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.

From what I've experienced and heard from others, EDD typically only makes one callback attempt. If you miss it, you're back to square one unfortunately. However, I'd suggest setting your phone to ring for as long as possible before going to voicemail - maybe 8-10 rings instead of the default 3-4. That gives you more time to get to your phone if you're in a meeting or bathroom break. Also, if your job allows it, maybe let your coworkers or supervisor know you're expecting an important government callback so they understand if you need to step away to answer an unknown call. The stress of potentially missing that one shot is real, but most people do manage to catch their call when it comes. You could also consider using a service like Claimyr if your work schedule makes it too risky to wait for the callback - at least then you'd have more control over the timing.

Unfortunately it really is just one attempt in most cases. I missed my first callback because I was in back-to-back meetings and had to request another one - took another 4 weeks to get the second call. Now I literally excuse myself from meetings to answer any unknown number during business hours. It's awkward but missing that call and having to start over was way worse. If your job is really strict about phone calls, you might want to consider the paid services like Claimyr that others mentioned - at least then you can schedule it for a time when you know you'll be available. The one-and-done policy is probably the most frustrating part of their whole callback system.