Wow, this is incredible news! I had my EDD card frozen for almost 6 weeks starting in late December 2020. I remember it was right after Christmas and I couldn't even buy groceries for my kids. Had to borrow money from family just to survive while they "investigated" my account for supposed fraud that never existed. I never heard anything about a class action lawsuit or settlement. Does anyone know if there's a way to check if you're eligible even if you didn't file a claim? I've moved since then but I'm hoping they can still find me. That freeze period was one of the most stressful times of my life - having money that was rightfully mine just completely inaccessible while bills kept piling up. Thanks for sharing this @Collins Angel - gives me hope that maybe there's some justice for what we all went through during that nightmare period!

This is such great news to hear! I had my card frozen for about 2 weeks in January 2021 and it was absolutely devastating. I was behind on rent and had to ask my landlord for an extension while EDD "verified" my identity for the third time. Never got any real explanation for why it happened. I haven't received any settlement check yet but I'm definitely going to look into this. Does anyone know if the settlement covers people whose cards were frozen multiple times during that period? Mine got locked twice - once in December 2020 for a few days, then again in January for the longer period. Really hoping this means there's finally some accountability for how badly they handled that whole situation. The stress of not knowing when or if you'd get access to your own money was unreal.

I had a similar identity verification nightmare with EDD last year! After weeks of frustration, I discovered the issue was that my middle initial was missing from one of my uploaded documents compared to what was in their system. Even though it seemed like a tiny detail, their automated verification system flagged it as a mismatch. I had to re-upload a corrected document and wait 3-5 business days for it to process. Also, make sure you're uploading documents during business hours - I noticed better success rates when I submitted stuff between 9 AM - 3 PM on weekdays. Their system seems to process things more reliably during those times. Hang in there, it's incredibly frustrating but you'll get through it! 💪

I've been through this identity verification nightmare too! One thing that helped me was making sure I was using the most recent version of my browser - apparently EDD's system doesn't play well with older browser versions. Also, if you have any security software or firewalls running, try temporarily disabling them while you attempt the verification. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but sometimes those security measures interfere with their verification process. Another weird trick that worked for a friend of mine was taking new photos of her documents with better lighting - apparently the image quality can make a big difference in their automated scanning system. The whole thing is such a pain, but don't give up! 🤞

Same situation here! Going on 5 weeks now with zero communication from EDD. I've been calling every single day at 8 AM sharp and still can't get through. It's honestly making me lose sleep at night worrying about rent. The most frustrating part is not knowing if there's an issue with my claim or if they're just backed up. Has anyone had success with the online chat feature, or is that just as useless as the phone lines?

I'm going through the exact same thing right now - 4 weeks and counting with absolutely nothing from EDD. It's beyond frustrating, especially when bills keep coming but the payments don't. I've been checking my online account obsessively and calling every morning, but it's like shouting into the void. The worst part is not knowing if there's actually a problem with my claim or if this is just their normal (terrible) processing time. Reading through these comments though, it seems like 4-6 weeks is unfortunately pretty typical. Hang in there Santiago - you're definitely not alone in this struggle! 😔

I'm another retired teacher who just went through this exact process! I collected CalSTRS for about 2 years before taking a job at a local bank, worked there for 17 months, then got laid off in December. Just got my first unemployment payment last week with NO pension reduction at all! The application was pretty straightforward - I applied online, was completely honest about my pension, and EDD determined that since my teaching job wasn't in my base period, there was no offset. My weekly benefit amount is based entirely on my bank wages. One thing I learned: when they ask about pension income during the application, they want to know if you're receiving it from an employer who ALSO paid wages during your base period. Since we're all retired teachers working in completely different industries, this shouldn't apply to us. For anyone still hesitant - definitely apply! The success rate in this thread for retired teachers in our situation seems really high. Just make sure you keep good records and report your pension when you certify every two weeks.

I'm a retired teacher who just joined this community after finding this incredibly helpful thread! I've been collecting my CalSTRS pension for about 2 years and worked at a nonprofit organization for 13 months before getting laid off last month. Reading through all these success stories from other retired teachers in almost identical situations has been such a relief. I was really worried about applying for unemployment because I kept seeing conflicting information online about pension offsets. But it's clear from everyone's experiences here that the key factor is whether your teaching job is included in your base period or not. Since I worked at the nonprofit for over a year, my base period should only include those wages. I'm planning to apply online this week and will be completely transparent about my CalSTRS pension and employment timeline like everyone has suggested. It's so encouraging to see the high success rate for retired teachers in our situation - from @Nia Davis to @Chloe Taylor and everyone in between. Thanks to everyone for creating such a supportive discussion and sharing your real experiences. I'll definitely update once I hear back from EDD to add another data point for future retired teachers who might find this thread!

I work for a credit union and see this kind of delay all the time with prepaid cards. The Money Network system does batch processing overnight, so payments that show as "issued" by EDD on one day typically don't appear until the next business day at the earliest. Since you just activated your card today, I'd expect to see the funds by tomorrow morning. The key thing is that EDD has already released the payment - it's just moving through the banking system now. If you don't see anything by Wednesday morning, that's when I'd call Money Network. They can trace the ACH transfer and tell you exactly when it will post. Hang in there!

I had this exact issue when I first got my Money Network card! The frustration is so real, especially when you need the money for bills. From my experience, EDD's "paid" status just means they've initiated the transfer - it doesn't mean the money is instantly available on your card. Since you just activated today, I'd definitely wait until tomorrow before calling anyone. One thing that helped me was setting up account alerts through the Money Network website - they'll text you when deposits are processed, which gave me peace of mind. Also, make sure you didn't miss any activation steps. When I first got my card, I thought I was done but hadn't set up my PIN properly, which caused a delay. If nothing shows by tomorrow evening, call Money Network first (they're usually pretty helpful) before dealing with EDD's phone system. Your money is probably just stuck in processing - try not to panic yet!