Why does my unemployment say ineligible week on UI Online?

Nothing different at all during those weeks, that's what's killing me. No side work, didn't go anywhere, was available and looking. I'll watch for that DE 1080CZ letter but it's been about a week already with nothing in the mail.

The mail thing is so frustrating - sometimes that notice takes 10 days or more to arrive. Keep an eye on it though because the 30-day appeal window starts from the mailing date on the letter, not from when you actually get it.

Wait so your employer actually responded and caused the ineligible weeks? Mine was definitely a layoff, they even gave me a separation letter. Would that still trigger something?

Even with a layoff and a separation letter, the employer still gets a chance to respond to EDD's claim notice. Sometimes their response includes information that opens a question EDD needs to resolve. The agent explained exactly what was flagged on my claim, which helped me understand what the appeal would need to address.

Bookmarking this whole exchange - going through almost the exact same situation right now with an ineligible week showing up after my employer had two weeks to respond to EDD.

Oh that's actually helpful to know the difference - I'd been reading other posts and kept seeing people use those terms like they meant the same thing. So if it says ineligible that means EDD already decided something, not that they're still reviewing?

Exactly right. Pending means still in process, ineligible means the decision came down. The notice in the mail is what explains the specific reason - could be work search, availability, earnings, something from the employer, any number of things. But the clock on your appeal starts from that letter.

I confused these two for weeks on my own claim, kept telling people I was 'pending' when I actually had an ineligible determination already. Cost me time I could have spent preparing my appeal.

I don't remember saying anything like that but I'm honestly second-guessing myself now. Is there any way to see exactly what I answered when I certified those weeks?

UI Online doesn't show your past certification answers from what I've seen - you can view your Claim History and payment info but not the specific responses you gave. The DE 1080CZ will reference whatever the stated reason is for the ineligibility, which might give you a clue about which question caused it.

Same thing happened to me - turns out I'd answered a question about being 'restricted to certain types of work only' by accident when I meant to say no. Caught it when I read the determination letter.

Tried that line and it does confirm those two weeks show nothing paid - so it's definitely not a display glitch in UI Online. At least I know the system is consistent.

That line is actually useful for checking stuff at 11pm when you're anxious and can't sleep waiting for answers from EDD lol

Exactly why I use it. The peace of mind at odd hours when you can't do anything else is worth something.

I was doing job searches but I'll be honest I wasn't keeping super detailed records of every application. Should I start doing that now for the current weeks even if the ineligible issue is from past weeks?

Absolutely keep detailed records going forward regardless of how the ineligible weeks resolve. Write down the company name, position title, how you applied, and the date for every contact you make. If EDD ever asks, you'll have it ready.

I keep a spreadsheet for this exact reason - company, role, date, method of application, contact name if I have one. Overkill maybe but after seeing posts like this I decided it wasn't worth the risk.

What happens during an appeal? Like what do I actually have to do, do I go somewhere or just wait?

After you file the appeal in writing, EDD reviews it first, then it goes to the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. You'll get a Notice of Hearing in the mail at least 10 days before the hearing date. An administrative law judge runs it - you give testimony under oath, can bring someone with you if you want (a union rep, an attorney, or just yourself). The judge mails a written decision after.

I went through an appeal hearing last spring and want to add - bring every document you have that relates to those weeks. Separation letter, any emails from your employer, your job search records, whatever you've got. The judge goes through it all.

That's actually reassuring to hear. I've been spiraling since I saw it this morning thinking I did something terribly wrong.

Read the notice carefully when it arrives. The reason code and explanation on there will tell you a lot. If the reason doesn't match your situation at all, that's exactly what an appeal is for.

Mine is set up for the Money Network card too. The weeks before and after those two ineligible ones show as paid and posted normally, so at least the rest of my claim seems okay.

That's actually a decent sign - isolated ineligible weeks with paid weeks on either side usually means it's something specific to those weeks rather than a whole-claim issue. Much easier to address in an appeal when it's contained.

Agree with that read. A whole-claim freeze looks different in UI Online - when it's just two weeks it's almost always tied to something specific that happened during those weeks.

I did register on CalJOBS early on - I remember doing it right after I got the DE 8405. But I'll double-check that my resume is still posted and showing as active, good call.

Just make sure the resume is marked as public and active on there. Sometimes people post it but it defaults to private or they accidentally archived it. EDD can see the status.

CalJOBS being the culprit for ineligible weeks is actually really common and really fixable if that's the issue. Easy to verify and document that you corrected it if you need to appeal.

How did your appeal go in the end?

Appealed it, got the Notice of Hearing, went before the administrative law judge, and the determination was reversed. Those two weeks got paid out after. Took a couple of months total but it did get resolved.

This is a good example of why the specific reason on the DE 1080CZ matters so much before you do anything. The appeal strategy for a student question is totally different from an earnings issue or a work search issue.

It really is awful. Like you don't know if you should be doing something or just waiting and every day that passes feels like you're running out of time even though you don't even have a letter yet.

The letter is what starts the clock so until you have it in hand the best thing you can do is keep certifying on schedule, keep doing your job search activities, and stay ready to act fast once it arrives.

So even a legit mass layoff can still result in this kind of review? That's wild to me.

Apparently yes - any employer response to EDD can open up a question that needs resolution. Mine resolved in my favor after EDD reviewed both sides and the ineligible week got paid.

The employer not responding is actually worse in some cases - when they don't file a response EDD has less information and sometimes that creates more uncertainty than if they'd just submitted something.

Certified mail is a smart idea I wouldn't have thought of. What kind of things should I include with the appeal form?

Anything that documents your situation during those weeks - job search records, any correspondence with employers you applied to, your separation paperwork from your former job, pay stubs if earnings were the issue. Whatever directly addresses the reason EDD gave for the ineligibility.

Strongly agree on the certified mail point. Having that dated receipt is important if there's ever any dispute about whether the appeal was filed within the 30-day window.

I definitely have that letter saved - it clearly states it was a company-initiated layoff due to business conditions. Should be pretty clear cut.

That kind of documentation is exactly what makes an appeal straightforward. A written statement from the employer confirming the layoff is hard to dispute.

Identity verification - I think I did complete that through ID.me early on but maybe I should double-check that it actually went through on EDD's end?

You can check in myEDD at https://myedd.edd.ca.gov/ - if identity verification went through it should reflect there. If there's any question, completing it again through ID.me won't hurt.

ID.me verification not fully processing is actually one of the more common causes of ineligible weeks that people don't think to check. Good catch.

I didn't even know there was a live chat option in UI Online - I'll try that tomorrow morning. Would they be able to tell me the actual reason for the ineligible weeks through chat?

In my experience the chat agents can confirm general status info and whether something is in process but for the full detail on a determination you really want the DE 1080CZ in hand. They told me my issue was 'under review' but couldn't walk me through the specific reason.

The chat window is good for quick status checks but anything involving an appeal or a determination really needs either the letter or a full phone conversation with an agent who can pull up the whole claim.

That's a really important point - I did keep certifying through this but I wasn't sure if I was supposed to. Good to know that's the right move.

Absolutely keep certifying through any appeal or review. It doesn't hurt your appeal and it protects the other weeks. Stopping certifications because a couple weeks look off is one of the biggest mistakes people make.

Nobody explained this to me when I had an issue on my first claim and I stopped certifying thinking the whole thing was on hold. Lost weeks I could have kept. Keep certifying no matter what else is going on.

Confirming that the appeal was received is something I hadn't thought about - good idea to close that loop so I know it didn't get lost.

Certified mail handles the 'did they get it' question for the initial filing, but calling to confirm it's been logged in the system is a smart next step after you've sent it in.

Nine weeks is longer than I was expecting but honestly if the money comes back eventually that's worth it. Did EDD pay interest or anything on the delayed payment?

No interest on delayed benefits as far as I know - you just get the flat weekly benefit amount for those weeks once the appeal resolves in your favor. But getting the full amount for weeks you were actually eligible is what matters.

Nine weeks is actually on the faster side from what people report - I've seen it range from about six weeks to several months depending on caseload and the complexity of the issue. File the appeal as soon as you have that DE 1080CZ in hand.