What was unemployment like under Trump? California EDD claimants share their experiences

2 weeks sounds like a dream compared to what I'm dealing with. My claim has been sitting in adjudication for going on 6 weeks now with zero explanation on my UI Online account.

same, 2018 was pretty normal for me too. nothing crazy

The comparison isn't really apples to apples though. The sheer volume of claims during 2020 absolutely broke the California EDD system in ways it still hasn't fully recovered from. Even in 2025 some of the infrastructure and staffing decisions made during that era are still affecting processing times.

wait they suspended job search requirements?? why is nobody telling me this when i call, they keep saying i need to log my activities every week or my claim gets flagged

Yeah that was a COVID-era thing, it's been reinstated since. You absolutely need to be logging your job search activities now in 2025. 3 activities per week minimum and they do audit claims randomly.

This is what I mean about not knowing what's normal. I assumed the current requirements were always how it worked but apparently there were periods where things operated completely differently.

is that legit? sounds too good to be true ngl

I was skeptical too but my sister's adjudication issue got resolved after she actually spoke to someone who could see the notes on her claim. EDD agents can do things through the phone that you absolutely cannot do through UI Online.

I've been redialing for 3 days straight trying to get through about my weekly certification that got flagged. Going to check out that Claimyr site right now because I literally cannot keep doing this.

That's actually a fair point. California EDD processing times are heavily influenced by claim volume. When unemployment rates are low, the system can handle claims more efficiently. The infrastructure doesn't scale up easily.

exactly like its not magic its just supply and demand basically

Okay this actually helps clarify my confusion. So when people say things were 'easier' under one administration versus another, they're mostly talking about economic conditions and claim volume, not actual EDD policy changes?

Exactly. With some exceptions - there were federal programs that California EDD administered that were federally mandated, like the extra $600 weekly payments during early COVID. But your standard UI claim experience is mostly a California state matter.

so if my claim is stuck in adjudication thats a california edd thing not a federal thing? i was honestly wondering if there was like a political reason my stuff was being held up

Clean claims with no employer disputes definitely process way faster. My current adjudication hold is because my former employer is contesting the separation which I'm pretty sure they can't do successfully but it still triggers the whole review process.

Oh yeah a contested separation is a whole different situation. My employer didn't contest mine so it was smooth. Sorry you're dealing with that, it's so stressful.

Employer contests add weeks to processing time minimum. California EDD has to contact both parties, review documentation, sometimes schedule a phone interview before making a determination. It's a whole thing.

A single doctor's appointment doesn't disqualify you from being 'able and available.' The question refers to your general availability for full-time work during the week. As long as you're available for and actively seeking full-time employment as a whole, a brief appointment doesn't affect your certification.

Oh thank god. I've been so anxious about this. So it's about overall availability not individual hours?

Correct. If you were, say, enrolled in a full-time school program or had a medical condition preventing you from working, those would be the types of things that affect your able and available status. Routine errands and appointments do not.

lmaooo accurate. some things are eternal

This is both deeply reassuring and extremely depressing at the same time.

okay i looked at the video at the youtube link you posted and it actually explains it pretty clearly. might try it because i've been getting the busy signal at EDD for literally 2 weeks

Did your sister's claim eventually get approved after speaking to the agent?

Yes, took another two weeks after the call but it was approved. The agent had flagged it for review on the call which apparently helped move it along.

This is accurate. The WorkSource California centers and EDD field offices have significantly reduced in-person services since 2020. The intention was that online services would compensate but there are definitely populations for whom that's been a barrier.

wait there are actual physical edd offices you can go to?? i had no idea. can you just walk in and talk to someone about your claim?

It's complicated now. Some offices have limited walk-in hours and some require appointments. It's worth checking the California EDD website for the nearest WorkSource center to see what services they currently offer in person. But it's not what it was pre-2020.

The ID.me verification requirement that came in later has actually streamlined identity verification compared to the old manual process in some ways, even though people hate it. The old system had different bottlenecks.

Yeah I think each era of the system has different failure modes. The current problems are real but they're not necessarily worse than past problems, just different ones.

This is such good news! How long had you been trying to get through before using Claimyr?

Three and a half weeks of calling every morning and getting the busy signal or getting disconnected. One phone call fixed what 3 weeks of trying couldn't.

The fact that you can submit documentation through UI Online message center is something MORE people need to know. A lot of people don't realize you can send supporting documents that way during adjudication.

Documenting a layoff versus voluntary quit is critical for these contested claims. Your employer claiming you quit when you were actually laid off is unfortunately common but California EDD does take the documentation seriously when you provide it. Keep copies of everything.

That's genuinely uncertain. What I can say is that California EDD has implemented some improvements to processing infrastructure since the COVID-era collapse. If there's an economic downturn and claims volume spikes significantly, there will likely be delays, but the system is better positioned than it was in 2020.

okay that's... somewhat reassuring I guess. I just want my current claim to process before any hypothetical future chaos lol

genuinely one of the most whiplash economic moments in my lifetime. went from 'economy is great' to 'california edd website crashed from traffic' in like 60 days

The EDD website crashing and the phone lines being completely unreachable for months in 2020 is probably why so many people have such strong feelings about the system. A lot of people experienced the worst possible version of it during a genuinely terrifying time.

This is honestly the most useful summary in the whole thread. Thank you.

Pinning this in my brain forever. Especially the message center tip.

the saturday midnight deadline trips people up SO much. a lot of people don't realize it's not just 'sometime that week

wait 30 days from the MAILING date not when you receive it? what if it takes a week to arrive in the mail?

Yes, unfortunately it's from the mailing date which is printed on the notice. This is why it's important to check your UI Online account regularly - notices appear there faster than physical mail and the clock is ticking from when they send it, not when you receive it.

This is correct and critically important. Many people miss appeal deadlines because they wait for the mail. Check UI Online regularly so you see determinations as soon as they're issued.

The current California UI maximum weekly benefit amount is $450 per week as of 2025 - I know that sounds like I'm agreeing with your joke but that's actually accurate. The max has been $450 for a while. The minimum is around $40 but very few people qualify for that minimum.

Wait seriously $450 is still the max?? I genuinely thought it had gone up. That seems low.

California's maximum UI benefit has been criticized for not keeping pace with the cost of living. There have been legislative discussions about increasing it but as of this posting it remains at $450/week maximum, which is why many California claimants find UI benefits cover only a fraction of their expenses.

This is such a relief to read! So it sounds like claims can legitimately get stuck in queues with no one actively reviewing them?

That's exactly what the agent said. She described it as claims that don't have obvious red flags sometimes don't get proactively assigned but they also don't auto-process. Someone has to actually pick them up. Calling and getting an agent to flag it apparently helps.

This is a known issue with California EDD processing. Getting someone to manually look at your claim and flag it can genuinely accelerate things. It's one of the main reasons actually reaching a live agent matters so much.

Okay so for anyone reading this later: the lesson seems to be that if your claim is stuck with no explanation, calling and reaching an actual agent is important, and Claimyr seems to be the practical way people in this thread actually managed to get through. Good to know.