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If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
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- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
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That's awesome you got through! For anyone else reading this thread in the future - if you're struggling to reach ESD after multiple attempts, Claimyr really can save you hours of frustration. Unemployment is stressful enough without the added hassle of trying to reach someone.
wish I'd known about this months ago would have saved me literal weeks of stress. Bookmarking that site just in case i ever need benefits again god forbid
Great news on getting through! Just an FYI for everyone: ESD has actually added more verification staff in 2025, so the backlog is slowly improving. Current average processing time is down to about 3 weeks from 6+ weeks last year. Still not ideal, but progress. Make sure to check your ESD secure message center daily once you've resubmitted documents - sometimes they'll send requests for additional information there.
FINAL UPDATE: All fixed! Took exactly 8 business days after speaking with the agent, but my ID verification is complete and all my pending weeks switched to paid status yesterday. Money hit my account this morning. If anyone else is stuck in ID verification, definitely keep calling until you can speak to someone who can check your specific documents!
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THE ESD SYSTEM IS RIGGED AGAINST WORKERS!!! they ALWAYS side with employers and make us jump through impossible hoops!!! i quit a job with DOCUMENTED harassment and they STILL denied me and took 3 MONTHS to make a decision!!! meanwhile bills piled up and i almost got EVICTED!!! the whole system is designed to PUNISH workers for standing up for themselves!!!
While the system can be frustrating, ESD does approve many voluntary quit cases with proper documentation. Did you appeal their decision? The Office of Administrative Hearings often overturns initial ESD determinations when claimants present evidence properly. I've seen many cases succeed when claimants bring organized documentation to their hearings.
I might be dumb for asking but could you maybe just reduce your hours at this job instead of quitting completely? Like tell them you can only work 20 hours a week? That way you still get partial unemployment but also have some income while you look for something better?
That's actually not a dumb idea at all! I hadn't thought about trying to reduce hours instead of quitting outright. I wonder if they'd go for it... might be worth asking HR about that too when I talk to them about the safety issues. Thanks for suggesting this!
This is actually a very strategic approach. If you can reduce hours due to the safety concerns, you may qualify for partial unemployment without triggering a voluntary quit investigation. Make sure any reduction is documented as being related to the workplace issues. This creates a paper trail showing you tried to make the situation work.
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Has anyone tried requesting a waiver? I saw something about 'equity and good conscience' waivers on their website but wasn't sure if those actually get approved.
Equity and good conscience waivers can be approved, but they're not automatic. You need to demonstrate both that the overpayment wasn't your fault AND that repayment would cause significant financial hardship. Document your current expenses, income, and any extenuating circumstances like medical bills or other unexpected costs. About 40% of these waivers get approved when properly documented.
UPDATE: I finally got through to ESD using that Claimyr service someone mentioned. The agent confirmed there was a system update that affected waiting week assignments. She put in a request to have my case reviewed by an adjudicator and put a temporary hold on the overpayment collection while they review it. She said I should still file a formal appeal through my online account to protect my appeal rights, but that many of these are being resolved through their internal review process. Fingers crossed!
That's great news! I'm going to try that too. Let us know what happens with your case!
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ESD has been severely understaffed since the post-pandemic budget cuts in 2024. Their phone system is designed to manage call volume by disconnecting callers when all available agents are busy and queue times exceed 45 minutes. This is frustrating but actually more efficient than keeping people on hold for hours. Your best options are: 1. Call on Wednesday or Thursday between 8:00-8:30am or 3:30-4:00pm (avoid Mondays and Fridays completely) 2. Use the eServices message center for all issues that don't require immediate attention 3. Visit a WorkSource office in person if you have one nearby - they can sometimes help with basic claim issues or at least use their direct lines to connect you 4. Contact your state representative's office if your situation is dire (about to lose housing, utilities being cut off, etc.) - they have caseworkers who can escalate ESD issues ESD's current average response time for adjudication is 4-6 weeks, so unfortunately your 3-week wait is still within normal processing times.
Thank you for such detailed information. I didn't realize WorkSource offices could help with claims - there's one about 30 minutes from me that I could visit. I'll try calling during those specific times too. Really appreciate the help!
Did you ever get through to someone? I'm curious which method ended up working for you.
Yes! I eventually got through using a combination of approaches. I tried calling at 8:17am like someone suggested, but that didn't work. Then I visited the WorkSource office like another person recommended, and while they couldn't fix my specific issue, they gave me a direct number to call and a good time to try. I finally got through to someone yesterday and they resolved my adjudication issue in about 10 minutes. Turns out there was just a missing document they needed. Benefits should be coming this week - such a relief!
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Anyone know if having a PIp (performance improvement plan) hurts your case? I was put on one 2 weeks before being let go but wasnt given the full time to improve that was promised in the Plan. Thinking of applying for UI but worried this looks bad?
Being on a PIP actually helps your case if they didn't give you the full time period to improve. It shows the employer didn't follow their own process. Make sure to mention that specifically during your fact-finding interview.
FINAL UPDATE: My claim was APPROVED! Had my fact-finding interview and the adjudicator said that since I didn't have any written warnings and could show the sales targets kept changing, it wasn't considered misconduct. The interviewer also mentioned they could tell I was making an effort to meet the goals. Benefits were deposited yesterday including back pay for the waiting period. Thanks everyone for your help!
congrats!! how long was the whole process from filing to getting approved?
It took exactly 3 weeks and 2 days from my initial application to approval. Not as bad as I expected after reading horror stories here!
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This is great news and a perfect example of why appeals are so important. Many initial denials get overturned with the right documentation. For anyone else reading this thread in a similar situation - always appeal if you believe there's been an error or oversight. You have nothing to lose by appealing.
AGREE! ESD counts on people NOT appealing. They automatically deny tons of legitimate claims hoping people will just give up. ALWAYS APPEAL and document EVERYTHING. The system is designed to wear you down.
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Quick update: As of May 2025, ESD has implemented a new adjudication tracking tool on their eServices portal. Have you checked if this feature is available on your account? It should be under \
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If anyone's struggling to reach ESD about income reporting questions (or any other issue), I recently discovered a service called Claimyr that helped me get through to an actual person. Instead of waiting on hold for hours or getting hung up on, they hold your place in line and call you when an agent is available. It saved me so much frustration. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 that shows how it works. I used it to get clarification on a similar income reporting question and got through in about 35 minutes instead of trying for days.
OMG THANK YOU!! I'm going to try this right now. I'm desperate to talk to someone before they start garnishing my checks.
Does this actually work? Seems too good to be true with how impossible it is to reach ESD these days.
Just want to add my experience - I accidentally DIDN'T include my quarterly commission in my reported income and had no problems for months until suddenly ESD sent me a letter saying I had an overpayment of $2,800. Had to appeal and everything. So definitely report ALL income including bonuses!
What happened with your appeal? Did you have to pay it all back?
Yeah, I had to pay it all back. Since it was my mistake in reporting, they wouldn't waive it. I got on a monthly payment plan though, so at least I didn't have to come up with it all at once.
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If your claim is still showing as "Processing" without any pending issues or disqualifications, it's most likely just a processing delay. Here's what you should know: 1. ESD occasionally has processing backlogs, especially mid-month when their workload increases 2. If there are no messages in your account about issues, that's usually a good sign 3. Wait times for payments can occasionally extend to 4-5 business days 4. It's only considered a true delay if it goes beyond 5 business days If you still don't have your payment by Monday, I'd recommend contacting ESD directly. Make sure you've checked your settings in the ESD portal to confirm your payment method hasn't changed and that there aren't any notifications you might have missed.
Thank you for this detailed response! This makes me feel better. I double-checked and my direct deposit info is still correct. I'll give it until Monday before taking further action.
Eduardo Silva
To add to what others have said, if you receive any communications from ESD about this discrepancy, be sure to respond immediately. ESD often sends fact-finding questionnaires when they identify inconsistencies in your application. If you receive one, complete it thoroughly with the correct information. If your claim goes into adjudication because of this error, you can also call the Office of Special Investigations at 800-246-9763 to explain the situation. They sometimes can help expedite corrections to honest mistakes. And most importantly - continue filing your weekly claims even while this is being resolved! Many people stop filing while waiting for issues to be resolved, but you should keep filing each week to receive backdated payments once the issue is fixed.
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Hiroshi Nakamura
•I didn't know about continuing to file weekly claims during this time - that's really helpful information. Thank you! I'll definitely keep filing.
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Ravi Patel
Just wanted to check in - were you able to get this resolved? Did you end up getting through to ESD?
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Hiroshi Nakamura
•Yes! I finally got through to ESD yesterday. The agent was able to update my employment dates right away. She said it might delay my first payment by a few days but not by much. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!
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