Working one day without health benefits - does this disqualify my EDD claim after employer closed?

one day doesnt disqualify u just report the earnings when u certify

You absolutely need to report that single day of work when you certify for benefits. EDD requires you to report any work and earnings during your certification period, even if it's just for one day. This won't disqualify you from your claim though! What happens is that EDD will reduce your weekly benefit amount for that specific week based on what you earned. The first $25 or 25% of your earnings (whichever is greater) won't count against you, and then they'll deduct the remainder from your weekly benefit amount. If you earned less than your weekly benefit amount, you'll still receive a partial payment for that week. The good news is that this only affects the week you worked - all your other weeks remain unchanged as long as you continue to certify and meet eligibility requirements. Make sure when certifying to answer "Yes" to the question about working, and report the exact earnings before taxes.

This situation happens more often than you'd think. Here's what you need to know: 1. You must report the one day of work when you certify - be honest about the hours and earnings 2. You should also explain WHY you didn't continue - lack of health benefits that you need for medical reasons can be considered good cause 3. If your claim gets flagged, you'll probably have a phone interview with an EDD representative to explain the situation The key here is that you need medical coverage for necessary medication. This can be considered good cause for refusing work, especially if you weren't informed about the lack of benefits during the hiring process. Do you have documentation from your doctor about needing these medications? Having that ready will help if you need to prove your case. I'd recommend writing down a detailed timeline now while it's fresh - when you applied, what was discussed in interviews, when you discovered they didn't offer health benefits, etc. By the way, if you have trouble reaching EDD to discuss this (which is likely), I've had good luck with Claimyr (claimyr.com). They have a system that helps you get through to an EDD representative quickly instead of dealing with those frustrating busy signals. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km

This EXACT thing happened to my cousin back in January!!! She worked ONE day at a retail job and quit when she found out the schedule was completely different than what they told her in the interview. EDD put her payments on hold and she had to do a phone interview to explain why she quit. They ended up approving her to continue getting benefits because the job misrepresented the conditions. Make sure you document EVERYTHING about why you didn't continue at that job. The lack of health benefits when you need medication is definitely a good reason!

Be careful here! I've seen the EDD flag claims for much less. When you certify, you'll be asked if you refused any work - technically quitting after one day could be considered refusing work. You should absolutely report the day you worked accurately, but be prepared that this might trigger an eligibility interview. The interview could take 2-3 weeks to be scheduled, and your payments might be put on hold until then. During the interview, you need to explain that the lack of health benefits makes this unsuitable work FOR YOU specifically because of your medical needs. Have your medications list ready and any doctor notes about required ongoing care. In my experience, EDD is inconsistent with how they handle these cases. Sometimes they're reasonable, sometimes they're not. A lot depends on which representative you get and how well you explain your situation.

To clarify what others have said, when you certify for that week: 1. Answer "Yes" to "Did you work or earn money?" 2. Report the exact hours worked and amount earned 3. If asked why you no longer work there, be honest but concise - "The position did not offer health benefits which I require for medical reasons" The key distinction is whether EDD determines if you had "good cause" to quit after one day. Needing health benefits for medical reasons is generally considered good cause, but be prepared to provide documentation if requested. If you get an eligibility interview notice, start gathering: - Any documentation about your medical needs - Any emails/texts showing the company doesn't offer health benefits - Timeline of events (when hired, when you discovered no benefits, when you decided not to return) Good luck - and don't stress too much. One day of work rarely disqualifies an entire claim when you have good cause for not continuing.

everyone makin this way more complicated than it needs 2 be. just say u worked 1 day, report the money, and move on. unless u make a big deal about it EDD prolly wont even notice or care. they dealing with thousands of claims

OMG the EDD system is such a NIGHTMARE with these kinds of situations!! I worked THREE DAYS at a job in 2025 and quit because the environment was toxic, and EDD put me through HELL with interviews and paperwork and waiting for WEEKS before finally deciding I could keep my benefits! The system is DESIGNED to make you give up! Make sure you report the exact hours and pay, but also be prepared for them to put your payments on hold while they "investigate" (aka make you wait forever). Have ALL your documentation ready about needing those health benefits. And CALL THEM repeatedly - don't wait for them to contact you! And whatever you do, DON'T stop certifying every two weeks even if your payments are on hold!!! I made that mistake and it caused even more problems!

Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses! I'm feeling much better about my situation now. I'm going to: 1) Report the one day worked when I certify, 2) Gather documentation about my medical needs, 3) Write down a detailed timeline of events, and 4) Prepare for a possible eligibility interview. I'll update this thread after I certify to let you know what happens in case anyone else faces a similar situation in the future.