ESD calculated my benefit amount at HALF my previous rate - union worker possible error?

same thing happened 2 me last month!! was getting max benefit in 2023 and filed again now getting way less. called them and they said its based on base year earnings which is different now. but i dont think they calculated mine right either

This is likely due to your base year changing. For claims filed in 2025, your base year would typically be the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you filed. The COVID period (2022) might have had higher wages due to overtime or hazard pay that inflated your previous claim's calculation. You should check if they're using the standard base year or alternate base year. Also, union workers sometimes have special considerations - are they counting your union benefits correctly? You can request a redetermination if you believe there's an error in how they calculated your benefit amount.

I'm going through the EXACT SAME THING right now!!! Used to get $963/week and now they're saying I only qualify for $461??? How is this possible when I've been making MORE money not less?? The ESD website is completely useless for explaining this!!!!!

You need to check your "Monetary Determination" letter carefully. Look at which quarters they're using for your base year calculation. For claims filed in early 2025, they would typically use Oct 2023-Sep 2024 as your standard base year. If you had an injury or period with lower earnings during that time, it could dramatically affect your benefit amount. If your standard base year includes quarters with lower earnings, you can request to use the alternate base year instead (the last 4 completed quarters). You'd need to call ESD and specifically request this. Also, make sure ALL your wages are being reported correctly. Sometimes union jobs or multiple employers can result in missing wages in their system.

this happened to my cousin last month and he found out that his employer didn't report all his wages correctly to ESD... might be worth checking if all your union jobs got reported right

I've been trying to reach ESD for 2 weeks about a similar issue with my benefit calculation - it's IMPOSSIBLE to get through on their phone lines. After dozens of attempts, I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to connect with an ESD agent. They have a service that gets you through the phone queue. Worked in about 20 minutes after I'd wasted days trying on my own. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 When I finally got through, the agent explained that my benefit amount was calculated wrong because one employer hadn't reported my wages correctly. They fixed it and my weekly amount nearly doubled!

just wondering if anyone knows whether changing to the alternative base year calculation is automatic if it gives you a better benefit amount? or do you have to specifically request it?

UPDATE: I finally got through to ESD! Turns out there were TWO issues: 1) They were using quarters that included my injury period, and 2) One of my union employers hadn't properly reported all my wages. The agent helped me request an alternate base year calculation AND file a wage correction. She said my benefit amount should increase substantially once these are processed. For anyone having similar issues - check both your base year AND make sure all your wages were properly reported!

so did they let u choose which quarters to use or do they just automatically use the most recent ones for alternate base year?