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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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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!
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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.
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Congratulations on getting approved! This is such great news and really helpful for others in similar situations. Your experience shows that being upfront and honest with ESD about school attendance is definitely the right approach, even though the adjudication process can be nerve-wracking. The fact that you documented everything (online/asynchronous schedule, availability for work) probably helped speed up their decision. Thanks for sharing your updates throughout this process - it's really valuable information for other community members who might be dealing with the same concerns about balancing education and unemployment benefits.
This is such an encouraging outcome! I'm in a similar situation where I've been considering going back to school while unemployed but was terrified about how it might affect my benefits. Your experience really shows that ESD does seem to understand that people need to upskill to stay competitive in the job market. The fact that you were transparent from the beginning and documented everything properly probably made all the difference. Thanks for sharing the whole journey - from the initial worry to the final approval. It gives me confidence that I can pursue education while still receiving the support I need to get by.
This is exactly the kind of success story we need to see more of! Your journey really highlights how important it is to be proactive and honest with ESD from the start. I'm currently in a similar boat - been unemployed for a few months and considering enrolling in some certification courses to make myself more marketable. Your experience gives me hope that ESD actually supports people trying to better their situation rather than just penalizing them. The key takeaway seems to be: document everything, be transparent, and make sure you can demonstrate you're still available for full-time work. Thanks for taking the time to update us throughout the whole process - this thread is going to help so many people who are in the same position!
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This thread is a perfect example of why it's so important to connect with others who've been through similar situations! Maya, I'm really glad you got the approval sorted out before your trip. For anyone else reading this, I'd also suggest documenting everything - save emails, take screenshots of your authorization, and keep records of your job search activities while traveling. I learned the hard way that having documentation can save you months of headaches if any questions come up later. The ESD system can be confusing, but threads like this really help clarify the process. Safe travels to help your sister!
Absolutely agree about documenting everything! I'm new to unemployment benefits and this whole thread has been incredibly educational. It's amazing how one person's question about travel turned into such a comprehensive guide on temporary absence authorizations. I had no idea ESD had specific procedures for this - definitely something I'll remember if I ever need to travel while on benefits. Thanks to Maya for asking the original question and to everyone who shared their experiences, both good and bad. It really shows how important it is to know the system and follow the proper procedures rather than just guessing.
This whole thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm currently on unemployment and hadn't even thought about what would happen if I needed to travel for family reasons. The fact that there's a specific "Temporary Absence from Labor Market Area" authorization process is something I wish was more widely known. Maya, I'm so glad you were able to get approval in time for your sister's surgery - that must have been such a relief after reading about Connor's nightmare experience with adjudication. It really shows how important it is to follow the proper procedures rather than just marking yourself unavailable and hoping for the best. I'm definitely saving this thread as a reference. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - both the success stories and the cautionary tales really paint a complete picture of how to handle travel while on benefits.
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Update: I FINALLY got through to ESD this morning after trying for 4 days straight! Turns out I do have an overpayment from 2021. They said I reported my hours incorrectly for 8 weeks during the pandemic (although I'm positive I entered everything correctly). Total overpayment is $2,450 and they're taking 30% of each payment until it's paid off. They're supposed to be sending me the full documentation in the mail. At least now I know what I'm dealing with, though I'm definitely going to appeal this since I don't think I made any mistakes on my claims.
Glad you got answers! Important note about appeals - you normally have only 30 days from the date of the original overpayment notice to file an appeal. Since you never received that notice, you should request that they reset the appeal timeline based on the date you were actually notified (today). Make this request in writing ASAP and keep documentation of it. When you receive the paperwork, check carefully for any calculations about your reported hours vs. what your employer reported - that's often where the discrepancies occur.
Thank you! That's extremely helpful advice. I'll make that written request today and will document everything carefully going forward. I appreciate everyone's help with this frustrating situation!
This is such a widespread issue right now! I'm a newcomer to this community but dealing with the exact same problem. ESD just took $380 from my benefits last week with zero explanation. I collected pandemic unemployment in 2020 when my restaurant job was eliminated, and I was so careful to report everything correctly because I was terrified of making mistakes. Now they're saying I owe money but won't tell me why or how much total. Reading through everyone's experiences here is both reassuring (I'm not alone) and terrifying (some of you owe thousands!). Going to try calling that collections number tomorrow and also look into the Claimyr service someone mentioned. Thanks for sharing your stories - it helps to know others are fighting this too.
Welcome to the community, Diego! Sorry you're dealing with this nightmare too. The $380 they took from you is really significant - I totally understand the fear of not knowing the total amount. From what I've learned here, definitely try that collections number (1-866-697-4831) that Javier mentioned, and document everything in writing about not receiving proper notice. It seems like so many of us pandemic claimants are getting hit all at once. Keep us posted on what you find out - your experience might help others who are just discovering these surprise deductions. We're all in this together!
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Update us when you get your back pay! I'm curious how long it actually takes from approval to payment.
Will do! I'll check back in once I see the deposits hit my account.
Congratulations on finally getting approved! The 6-week wait must have been incredibly stressful. Just to add to what others have said - make sure you keep detailed records of all your weekly certifications and any correspondence from ESD during this process. If there are any discrepancies with your back pay, having that documentation will be really helpful. Also, once you start receiving payments, double-check that the amounts match what your weekly benefit calculation should be. I've seen cases where people received partial payments due to system glitches. Fingers crossed everything processes smoothly for you!
Mohamed Anderson
Definitely! Real experiences from real people beat official timelines any day.
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QuantumQuasar
I'm in a similar situation - filed my claim about 10 days ago after getting laid off from my tech job. Reading through everyone's experiences here is really reassuring. It sounds like 2-3 weeks is pretty standard for straightforward layoffs. I've been religiously filing my weekly claims and checking my SecureAccess account every day (maybe too often!). The uncertainty is definitely the hardest part, but hearing that most people get their retroactive payments all at once in that first deposit makes the wait feel more manageable. Thanks for starting this thread - it's been incredibly helpful to see real timelines from actual people rather than just the vague info on the ESD website.
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Ava Martinez
•Welcome to the waiting game! I'm about a week behind you - filed last Tuesday and also checking my account way too often. It's good to hear from someone in tech too since I wasn't sure if different industries had different processing times. The retroactive payment thing is definitely what I'm banking on (literally). Have you gotten any communication from ESD yet or just the initial confirmation? I'm trying to resist the urge to call them since it seems like that's mostly futile at this point.
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