Is there an age limit for unemployment in California EDD?

Wait, so the Social Security payments won't count against him at all? That's the part I was most worried about. He gets about $1,800 a month from SS.

Social Security retirement benefits are not deducted from California UI and don't get reported when certifying. EDD's own guidance says so. A pension from a former employer is a different story and EDD decides how much that reduces things, but straight Social Security is left alone.

Good to know, I had always assumed SS and unemployment couldn't go together. My uncle never applied because he thought the same thing.

He's been struggling to get anyone on the phone. I'll show him that video tonight, thank you.

CalJOBS registration caught me off guard too. Nobody mentioned it when I first applied, then I got the DE 8405 and had to scramble to get it done in time.

The CalJOBS thing trips so many people up. Worth double-checking the notice date because the 21-day clock starts from the date printed on that DE 8405, not when you get it in the mail.

That available to work requirement worries me a little. He has a bad knee but he says he's ready to look for lighter warehouse work or even a desk job. Does he need a doctor's note or anything?

No note required upfront. He just needs to honestly certify that he's able and available each week he claims. If EDD has a question about it they'll reach out. The key is he genuinely is looking for work, which it sounds like he is.

What counts as able and available though? Like can he put restrictions on the type of work he'll accept because of the knee?

EDD doesn't publish a checklist for that. The honest answer is he should certify truthfully each week about his situation. If there's a specific medical limitation question he's not sure how to answer he can contact EDD directly through UI Online or by phone.

That's genuinely reassuring. How long did her first payment take?

About three weeks from when she applied to the first payment posting to her Money Network card. The first certification covered the waiting week and one paid week, so it felt slow but was pretty normal.

Three weeks sounds right. Mine was similar. The waiting week thing confused me at first because I thought I was losing a week of benefits, but someone explained it's just unpaid and doesn't reduce the total you can eventually collect.

Correct, the claim starts on the Sunday of the week the application is submitted, not the layoff date. EDD doesn't backdate. He's out those two weeks unfortunately, which is why the advice is always to file as soon as you lose work.

That's brutal but good to know. At least now he won't delay any further.

Someone earlier told me the same thing but I wanted to see it confirmed twice. Really glad to have that cleared up.

What about if someone has BOTH a pension and Social Security? Does only the pension count?

Social Security still stays out of it regardless. If there's a pension from a former employer that one goes to EDD to decide how much it reduces the weekly benefit. Social Security just doesn't come into the UI calculation.

He worked only at the warehouse the entire time, nothing else. So just that one employer on the application.

Should be clean then. One employer, long tenure, laid off. His base period wages from that job will determine his weekly benefit amount. He can use the Unemployment Benefit Calculator on EDD's site to get an estimate before the official DE 429Z comes.

The calculator estimate was pretty close to my actual amount when I checked it. Worth running.

Age doesn't flag anything in the system. EDD processes claims based on wages, work history and reason for separation. A 67-year-old laid-off worker looks the same to the system as a 35-year-old laid-off worker with similar wages.

OK that's what I figured but wasn't sure. Thanks.

My former coworker was 70 when his employer closed and he filed and collected without any age-related hiccup at all.

The rough threshold is at least $1,300 in one quarter of the base period, or at least $900 in the highest quarter with total base period wages of 1.25 times that amount. After 11 years of full-time warehouse work he almost certainly clears that by a lot. The standard base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the claim starts.

Yeah he was full time the whole time so that shouldn't be close. I was just curious where the floor was for people with more spotty work histories.

The alternate base period exists for people who don't hit that floor on the standard calculation. EDD runs it automatically using the last four completed quarters instead. So even workers with gaps sometimes qualify when the standard base period wouldn't get them there.

Partial UI for hours cut to zero, interesting. My dad was fully laid off so I guess his situation is simpler.

Yeah full layoff is more straightforward. Partial UI when hours get cut requires reporting whatever you do earn each week and EDD calculates what you get. Full layoff you're just certifying that you're looking for work each two-week period.

He applied online last night actually! Finally got him to do it. Now waiting to see what comes next.

Great news. The ID.me step usually comes up pretty quickly after online applications. Make sure he completes it promptly.

Once identity is verified the pending weeks usually move along. Encourage him to check UI Online regularly, the Claim History section shows where things stand.

He does need to be actively looking for work and able and available to work every week he certifies, same as any claimant. EDD doesn't publish a specific number of contacts required. Keeping personal notes on where he applies is a good habit. CalJOBS registration is a separate requirement that the DE 8405 notice will tell him about if it applies.

ok that's not as bad as I thought. I figured there was like some formal tracking system he had to submit to.

No formal submission to EDD each week for work search. He certifies honestly about his job search activities. The record-keeping is just for his own protection in case there's ever a question.

Oh that's good to know. So getting the DE 429Z doesn't mean everything is settled.

Right, it shows the weekly benefit amount and maximum. If a laid off person has a clean separation with one employer who doesn't dispute anything, it usually just flows through. But EDD can still ask questions if the employer contests or if there's anything unusual.

Exactly. For a straightforward layoff like this one, the interview likely won't happen at all. EDD schedules those mainly when someone quit, got fired, or there's a dispute about the separation.

Medicare, Social Security, retirement age... none of it blocks a UI claim if you're out of work and had covered wages. The only thing that matters is your work history and reason for separation.

Exactly. Wish someone had told my friend that before he let three months go by.

Good point. If the employer contests the reason for separation EDD will schedule an interview with both sides. For a genuine layoff with 11 years of clean work history that should go fine, but it's worth your dad knowing that his former employer will get a notice and can respond.

He said the whole warehouse division was eliminated. Like 30 people got the same notice on the same day. That should be clearly a layoff right?

A mass elimination of positions is about as clean a layoff as it gets. The employer would have a hard time claiming misconduct when 30 people all got the same notice. He should be fine.

That's scary, a pending issue just sitting there silently. How long had it been sitting?

About two and a half weeks. Nothing in UI Online told me exactly what was wrong, just showed Pending in Claim History. The agent was the one who explained what specifically needed to be done.

Does ID.me work pretty smoothly for older people? Asking because my own dad is in his 70s and not super tech-confident.

It took my dad some patience but he got through it. The photo step was the annoying part. If your dad has a newer smartphone the camera quality makes it easier. EDD doesn't have an in-person ID verification option that I know of.

Both can run at the same time, yes. Social Security retirement income doesn't affect California UI eligibility or the weekly benefit amount. EDD and SSA are completely separate systems.

She finally filed UI and ended up collecting for the remaining months before she started her new part-time job. Would have been a lot more if she hadn't waited.

Nothing yet, he only applied two nights ago. Too early I guess.

Yeah give it a week or two. The DE 429Z usually comes in about two weeks and shows the weekly amount. If a phone interview does get scheduled the notice DE 4800 will show the date and time and he should have his phone on him at that time since the interviewer phones at that scheduled time.

For a division-wide layoff the employer response will almost certainly confirm it. I'd be surprised if he gets an interview at all, but it's good for him to know what to do if one does get scheduled.

Zero. No minimum age in terms of a birth year cutoff (minors can file if they have covered wages), and no maximum. The eligibility criteria are about wages earned and reason for job loss, not how old you are.

that's honestly more equitable than I expected from a government program

California EDD has its problems but age discrimination in eligibility rules is not one of them.

He was full time right up until the layoff notice, same pay rate for the last several years. So those recent quarters should be solid.

Then he's in good shape. The weekly benefit amount comes from his highest quarter in that base period, with a cap of $450 a week. He can run the numbers through the Unemployment Benefit Calculator on EDD's site to get a ballpark before the DE 429Z arrives.

The $450 cap is worth knowing. If he was earning good warehouse wages his calculated amount might actually hit that ceiling, which is the maximum California pays regardless of how high the wages go.

He's not planning to work part-time right away but good to know for later. He wants to find something full time again, lighter on the knees.

Makes sense. For the weeks he's fully unemployed and looking he'll just certify normally every two weeks. Report any work and wages honestly for any week he does pick up something.

Wait I thought you had to certify weekly? Or is it every two weeks?

Every two weeks in California. EDD calls it certifying and it's always a two-week cycle. No weekly certifications here.

That CalJOBS deadline freezing payments is a thing I did not know about. So it's not just a recommendation, it actually stops your money?

Hard stop on payments, yes. The 21-day clock from the DE 8405 notice date is real. EDD doesn't send warnings about it in my experience, it just stops.

This is probably the most practically important thing in this whole thread for new claimants to know.

He definitely felt that way at first. Took some convincing. He kept saying he should just retire. But he wants to work, bad knee and all.

Good for him. At 67 with a good work history and a genuine layoff, he's exactly the person the system is designed to help in a gap between jobs.

The stigma around unemployment benefits for older workers is real and unnecessary. The program is there for anyone who qualifies.

How would he even know if the base period is wrong? Like what should he look for?

The DE 429Z will show the wages EDD used. He can compare that against his actual pay stubs from the last 18 months or so. If a quarter is missing or the number is off he'd want to appeal. For 11 years at one employer it's unlikely to have a discrepancy but worth checking.

Also worth noting: if EDD ends up deciding he doesn't qualify for some reason, they'll mail a Notice of Determination (DE 1080CZ) with an Appeal Form (DE 1000M) attached. He'd have 30 days from the mailing date on that to appeal. For a clean layoff this probably won't happen, but good to know the form exists.

$387 a week is solid. A mass layoff with no interview scheduled means the employer confirmed the separation without a dispute. Sounds like it's going to process cleanly.

Glad it worked out. The CalJOBS clock catches a lot of people off guard so glad he got it done in time.

Great outcome. The first certification coming up: he'll cover the waiting week (unpaid) and one paid week. That first payment posting to the Money Network card should follow within a day or two of certifying online.

Proof that age really is just irrelevant to EDD. Hope the job search goes well for him.