If I was fired can I get unemployment through California EDD?

That's really reassuring actually. They kept saying 'performance' but never wrote me up or gave me any formal warnings. Does that matter?

Yes that actually works in your favor. If there were no formal write-ups or documented warnings, it's harder for the employer to prove willful misconduct. Keep any emails or communications from your employer that might support your side of things just in case.

This is correct. The burden is actually on the employer to prove misconduct, not on you to prove you didn't do anything wrong. California EDD will contact your former employer as part of the process.

Did you have to do an interview or anything? I'm nervous about talking to someone from EDD.

Yeah I had a phone interview called an eligibility interview. They just ask you questions about the separation. Just stay calm and stick to the facts. It's not as scary as it sounds.

Same experience here. Got fired, applied, had a phone interview, got approved. The interview was like 20 minutes. They're not trying to trick you they just need to understand what happened.

Wait so I should still file my weekly certifications even before I'm approved? I thought I had to wait.

Yes definitely! File them as soon as they become available. If you don't certify, you lose those weeks permanently and can't get them back. A lot of people make this mistake and lose out on weeks of benefits they were owed.

THIS. I lost like 3 weeks of benefits because nobody told me to keep certifying during adjudication. Don't make my mistake OP.

I've been trying to call EDD and keep getting the 'call volume too high' message. I'll look into that, thanks.

does this actually work? sounds too good to be true lol

I was skeptical too but it worked for me. Got connected to a real agent who actually explained what was happening with my claim. Way better than waiting on hold for hours or getting hung up on.

gonna try this. been trying to reach EDD for 2 weeks about my own situation

Did the appeal process take a long time? I'm worried about not having income for months.

My situation got approved without needing to appeal but I know people who've appealed and won. It does take longer though, sometimes a couple months. That's why filing right away is so important.

This is really good to know. My employer definitely contested my claim hoping I'd just give up. I didn't and I won.

So basically EDD has to find that I INTENTIONALLY did something wrong, not just that I made mistakes?

Essentially yes. Negligence and poor performance aren't misconduct under California law. It has to be more like deliberately doing something you knew violated the rules and could get you fired.

wish someone told me this 2 years ago when I just accepted a denial without appealing. turned out I probably would have won.

the wait times are honestly brutal. I feel you. Mine took 7 weeks and those were some of the most stressful weeks of my life.

This is making me even more anxious. I really can't go 9 weeks without income...

The wait times are real but also vary a lot. Some people get processed in 2-3 weeks. It depends on your employer's response time and claim complexity. Filing immediately, certifying consistently, and responding quickly to any EDD requests speeds things up.

Yeah I don't mean to scare you OP. Mine was complicated because employer kept requesting extensions. Simpler cases go faster.

You tell your version clearly and provide any evidence you have. Emails, texts, performance reviews, anything that supports your account. California EDD will weigh both sides. If they deny you, you absolutely can and should appeal to the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board (CUIAB). Many people win at the appeal stage when they lose initially.

ok that's helpful. I have some text messages from my manager that I think back up my side.

Save all of those texts and document everything while your memory is fresh. Screenshots, dates, context. You want to be as specific as possible if this goes to an interview or appeal hearing.

How long did yours take to process?

about 4 weeks from application to first payment. not bad considering what I was expecting

4 weeks is pretty typical for straightforward cases in my experience. OP yours sounds like it might be straightforward so hopefully similar timeline.

Wait I didn't know about this. Does this apply even while I'm waiting to be approved?

Yes it starts from your first week of claiming. You certify every two weeks and they ask if you did your job search each week. You need to actually be doing it and have documentation. Calljobs.ca.gov is the state system for this.

I got a letter asking me to verify my job search contacts once. Scared me half to death but I had them all logged so it was fine. Don't skip this step.

Also worth noting - if you're actively interviewing for jobs that's usually enough to meet the requirement. You don't necessarily need 3 formal applications every week, just documented contacts with employers.

Good point. The standard base period earnings requirement for 2025 is earning at least $1,300 in one quarter OR at least $900 in your highest quarter with total base period earnings of 1.25x that highest quarter amount. Given OP worked there almost 2 years they likely meet this easily.

Right, 2 years of warehouse work almost certainly meets the threshold. Just important for people who only worked a short time to check.

I worked there 22 months so hopefully that's fine. Thanks for flagging it though.

Oh I didn't even think about the debit card. How long does that usually take to arrive?

Mine took about a week after approval. But I've heard some people wait up to 2 weeks. You can also set up direct deposit through UI Online which might be faster.

Direct deposit is definitely faster. I'd recommend setting that up right away in your UI Online account settings instead of waiting for the card.

This is wild to read but honestly doesn't surprise me. So many people just accept a denial thinking their employer must be right.

This tracks with what I've seen. Employer contests are often boilerplate. The EDD adjudicator still has to independently evaluate the separation. An employer saying 'misconduct' doesn't make it legally misconduct.

I KNEW IT. My employer's contest was obviously just a form response they sent. The adjudicator saw right through it.

My claim has only been in for a week so I'll give it some time but good to know about this if I get stuck.

I tried calling EDD last week three times and got the busy signal message every single time. Might try this claimyr thing.

the hold times are real. i once waited 2.5 hours and then got disconnected right when someone picked up. absolutely brutal.

Unemployment is administered state by state. If you move to a new state you'd claim benefits from whichever state you worked in, not where you currently live. So the California EDD rules would still apply for work done in California. You'd file in California regardless of where you relocate.

ok that makes sense, thanks

Also you'd need to meet that state's able and available requirements which usually means being in that state and available to accept work there. If you're moving that's worth researching further.

Thank you for this. I actually needed the simplified version. Going to go file right now.

Good luck OP! Come back and let us know how it goes. Rooting for you.

This is great advice. Starting the claim immediately is the most important thing. Every day you wait is a day you potentially lose benefits since EDD doesn't backdate claims before your application date.

Not paranoid at all. Documenting everything with EDD is just basic self-protection. I do this too.

That's actually really smart. I'll definitely do this.

Also if you mail anything to EDD, always use certified mail with return receipt so you have proof they received it. They have a reputation for losing documents.

The document losing thing is so real. I faxed something AND mailed it AND submitted online just to make sure at least one copy got through.

ok this is convincing me to try it. been getting the busy signal for days

Good to know it actually works. I'll keep this in my back pocket if my claim gets complicated.

Glad it helped! Having a real human tell you what's actually happening with your claim is such a relief compared to just staring at a status screen that says nothing.

Absolutely this. CUIAB appeal hearings are de novo proceedings meaning they look at everything fresh. You can present new evidence and testimony. Many denials get overturned at this stage.

This is good to know. I really hope I don't need it but knowing there's a safety net helps.

And if you can't afford an attorney for the appeal, there are free legal aid resources in California that help with unemployment appeals. Legal Aid Society, Bet Tzedek, and other nonprofits sometimes take these cases.

Yeah I was going to go it alone on my appeal but found a free legal aid attorney who helped me organize my evidence and it made a huge difference in how confident I felt going in.

Thank you so much. This whole thread has been incredibly helpful. I feel so much better about my situation. Filing my claim tonight.

Good luck! The waiting is the hardest part but you've got this.

One last thing - after you file note your exact application date. Your benefit year starts on that date and you can only collect within that year. Getting it filed tonight is the right call.

Also bookmark UI Online and set calendar reminders for your certification dates. Missing a certification window is one of the most common and easily preventable mistakes people make. You have to certify within specific windows or you lose that week.