I went to the EDD office in Fresno once and the security guard asked for my appointment confirmation. When I said I didn't have one he turned me away. Do some offices require appointments while others don't???

For those having issues with pending payments like the original poster, there are typically three common causes: 1. Identity verification issues (most common) 2. Income reporting discrepancies 3. Eligibility questions requiring interview The first one can usually be resolved at a local office as OP discovered. The second might require documentation. The third almost always requires a phone interview with a claims specialist. Knowing which category your issue falls into can help you determine whether an in-person visit will be helpful or if you need to pursue other avenues.

One more thing that might be relevant - EDD has something called an "alternate base period" that can be used if you don't qualify under the standard base period. It uses more recent quarters. But from what you've described, the standard base period should work for your husband's situation as long as he had enough W-2 earnings during those quarters.

when he files make sure he says hes ABLE and AVAILABLE for fulltime work each week when he certifies. they denied my husband for 2 weeks bc he said he wasn't available one day when he had a doctors appointment. so annoying

Have you tried checking if the card was mailed to a different address? When I was on partial unemployment through Work Share in 2025, they somehow had my old address from 3 years earlier! Called for weeks with no luck getting through. Finally went to an EDD office in person and they told me the card had been returned to sender. Had to verify my address and request a new one. Complete waste of time.

any update? did u get ur money yet?

This happened to me! I actually had to appeal my disqualification. Make sure when you certify you clearly indicate you quit for HEALTH AND SAFETY reasons! If they schedule an interview, be ready with specific examples of the safety violations. I won my appeal by showing the job duties were misrepresented (hired for one thing, made to do another) and that safety protocols weren't followed. It was stressful but worked out in the end. Don't give up!

Just my testimony! I was specific about dates, names of supervisors I spoke to, and exactly what safety protocols were violated (and why they mattered). Being very detailed helped a lot. The judge believed me because I could answer all follow-up questions consistently. Oh, and I mentioned I tried to resolve it before quitting - that part is super important!

Let me clarify some things about contacting EDD, since there's a bit of misinformation in this thread. The main UI claims line (1-800-300-5616) is staffed Monday-Friday 8am-5pm. If your issue is specifically about payments that switched from pending to disqualified, you likely need a tier 2 specialist. When you call, use these exact prompts to reach the right department: Press 1 for English, then 2 for claim questions, then 1 for existing claim. At this point, you need to explicitly say you need to speak with a tier 2 specialist about a disqualification issue. The first-level representatives can't help with disqualification statuses but can transfer you. Also, if your disqualification is related to an eligibility interview, ask if there's an interview scheduled. If so, prepare documentation showing your eligibility based on whatever issue they've flagged (either job separation or availability for work).

UPDATE: I tried calling this morning using the exact prompts that @profile1 suggested, and after 12 attempts I finally got through! The tier 2 specialist explained that my employer contested my claim saying I quit (which is NOT true - I was laid off). They've scheduled a phone interview for next week to resolve it. Thank you everyone for your suggestions! If the interview doesn't fix things, I'll try the assembly member route or Claimyr. Will post another update after my interview.