I had an interview last month and it was actually pretty quick and painless. The EDD interviewer just asked me to clarify why I left my job (I said laid off but my employer reported performance issues). We sorted it out in about 15 minutes and my claim was approved 2 days later. Just be honest and have any documentation ready like emails about your separation or severance agreement. The interviewers are actually pretty nice if you're prepared.

One more thing to keep in mind - sometimes EDD sends you tasks to complete in UI Online that can affect your determination timeline. Make sure you check your UI Online account daily and complete any tasks or questionnaires they send promptly. This can prevent unnecessary delays. Also, when you do start certifying, answer all questions carefully. Mistakes on certification can trigger additional reviews or interviews. The work search requirements are being enforced again, so be prepared to document your job search activities for each week you certify.

I feel ya, OP. The whole system is a mess. I've been trying to get answers about my claim for weeks. It's like they don't want us to understand our own benefits 🙄

I actually went through this exact situation about 6 months ago! From my experience, severance pay typically doesn't affect your PFL benefits because PFL is based on your wages from a specific base period (usually 5-18 months before your claim started). The severance is considered a one-time payment, not ongoing wages. However, you definitely want to report it to EDD when you file your weekly certifications just to be safe. I'd also recommend checking the DE 2515 form (PFL claim form) instructions - they usually have some guidance on what income to report. Hope this helps and good luck navigating the EDD maze! 🤞

As someone who just went through a similar email mess with EDD last year, I'm so glad you got this resolved! The whole system is incredibly outdated - I couldn't believe they were still using technology that can't handle basic email updates without manual intervention. For anyone reading this thread who might face the same issue: definitely prioritize getting your current certification done through whatever account works, even if it's your old email. Missing those bi-weekly deadlines creates way bigger problems than having the "wrong" email address temporarily. Also, if you do use a service like Claimyr to get through to EDD, make sure to ask the rep to confirm that your email is updated in ALL their systems - apparently they have separate databases for different functions and sometimes the updates don't sync properly between them. I learned this the hard way when my email was updated for UI Online but not for important notices! The whole experience really makes you appreciate how much we take modern, integrated systems for granted. Hopefully that 2026 system upgrade someone mentioned actually happens! 🤞

This thread is incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with a similar situation but with my old Yahoo email from 2008. Just filed a new claim last week and realized all my correspondence is going to an email I haven't checked in years. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like the key takeaways are: 1. Access whatever account currently has your active claim (even if it's the old email) 2. Certify on time no matter what - don't let email issues delay payments 3. Either use a service like Claimyr or be prepared for many attempts calling EDD directly 4. Ask specifically for email updates across ALL their systems, not just UI Online @Mateo Rodriguez thanks for sharing your journey through this nightmare - it gives me hope that there's light at the end of the tunnel! Going to dig into my old Yahoo account tonight and see if I can get logged in. Has anyone had success with the "Contact Us" form method that was mentioned earlier, or does it really require a phone call to get this fixed properly?

I'm actually going through something really similar right now! I'm a home health aide and my client was in the hospital for about 5 weeks in February. Filed my claim but didn't get any weeks to certify until last week - and of course by then my client was back home and I'm working again. Reading through all these responses gives me so much hope though! I was honestly starting to think I'd just have to eat the loss of those weeks, which would be devastating since that's literally my only income. Definitely going to try the 8am calling strategy everyone's mentioned. Has anyone had luck getting through later in the week vs Monday/Tuesday? I'm wondering if call volume might be lower on Thursday/Friday but maybe that's wishful thinking. Also wanted to say how much I appreciate this community - it's so helpful to know other caregivers are dealing with the same EDD nightmares and actually finding solutions. The whole system seems designed to discourage people from claiming benefits they're legitimately entitled to!

I'm a freelance caregiver and dealt with almost this exact situation a few months ago! My elderly client had a stroke and was in intensive care for 7 weeks, leaving me completely without work since I only get paid for direct care hours. Filed my UI claim in December but didn't get certification weeks until February - long after my client had passed away and I'd started with a new family. The retroactive certification process absolutely works, but you have to be persistent with calling. What helped me was calling at exactly 8:00 AM and having a backup plan - if I couldn't get through after an hour of redialing, I'd try again around 12:30 PM when reps come back from lunch. It took about a week of trying but once I got through, the rep was super understanding and released all 7 weeks for me to certify. Make sure you emphasize that you were genuinely unemployed during those weeks due to circumstances beyond your control, and that you've already reported your return to work. The fact that you filed your claim back in January while actually unemployed shows you were acting in good faith. Don't let EDD's processing delays cost you benefits you legitimately earned!

I've been following this thread closely as I'm dealing with a very similar situation - my SDI claim has been pending for 6 weeks now after taking leave for a family member's cancer treatment. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like the new medical certification form issue is affecting a lot of people. I just logged into SDI Online and found the same flag about medical certification problems that others mentioned. For anyone still struggling to get through by phone, I wanted to share that I had success yesterday using a combination of tips from this thread: I called the alternate number (1-800-300-5616) that @GalacticGladiator mentioned at exactly 11:15 AM on a Thursday, and got through after a 52-minute hold. The rep confirmed my doctor had used the old form and is sending the updated one directly to their office. One thing she mentioned that I hadn't seen discussed here - if your claim involves caring for a family member (rather than your own medical condition), make sure the medical certification specifically indicates that you're needed to provide care. Apparently many doctors just fill out the patient's medical information but don't explicitly state that family care is required, which can cause additional delays. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here - this community support made all the difference in understanding what was actually happening with my claim!

I'm dealing with a similar SDI claim situation and this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I've been stuck in "pending" status for about 4 weeks now and had no idea about the new medical certification form requirements that changed in January. After reading through everyone's experiences, I just checked my SDI Online account and found the same medical certification flag that others mentioned. I'm planning to try the alternate number approach tomorrow (1-800-300-5616) around 11:30 AM like @GalacticGladiator suggested, since the 8:00 AM rush hasn't been working for me either. It's so frustrating that EDD doesn't proactively notify us about these form issues, but I'm grateful this community exists to help each other navigate these problems. One question for those who successfully got through - when you spoke with the EDD rep, were they able to tell you immediately what the specific issue was with your claim, or did you have to provide certain information first to get them to look into it? I want to make sure I'm prepared with everything they might need when I finally get connected. Thanks again to everyone who shared their experiences and tips here - this has been more helpful than any official EDD resource I've found!