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If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
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sounds like ur overthinking this tbh... 2 days off before u even start isnt what unemployment is for. file when the whole job ends
Yeah I think you're right lol. I was just confused because they gave me a schedule and then immediately said we'd be closed for two days of it. But it makes sense now!
Just to add another perspective - I work in HR at a company that hires seasonal workers. Those initial closure days are pretty normal for retail/warehouse seasonal positions, especially around inventory time. Don't stress about it! One thing to keep in mind: when you do start working, keep track of your pay stubs and hours worked. If your employer consistently gives you fewer hours than what you were hired for (like if they promised 40 hours/week but only give you 20), THEN you might qualify for partial unemployment benefits. But you'd need to have worked long enough to meet the wage requirements first. Good luck with the new job!
Thanks for the HR perspective! That's really helpful to know that closure days are normal. I'll definitely keep track of everything once I start working. Quick question - if they do consistently give me fewer hours than promised, how long should I wait before filing for partial unemployment? Like should I give it a few weeks to see if it's just a temporary thing?
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Update on wait times: I attended a legal clinic for EDD claimants last week, and the attorneys there mentioned that decision times have actually increased in the past few months. They're seeing most decisions taking 12-14 weeks now, with some taking up to 16 weeks. This is apparently due to staff shortages at the Appeals Board and a recent increase in appeal filings. If you hit the 14-week mark without a decision, they recommended sending a formal inquiry letter to the Appeals Board citing California Unemployment Insurance Code Section 1336, which states decisions should be prompt. Include your case number, hearing date, and contact information. This sometimes helps move cases that have gotten stuck in the queue.
Thanks for this update. I'm at 12 weeks now, so it sounds like I might still have a bit more waiting to do. I'm definitely going to call the Appeals Board tomorrow and if I don't get anywhere, I'll try the formal letter approach at 14 weeks. Really appreciate all the helpful advice everyone's sharing!
I'm going through a similar situation right now - had my appeal hearing in September for a "voluntary quit" disqualification (which was actually a layoff, but EDD coded it wrong). It's been about 10 weeks and still no decision letter. Reading everyone's experiences here is both reassuring and terrifying at the same time! I've been calling the Appeals Board every few weeks and they just keep saying "still under review by the Administrative Law Judge." At least I know from this thread that 12-14 weeks seems to be the new normal. The financial stress is unreal though - I've had to move back in with family and I'm basically living off credit cards at this point. One thing I wanted to add - my local legal aid office told me that if you're facing eviction or utilities being shut off while waiting for your appeal decision, you can request an "expedited review" from the Appeals Board. They said it doesn't guarantee faster processing, but they're supposed to flag urgent cases. Might be worth asking about if anyone is in a really desperate situation. Hang in there everyone - sounds like most people eventually get their decisions, it's just a matter of surviving the wait! 😩
Wow, I had no idea about the expedited review option! That's really valuable information. I'm not quite at the eviction stage yet but my electric bill is definitely getting scary. It's frustrating that they have options like this but don't really publicize them - feels like you have to know someone who knows someone to find out about these things. Sorry you're dealing with the same waiting game. The "voluntary quit" vs layoff coding issue sounds infuriating on top of everything else. At least we're all in this together! Thanks for sharing the legal aid tip - I'm going to look into what resources are available in my area too.
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This is such valuable information! I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - 4 penalty weeks and just started a part-time gig that puts me over my weekly benefit amount. I was panicking thinking I'd never get through my penalty period, but reading through all these responses (especially your final update with EDD confirmation) gives me so much peace of mind. For anyone else reading this thread in the future: the key takeaways seem to be 1) Keep certifying every two weeks no matter what, 2) Report ALL earnings accurately, 3) Make sure you're still meeting other eligibility requirements (available for work, job searching, etc.), and 4) Weeks with excessive earnings DO count toward penalty weeks as long as you're otherwise eligible. Thanks for sharing your experience and coming back with the official confirmation from EDD!
This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm actually in week 3 of my penalty weeks right now and was getting so stressed about whether my weekend shifts at a local restaurant were messing up my progress. Reading everyone's experiences and especially the OP's confirmation from EDD has been such a relief. One thing I want to add for future readers - make sure you're still doing your work search activities even during penalty weeks! I almost got lazy about it thinking "what's the point, I'm not getting paid anyway" but realized that could disqualify me from serving the penalty weeks properly. Keep treating it like a regular claim in every way except the payment part. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here - this community is so much more helpful than trying to navigate EDD's confusing website alone!
I'm so glad you posted this question and got it resolved! I'm actually dealing with something similar right now - I have 3 penalty weeks left to serve and just picked up some freelance work that varies week to week. Some weeks I'm under my benefit amount, others I'm way over. Reading through this whole thread (especially your update with the EDD confirmation) has been incredibly reassuring. I was worried that the weeks where I earn too much wouldn't count and I'd be stuck serving penalty weeks forever. Now I know I just need to keep certifying accurately and all weeks will count as long as I'm meeting the other requirements. Quick question for anyone who might know - do you still have to do the work search requirement during penalty weeks? I've been doing it just to be safe, but wasn't sure if it was actually required since you're not getting paid anyway. Thanks again for sharing your experience and coming back with the official answer!
Yes, you absolutely need to keep doing your work search requirements during penalty weeks! I learned this the hard way when I first started my penalty period - I thought since I wasn't getting paid, I could skip the job search activities. But when I talked to the EDD specialist, she made it very clear that you have to meet ALL eligibility requirements during penalty weeks, including actively searching for work. The penalty is about not getting paid, but you still need to prove you're available and looking for full-time work. If you stop doing work searches, that could actually disqualify you from serving the penalty weeks properly and potentially reset your progress. Keep documenting your job search activities just like you would during a regular claim. Better safe than sorry with EDD!
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UPDATE: Just wanted to let everyone know that the reopen button appeared exactly 4 business days after my last payment, just like some of you suggested. The system let me complete the reopening process without any issues. Thanks for all your help and advice!
Great to hear! Make sure to certify as soon as the weeks become available, and remember to document your work search activities thoroughly.
Glad you got it sorted out! For anyone else dealing with this issue, I'd recommend bookmarking this thread - it's got all the real info you need. The 4-day processing period seems to be the most reliable timeline based on everyone's experiences here. Also worth noting that if you're in seasonal work like construction or entertainment, it might be worth keeping a log of when you close/reopen claims so you can predict the timing better for future gaps. The EDD system is unpredictable enough without having to guess about processing times!
Oliver Fischer
anybody know if u can set up direct deposit with money network instead of using their card? the BofA card was bad enough but at least i could transfer to my bank account for free
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Malik Robinson
•Yes, Money Network does allow direct deposit transfers to your personal bank account. Once you activate your card and set up your online account, you can link your bank account and set up transfers. Unlike the BofA system, Money Network lets you set up automatic transfers so funds automatically move to your bank when they arrive. However, transfers can take 1-3 business days to complete.
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Amina Sy
Just following up on this thread - did your payment ever switch from pending to paid? And did you get your Money Network card yet? I'm curious because my roommate is going through the exact same issue right now.
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Paolo Rizzo
•UPDATE: I finally got through to EDD yesterday! My payment was stuck in pending because there was an eligibility interview scheduled that I didn't know about (they never notified me). The rep was able to push my payment through and it switched to paid last night. Now just waiting for the Money Network card to arrive. Thanks everyone for your help!
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