 4 months total. The hearing itself was scheduled pretty quickly, maybe 6 weeks after I filed. Then it took another 6 weeks after the hearing to get the actual written decision. It's a long road but definitely worth fighting if you know you're right.

0 coins

4 months oh wow. ok I need to manage my expectations. Did you have to get a lawyer or anything?

0 coins

I didn't use a lawyer, I represented myself. I just made sure to have all my documentation organized - my termination paperwork, emails from my employer, everything. The Administrative Law Judge was pretty fair honestly.

0 coins

For anyone reading this later - legal aid organizations in California offer free help with unemployment appeals if you qualify based on income. Worth looking into if your case is complicated.

0 coins

I work in HR (not at EDD, just for context) and I can share that when an appeal decision comes in favor of the claimant, the employer's account gets charged for those benefits. Sometimes employers will contest FURTHER up the appeals chain which can complicate things. Did your decision letter say anything about whether the employer has the right to further appeal? Usually there's a window for that too - I think 30 days from the decision date. Just want to make sure you're aware that in rare cases this process isn't fully over even when you get a favorable decision.

0 coins

Oh I didn't even think about that. The letter mentioned something about appeal rights but I didn't read it super carefully. Going to go read it again right now.

0 coins

Look for language about 'further appeal to the CUIAB board' or 'petition for reconsideration' - if your employer files that it doesn't necessarily stop your payments but it does mean the case isn't fully closed. Hopefully they just let it go.

0 coins

my ex employer tried to appeal further after I won and it was a whole mess. edd did continue paying me during that process though so at least I wasn't left with nothing

0 coins

ok wait I'm confused. I thought if you win an appeal EDD just automatically sends you all the back pay? Like why would you have to do anything else? That doesn't seem right

0 coins

Unfortunately it's not automatic. EDD has to process the decision, you have to certify for any uncertified weeks, and then each week gets processed individually. Nothing about EDD is automatic lol

0 coins

wow that is so annoying I would have assumed they just fix it and send you money. the system really makes you work for it huh

0 coins

The certification requirement exists because they still need you to confirm you were able and available for work each week and not earning above the threshold. The appeal only overturns the disqualification reason, it doesn't bypass the weekly certification process.

0 coins

Has anyone else noticed that UI Online sometimes won't LET you certify for really old back weeks? Like I've heard there's a cutoff or something. OP you mentioned your disqualification was from February which means some of those weeks might be getting pretty old. Is there a deadline for certifying backdated weeks after winning an appeal?

0 coins

Generally you have one year from the week ending date to certify for benefits. So February weeks from this year should still be fine for a while. If anyone has weeks going back further than a year that gets more complicated and they'd need to talk directly to EDD about it.

0 coins

OK good, so OP should be fine for now but should definitely not wait any longer

0 coins

Yeah I'm going to try to get all my backdated certifications done this week. Don't want to risk anything after waiting this long.

0 coins

When I won MY appeal the payments didn't actually release until I called EDD and specifically asked them to 'manually process the CUIAB decision' - those were the exact words the agent used. Apparently sometimes the decision just sits in some queue and doesn't get processed automatically. So if you do all your certifications and still don't see payments after 2-3 weeks I'd definitely recommend calling in and using those exact words. Getting through to an actual live agent is the key though which is the hard part.

0 coins

Manually process the CUIAB' decision - writing this down. Thank you for the specific language,'that s reallyhelpful.

0 coins

This is accurate. EDD agents can flag things for manual review which actually speeds up processing. Having the right terminology when you call makes a difference.

0 coins

How did you get through to an agent though? Every time I call I get the automated system and it disconnects me

0 coins

Following up on the getting-through-to-EDD issue that keeps coming up in this thread - I mentioned Claimyr earlier and I want to add that specifically for post-appeal situations where you need to confirm payment processing it really is the most effective approach I found. After winning my appeal I needed to confirm the decision was in their system AND get those back weeks triggered. The agent I spoke to through Claimyr was able to look at my whole account and tell me exactly which weeks were certified, which were pending, and what was holding things up. claimyr.com has the info and the demo video at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 shows the whole callback process. When you potentially have months of back pay sitting there waiting it's worth doing whatever it takes to get a human on the phone.

0 coins

I was skeptical about this but my neighbor literally used it last month for an adjudication issue and said it worked really well. might try it for my own situation

0 coins

I tried it based on the earlier recommendation and got a callback within a couple hours. The agent confirmed they did receive the CUIAB decision and it was in the queue. She said to give it 7-10 business days for the payments to start processing. Feeling so much better now having an actual answer instead of just staring at my UI Online screen.

0 coins

ok this is convincing me to try it for my own situation. been trying to call edd for weeks with no luck

0 coins

Just want to throw in - make sure when you're certifying for those back weeks that you actually HAD active benefit weeks available during that time. Sometimes if your benefit year ended during the period you weren't certifying you might need a new claim established. California EDD benefit years run for 52 weeks from your claim start date. If your claim started early enough in the year the end of your benefit year might be coming up or might have already passed. Something worth checking on UI Online.

0 coins

Oh wow I hadn't even thought about the benefit year ending. My claim started in November last year so I should have until November this year right? Is that how it works?

0 coins

Yes exactly, your benefit year would run until approximately the same time in 2025. So you should be fine but just keep that in mind. And note that even if you win your appeal the total maximum benefit amount doesn't change - you're still limited to 26 weeks of regular UI benefits total.

0 coins

Good point about the 26 week maximum. OP make sure you know how many weeks of benefits you have remaining. The disqualified weeks should be added back but your overall maximum is still the same.

0 coins

wait so you actually won?? I've been going through an appeal for almost 5 months and I'm so close to just giving up. my hearing was 8 weeks ago and I haven't heard anything. is that normal to wait this long??

0 coins

8 weeks post-hearing is actually pretty normal, sometimes it takes even longer. Don't give up!! The wait is agonizing but you've already done all the hard work by having the hearing.

0 coins

Please don't give up! I almost did and I'm so glad I stuck with it. 8 weeks is right in the normal range. My decision came at 6 weeks but I've heard of people waiting 12+ weeks. Keep checking your mail.

0 coins

ok thank you both, this is the encouragement I needed. I'll keep waiting. did either of you keep certifying while waiting for the appeal decision?

0 coins

YES always keep certifying even while waiting for an appeal decision!! If you stopped certifying you'll need to do backdated certifications which is more complicated. Always keep certifying until you're told to stop.

0 coins

Something nobody has mentioned yet - after you get paid out all those back weeks make sure you understand your remaining balance. California EDD sends a statement showing your maximum benefit amount and what's been paid. After a big back pay release some people get confused and think they have more weeks left than they do. Also your back payments might come in multiple deposits over several days rather than one big lump sum, so don't panic if you only see partial payments at first.

0 coins

This is super useful to know about the multiple deposits. I was expecting one big payment and would have definitely panicked.

0 coins

Yes the multiple deposits thing is real, I got 5 separate deposits on different days when my back weeks finally paid out. Check your bank daily lol

0 coins

I'm gonna be the person who asks - did you continue your job search activities during all the weeks you stopped certifying? Because technically California EDD requires you to have completed job search activities for each week you're claiming benefits. If you stopped doing job searches because you thought you were disqualified that could potentially cause issues when you certify for those backdated weeks

0 coins

This is actually an important point. The standard requirement is three job search activities per week. If you weren't doing them because you thought you were out of the system, you should think carefully about how to answer those certification questions accurately. Falsifying job search information is considered fraud.

0 coins

I honestly was still applying for jobs even when I thought I was disqualified because I needed income regardless. So I do have job search activity to report. But this is a good warning for others in this situation.

0 coins

Good that you kept applying! For anyone else reading - even during an appeal you should continue certifying AND doing your job search activities. The appeal doesn't pause your ongoing responsibilities.

0 coins

This thread is making me feel so seen lol. I won my appeal THREE months ago and I'm still dealing with random issues getting all my back weeks paid out. Currently fighting with EDD about two specific weeks that keep showing 'payment issued' but I never received the funds and the EDD debit card shows nothing. Has anyone dealt with a 'payment issued but not received' situation??

0 coins

YES I had this. The payment showed as issued in UI Online but it went to an old bank account I had closed. You need to call EDD and report it so they can do a trace on the payment. It takes forever but they can recover the funds.

0 coins

Oh no I wonder if that's what happened. I did update my direct deposit info during the appeal process. How long did the trace take for you?

0 coins

Honestly it took about 3 weeks for them to confirm where the payment went and then another couple weeks to reissue it. The key is getting an agent on the phone to initiate the trace - you can't do this online. I used Claimyr to finally get through after trying to call for days, claimyr.com if you want to check it out. Saved me from weeks more of waiting.

0 coins

Thank you I'm going to try that. I cannot deal with this dragging on any longer.

0 coins

Quick update request - OP can you come back and post when you actually receive your payments? I'm in a similar situation waiting on my own appeal decision and it would really help to know realistic timelines from start to finish for the actual payout process

0 coins

Yes absolutely will update! Based on what the EDD agent told me when I called (got through using Claimyr like others suggested), I should start seeing payments within 7-10 business days. Will definitely report back with actual dates so this thread can be a useful resource for people in the same situation.

0 coins

Thank you so much! Rooting for you and also selfishly hoping your timeline is fast so I know what to expect lol

0 coins

UPDATE: It's been 11 days since I talked to the agent and the first batch of back payments hit my account this morning!! Six weeks worth of benefits all at once. Still waiting on the remaining weeks but this is a HUGE relief. If you're in this situation - call EDD after you certify, get an agent to confirm the CUIAB decision is in the system, and then your payments should follow. Hang in there everyone.

0 coins

Related posts

EDD Phone Number Live Person: Fastest Way to Bypass Menu

California Unemployment AI

Expert Assistant
Secure

Powered by Claimyr AI

T
I
+
43,680 users helped today