What number does EDD call you from when they contact you back?

Great, so basically any unknown number could be them. That's going to make me answer every spam call for the next month.

Yep, I learned this the hard way. Missed their callback twice because I don't answer blocked numbers. Now I answer everything during business hours.

Same here - got a call from 916 area code around 2pm on a Wednesday. Almost didn't answer because I didn't recognize it.

Did they leave a voicemail if you had missed it? I'm wondering if they'll try again or if it's one shot only.

They left a brief voicemail saying to call back the main number, which defeats the whole purpose of the callback system honestly.

How does that work exactly? Do they call you when they get an agent on the line?

Yeah, you put in your number and they dial EDD for you, wait on hold, then call you when they get a human. Check out claimyr.com - there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 that shows how it works.

I was skeptical about paying for something like this but honestly after missing two EDD callbacks it was worth every penny. Got connected in 25 minutes.

200 attempts in one week? That's dedication. Have you tried calling right at 8am when they open?

I start dialing at 7:55am every day. Get through to the hold music maybe once every 50 tries, then the call drops after 2 hours. This system is insane.

Don't waste time calling between noon and 1:30 - the whole call center goes to lunch and nobody answers during that time.

That's actually helpful! I'll watch for anything that shows CA STATE GOVT. Did they call during normal business hours?

Yes, it was around 10:30am on a Tuesday. Definitely during their normal hours 8am-5pm Monday through Friday.

Exactly. The pandemic really overwhelmed their system and they never fully recovered. The staff they do have are overworked.

Which is why services like Claimyr exist. If the state can't handle the call volume, at least there are alternatives to get through faster.

Smart thinking! I never considered that they might not wait long for an answer. Changing my voicemail settings now.

Also turn off any call screening features during business hours. Some phones automatically screen unknown numbers which could block EDD callbacks.

Two months is ridiculous. Have you tried the 1-wait-1-1-*** menu shortcut? Saves about 30 seconds per call attempt.

Yeah I use that pattern. Still takes forever to get through though. Usually get the 'too busy' message after 40-60 redial attempts.

That's exactly why I switched to using Claimyr. Two months of waiting vs 30 minutes to get connected - easy choice for me.

Good point. I'm dealing with both disability and unemployment issues so I really need to answer all unknown calls during business hours.

This whole thread is making me realize I need to just answer every call during the day until I hear from them. Thanks everyone for the info!

Yep, learned this lesson the hard way. Missed their call by 2 minutes and when I called back immediately I had to start the whole callback request process over.

This is why having a guaranteed callback time with Claimyr works better. You know exactly when to expect the call and you can prepare for it.

The uncertainty is the worst part. Could be today, could be in 2 months. How are we supposed to plan around that?

That's actually the clearest identification I've heard so far. Must depend on your phone carrier how it displays.

My carrier shows most government calls pretty clearly. Still missed an EDD callback though because I was in a meeting and couldn't answer.

Agreed. I started treating my phone like I'm on call for work. Can't afford to miss the one callback I might get.

Or just use an auto-dialer service and skip the callback lottery entirely. Much more reliable than hoping EDD calls you back.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful info. Sounds like I need to be ready to answer any unknown call and maybe look into alternatives if the wait gets much longer.

This is really helpful, thank you! I never thought about the "Silence Unknown Callers" setting potentially blocking EDD. Just checked and I had it enabled - definitely turning that off now. Four weeks seems to be the magic number based on what everyone is saying. Did they leave a voicemail when they called or did you answer live?

That's really smart about changing the ringtone! I'm going to set up a special ringtone for unknown numbers right now. The "STATE OF CA" caller ID is super helpful to know about too - that's more descriptive than some of the other variations people have mentioned. I'm at the 3 week mark now so hopefully I'll hear something soon. This whole thread has been a lifesaver for knowing what to expect!

This is exactly what I needed to hear! I'm definitely going to set up that special ringtone for unknown numbers today. The "CALIFORNIA EDD" caller ID gives me another thing to watch for. Five weeks is a bit longer than some others have mentioned but at least you got through eventually. I'm already carrying my phone everywhere and have notifications turned up to maximum - sounds like I'm on the right track. Thanks for the encouragement, it really helps knowing others have made it through this stressful process!

That "Should I Answer?" app sounds like a game changer! I just downloaded it and I'm hoping it will help me identify the EDD call when it comes. The 8am-12pm timeframe is really useful to know too - I was wondering if there were certain times they're more likely to call. Three weeks and 2 days gives me hope since I'm right around that mark now. Did you have to go through any verification process when they called, or did they jump straight into helping with your issue? I want to be prepared for whatever they might ask when I finally get that call!