


Ask the community...
Just wanted to update that I went through my records from when this happened to me. My timeline was: - Filed claim: June 3 - First certification: June 17 - Eligibility interview notice: June 29 (letter arrived July 3) - Interview conducted: July 12 - Determination letter: July 18 (approved) So from filing to interview was almost exactly 5.5 weeks for me. Hope that helps give you some idea of timeline.
Thank you for looking that up! That actually makes me feel better having some idea of what to expect. Did they give you advance notice of the interview date through UI Online or just by mail?
I'm going through a similar situation right now - my former employer is claiming I quit when they actually just stopped scheduling me after promising to keep me on permanently. Reading through everyone's experiences here is really helpful and reassuring that EDD does seem to side with employees when there's good documentation. @Sara I think you have a really strong case based on what you've described. The emails showing they promised to keep you on and your attempts to get clarification about your status should definitely work in your favor. I'm keeping detailed records of everything too after seeing how important that seems to be. Has anyone here dealt with an employer that tries to claim "job abandonment" instead of voluntary quit? That's what I'm worried my former company might try to argue since there was a gap between when my hours got cut and when I finally gave up trying to get them restored.
@Angelina I haven't dealt with job abandonment claims specifically, but from what I understand, EDD looks at whether you made reasonable efforts to maintain employment and whether the employer clearly communicated expectations. If you have documentation showing you were actively trying to get your hours restored and they were unresponsive, that should protect you from an abandonment claim. The key is showing you didn't just disappear - you were trying to work but they wouldn't give you shifts. Maybe others here have experience with that specific situation?
@originalPoster The guidance document is on the EDD website under "Information for School Employees" - it's not very prominently displayed. If you search "EDD Reasonable Assurance" it should come up. One more thing - when you do reach a representative, ask them to check if your previous benefit year is causing any issues. Sometimes there's a glitch where the system thinks you're still in your previous benefit year even though it's been years.
I finally got my issue fixed! For anyone else with similar problems: 1. Called at 8:12am exactly (right after the initial rush) 2. Explained I was laid off from teaching position (permanent separation) 3. Rep transferred me to claims specialist who manually verified my wages 4. Had to submit layoff documentation by fax (yes, fax in 2025 🙄) 5. Took about 10 days for everything to process The key was getting to the right department - regular reps can't override the system for education employees.
Thank you for sharing your success story! This gives me hope. I'm going to try calling at 8:12am tomorrow following your exact steps. Did you have to specifically ask for a claims specialist or did the first rep recognize you needed to be transferred?
This is exactly what I needed to hear! I've been getting so discouraged after weeks of trying. Did the regular rep automatically know to transfer you to a claims specialist, or did you have to specifically ask for that department? Also, do you remember what fax number they had you use? I want to have all my documentation ready to go when I call tomorrow morning.
I'm a newcomer here but dealing with something similar! I just got my interview notice last week after 6 months on partial unemployment (restaurant industry - hours are super unpredictable). Reading through everyone's experiences here is making me feel so much better. I was convinced I had messed something up, but it sounds like these random reviews are just part of the process. @Carmen Ruiz - have you had your interview yet? I'm scheduled for next Friday and getting nervous. Going to follow all the advice here about having my work calendar and pay stubs organized. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is a lifesaver when dealing with EDD stress!
Welcome to the community @Beatrice Marshall! I haven't had my interview yet - it's scheduled for this week actually. Reading everyone's responses has been such a relief because I was also convinced I'd done something wrong. The restaurant industry sounds just as unpredictable as construction when it comes to hours! It's good to know we're not alone in this. I'm planning to have all my documentation ready just like everyone suggested. Good luck with your interview on Friday - maybe we can both update the community afterward about how it went!
I'm new to this community but wanted to share my recent experience since it sounds so similar to yours! I just went through an EDD eligibility interview last month after being on partial unemployment for about 8 months (I work in retail with fluctuating hours). Like you, I got the notice out of nowhere with no explanation. The interview ended up being totally routine - the representative just wanted to verify that I was still available and actively searching for full-time work, and she asked me to walk through a few of my recent certifications to make sure my reported hours matched my actual work schedule. She was actually really professional and understanding about the nature of part-time/inconsistent work. The key things that helped me were: having my work schedule/calendar handy, keeping my job search log up to date (even though it wasn't perfect), and just being completely honest about everything. The whole thing took maybe 25 minutes and my benefits continued without any interruption. It definitely seems like they do these random check-ins more frequently with partial claims since our work patterns can look "irregular" to their system. Try not to worry too much - it sounds like you've been doing everything by the book! Good luck with your interview!
As someone who recently went through the EDD certification process while genuinely job hunting, I can confirm that the system is pretty much honor-based right now. You just check "yes" to looking for work each week without having to provide any details unless you get randomly selected for an eligibility interview. What really bothers me about the no-show issue is that it makes legitimate job seekers look bad. When I was unemployed, I treated every interview as an opportunity, even for positions I wasn't initially excited about. Some of my best jobs came from interviews I almost didn't take seriously at first. I think part of the problem is that people are applying to jobs way outside their skill level or interest just to hit their weekly application quota. Then when they actually get called for an interview, they realize they don't want the job but are too cowardly to just decline professionally. For employers dealing with this - maybe try asking during initial contact something like "On a scale of 1-10, how interested are you in this specific role and why?" It might help you gauge who's actually serious versus just going through the motions for EDD requirements.
That's such a great point about asking people to rate their interest level! As a small business owner myself, I'm definitely going to try that approach. It's so frustrating because we really want to hire people who actually want to work with us, not just anyone who's trying to check boxes for unemployment. Your perspective as someone who went through the process legitimately is really valuable. It sounds like the honor-based system works fine for people like you who are genuinely looking, but it's being exploited by others who are just gaming it. The 1-10 interest scale question is brilliant - it puts people on the spot to actually think about whether they want the job instead of just saying what they think we want to hear. Thanks for the insight and for being one of the good ones who actually showed up to interviews! It gives me hope that there are still serious candidates out there.
I'm a hiring manager at a mid-size company and we've implemented a few strategies that have helped reduce our no-show rate from about 50% to around 15%. Here's what worked for us: 1. **Pre-interview questionnaire**: We send a short 3-question form asking why they're interested in the role, what their salary expectations are, and when they'd be available to start. People who are just applying to meet EDD requirements rarely fill this out properly. 2. **Video screening first**: We do a quick 10-minute video call before any in-person interviews. This weeds out people who aren't serious, and it's much less time investment if they no-show the video call. 3. **Clear expectations upfront**: We explicitly tell candidates that we're a small team and no-shows waste significant time and resources. Most legitimate candidates appreciate the transparency, while it seems to discourage people who aren't serious. 4. **24-hour confirmation with consequences**: We require confirmation 24 hours before and clearly state that failure to show up without 2+ hours notice will result in being blacklisted from future opportunities with our company. The combination has really helped us focus our time on candidates who actually want to work. It's sad that we have to put these barriers in place, but it's become necessary given the current situation with unemployment requirements.
This is incredibly helpful! As a small business owner who's been struggling with this exact issue, I'm going to implement several of these strategies immediately. The pre-interview questionnaire is genius - you're right that people just going through the motions for EDD probably won't bother filling out detailed questions about why they want the role. The video screening approach makes so much sense too. If someone no-shows a 10-minute video call, we've only lost that time instead of blocking out an hour for an in-person interview. And I love the idea of being upfront about the impact on small teams - legitimate candidates should understand and respect that. Getting your no-show rate down to 15% sounds like a dream compared to what we're dealing with! I'm definitely going to try the 24-hour confirmation with clear consequences too. It's unfortunate that we have to put these barriers in place, but if it helps us find serious candidates, it's worth the extra effort. Thanks so much for sharing these practical solutions!
Maria Gonzalez
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!
0 coins
Royal_GM_Mark
•This is really helpful to know about the batch processing! I work in retail and deal with payment delays all the time but never knew the technical side of it. Maria, do you know if there's any way to speed up the process or is it just a matter of waiting for the overnight batch to run? Also wondering if weekends affect the timing at all since tomorrow is Tuesday.
0 coins
Isabella Ferreira
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!
0 coins
Chloe Anderson
•Thanks Isabella! I'm definitely going to set up those account alerts right now - that sounds like it would help with the anxiety of not knowing what's happening. You're right about double-checking the activation too. I think I did everything correctly but I'll go through the steps again just to be absolutely sure. It's so frustrating that they don't explain the processing delays when they send those "payment issued" notifications! Would save people like us a lot of stress. Really appreciate everyone's advice here - feeling much more confident this will resolve itself by tomorrow.
0 coins