ESD confused about my caregiver status - how to answer claim questions when I have no client?

I had almost the exact same situation last year! The way ESD handles caregivers is confusing. Since you're technically employed by CDWA but don't have any clients/hours, you need to select \

Thank you SO MUCH for explaining this! I was completely stuck. I'll make sure to select \

ive been thru this mess 2x now. the esd system HATES ppl who dont have normal jobs lol. make sure u say ur still employed but also put 0 hours worked. dont put that u quit or anythin like that cuz theyll deny u for sure!! theyre gonna want proof from CDWA that u dont have a client so be ready for that

Oh great, more paperwork to deal with! Should I contact CDWA ahead of time to ask for verification that I don't have a client right now? I'm worried that ESD is going to put my claim in adjudication for weeks if I don't handle this correctly.

ESD specialist here. This is a common issue with caregiver employment through agencies like CDWA. Here's what you need to know:\n\n1. You are correct that standard employment categories don't fit well for your situation\n\n2. Select \

Thank you for the detailed explanation! This is exactly what I needed to know. One follow-up question - should I be doing job search activities while waiting for a new client assignment? I'm not sure if looking for a new client counts as job searching since I'm still technically with CDWA.

Great question. Yes, you should be doing job search activities even while waiting for a client assignment. Here's what counts:\n\n1. Registering with CDWA's client matching system (document the date/time you check for new clients)\n2. Contacting your CDWA coordinator about available clients (document these communications)\n3. Applying to other caregiving agencies to find additional work\n4. Attending any CDWA meetings or training sessions related to client placement\n5. Regular job search activities for other types of work you're qualified for\n\nDocument all of these activities for your weekly job search log. You need 3 job search activities per week unless you have an approved standby status.

This is so helpful, thank you! I'll start documenting my communications with CDWA about client availability. I didn't realize checking for client matches could count as a job search activity.

The same thing happened to my daughter!! She's a caregiver too and ESD put her claim in adjudication for like 6 weeks because of confusion about her employment status. The whole time she had no income! It's ridiculous how they treat caregivers.

I don't work as a caregiver, but I had a similar issue with ESD being confused about my employment status with a temp agency. I was technically

omg yes!! i used claimyr too when i couldnt get thru to esd for 3 weeks!!! they got me talking to an actual person in like 20 mins. totally worth it cuz i was about to lose my mind waiting

Thank you for suggesting this. I've been trying to call ESD for days now with no luck. I'll check out Claimyr if I can't get through soon. This is so stressful - I have bills that won't wait for ESD to figure out my employment situation!

I had the SAME EXACT ISSUE with CDWA last month!!!!! The ESD system is absolutely RIDICULOUS for caregivers!!! I ended up having to call them SEVENTEEN TIMES before getting through, and then they put me on hold for 2.5 hours!!!! When I finally talked to someone, they told me to select \

Oh no, that's exactly what I'm afraid of! Three weeks with no benefits is terrible. Have you tried contacting CDWA directly to ask them to speed up the verification process with ESD? I wonder if that would help.

I've called CDWA THREE TIMES and they keep telling me they \

just wondering, did you check the box saying you were in training? because that sometimes triggers an automatic review. i'm not a caregiver but i know someone who had issues with esd when they reported training hours.

Yes, I did report the training since it was required to maintain my certification. Maybe that's what triggered all this confusion. I just wanted to be honest about everything!

Quick update to my earlier advice - make sure when you report the training, you specify that it was \

As someone who went through this exact situation with CDWA last year, I can tell you that reporting required training while having no client assignment is actually pretty common and shouldn't automatically trigger a review if you handle it correctly. The key is being very specific about the nature of the training - make sure you note it was "mandatory continuing education for certification maintenance" and not job training or skills development that would indicate you're preparing for new work. Also, if you're still dealing with getting through to ESD, try calling right at 8am when they open or around 4:30pm - I had better luck during those times. And definitely keep all your CDWA documentation handy (your training completion certificate, your current employment status letter, etc.) because they'll likely ask for it eventually. The system is definitely not designed for our type of work situation, but once you get through the initial confusion, it usually goes more smoothly. Hang in there!