Tips and Tricks: Getting Through to California’s EDD, Sanity in Tact
Back in January, I posted Thanks to the EDD, I’m Slowly Losing My Mind.
It chronicled my infuriating experience with California’s unemployment office. I shared my frustration at not being sent my first unemployment check two months after filing my claim. I highlighted my disbelief at being told to call a 1-800 number, then spending weeks dialing it in vain.
And I soon came to realize I wasn’t alone.
Comment after comment, readers shared their own stories. They gave tips and tricks for getting past the automated phone system. They laughed at the preposterousness of the situation (and probably cried quietly to themselves). Six months later, the comments section of that post is still alive and kicking.
So if you find yourself jobless, checkless and at the wrong end of an EDD phone call, we’ve got you covered.
Here’s what we’ve learned from our community since the story went live:
- Keep your resume with CalJobs up to date.
- You did know you needed to post your resume on CalJobs, right?
- Make sure you fill out both columns on the right hand side of the form (some people, I’m told, overlook one of the columns; alright fine, it was me, but the lady on the phone assured me it happens a lot)
- Make photocopies of your claim form, in case you make a mistake on one or in case they stop sending them to you.
- Make sure the check boxes are dark. Form is read by computers.
- There is no unemployment office in California, at least no office that allows you to speak to an adviser face-to-face. All contact is by phone, mail and email. But mostly it’s by Scantron sheets from the late 70s.
- If you’re unlucky enough to have to call them (lost form, problem on form, etc), dial 12117 as soon as you hear “welcome”. Our readers swear by it.
- Still can’t get through? Try the Vietnamese line: 1-800-547-2058. It’s got less traffic than the other lines and the person who picks up will be bilingual, and will have to speak to you in English. I know at least two people who this worked for.
- Calling 223 times in one day is not unusual, and no guarantee you will get through.
- Still can’t get through by phone? Go here, and send them a message. You’ll receive a reference number by email. Keep it!
- They don’t have downloadable bi-weekly claim forms online. That would be too efficient. But you can request to have a new one sent to you. Go here. Click on “select category” >Unemployment Insurance Benefits>Select Topic>Claim Form-Need Replacement Form.
- Stay on top of them like “you’re managing a bunch of kindergartners”
Thanks so much to everyone who has chimed in to share tips and support. And if you have any other suggestions or stories, please continue to share them!
Sometimes it’s just a relief to know that other people are going through the same maddening experience. And that if you are losing your mind (as I was), it really is thanks to the EDD.
P.S. For musings not related to unemployment, check out my new blog, Lipstick & Lemonade
I’m on unemployment but am working part time. I just got an offer for a better part time job that conflicts with the first one but am completely fearful of leaving the first one since I’ve read horror stories of people getting booted of unemployment for leaving a part time job.
I couldn’t find a definitive answer in the EDD FAQ on if it is ok to switch part time jobs while on unemployment. Has anyone had any experience with such a situation, and if so is it ok to quit on part time gig in favor of a better one?
Thanks much.
I filed my claim for the week ending 9/11/2010///called the automated system and it said I was
paid on 9/14/2010 (which was a Tuesday) normally that means I’ll receive the check in the mail
on Thursday but the latest would be Saturday. Well, today is the 24th and I still haven’t received it.
I emailed them…they responded that I shouldn’t talk to a rep until it has been 10 days from the date the check was processed…(usually they say 10 days from the day you mailed the claim) I also spoke to someone on the phone after redialing 20 times in a row. Unfortunately, he was hard to understand and was more intrigued by the spelling of my name. He said he would start some inquiry process and someone would call me in 5 days.
Fine….in the meantime. Tomorrow is my new week ending date. I would normally mail in the claim tomorrow. What should I do? Should I feel out the online claim form? Try calling them again?
Also, anyone else receiving their checks really late or not at all even though the automated system says its been paid?!
Thanks…great advice!
I used the 12117 trick here, or tried to. The first time I got a recording with FIVE minutes of talking and then a “thanks for calling, goodbye.” I don’t know if I dialed the wrong number, but it was an EDD recording. The second time I got the “Welcome” and 12117 took me to a phone queue that was, guess how long — yes, four minutes. I actually waited twenty before speaking to the agent, who was freindlier and more helpful than I expected.
My problem was that I submitted my continued claim using the EDD Web Cert online form at a time that it was having problems, but I received no error message. Everything looked great on my end, I got a confirmation code and the online status says “submitted 9/15″ (even though it was 9/13 when I submitted it), but I never received a check, nor another form.
When I finally got to speak with a “specialist” he told me that the EDD Web Cert was “having problems” that weekend, and that my claim never got into “the system.” He issued me another paper claim form for that period, a new claim form for this period, and now I have to wait for that all to come before I can collect my benefits…
I asked him, if he recommends that I NOT use the Web Cert claim form, and he said “Oh, no. You should definitely use it.”
So I asked how I could tell if the thing was having ‘issues’ or not, and he said that sometimes I can’t, other times I will receive an error message either at the time of submission or later at the status page. He then said “if your questionnaire answers are not ‘no, no, yes, no, no, no’ or if you have any text to write in, then it won’t let you use the web form; you’ll need to submit a paper form via mail.”
So from this, I infer that you can use the online form if you want, but you takes your chances. If it’s FUBARed, you won’t know until TEN DAYS LATER when they will talk to you about your delayed check. If you NEED your money, definitely use the paper form. If you must report any income or training or other special situations, then you must use the paper form.
my unemployment will end in january 2011, does anyone know if i will be able to extend the benefits and if so, for how long?
yup.. thats why the online webcert link isnt easily accessible.. probably because its not fully ready. you can only get to it by direct link. i havent seen it listed on their page.. its deep in the site.
i always use the paper form. why not use the paper form its only the cost of a stamp.. without having to OCD worrying about whether or not my check will come
i mail my check on SUNDAY.. and drop it off AT THE POST OFFICE, so it goes out that day and quick!.. i then get my check on SATURDAY. ALWAYS.
PS. i live in Fremont 94538.. the claim form gets mailed to sacatomato and then the check gets mailed to me from Southern California (st. bernard(ino).
ive got my stamped envelope with my claim form set out on the kitchen counter so i can mail it tomorrow.
You mail the check on Sunday….be sure to drop it off AT THE POST OFFICE.. not anywhere else.. then you will get it by Saturday.. if u dont get by Monday.. start calling them. because it probably got lost in the mail.
with 10s of thousands of checks. im sure someones gets lost every week.
urs probably got lost in the mail
November 30, 2010 is now the new deadline for starting any next tier of federal extension benefits available.
The FED-ED claim must begin by November 30, 2010.
WEB-CERT – http://www.edd.ca.gov/Unemployment/EDD_Web-Cert.htm
EDD-DEBIT-CARD – http://www.edd.ca.gov/About_EDD/The_EDD_Debit_Card.htm
another good page full of information
i always go here its under About EDD, What’s New
http://www.edd.ca.gov/About_EDD/Whats_New.htm
Send them a letter if you need to tell them something. This is what I did. I gave up on calling.
Supposedly, my last 3 checks for FED-ED Extension 4 are now in the mail. I’ll believe it when they’re deposited and cleared. It only took them 2 months.
This now makes me a 99er. I urge everybody who is just like me, a hardworking person who just wanst a job, or better yet a decently paying job, to write to anyone you can think of in support of S. 3706: The Americans Want To Work Act and support Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow.
There’s a rally scheduled at the Lincoln Memorial on October 2nd, I urge anyone who can afford to go, or are nearby, to attend for all of those west of the Mississippi who can’t.
Catch you on the flip side….
Well, I finally got a response from EDD. They sent me a form for a replacement check because I still haven’t received the check the automated system said I was paid for.
Still, on the same day I received the form I called EDD because I wanted to verify how I was supposed to claim my next two weeks if I never got a check and thusly the continuing claim form.
After calling several times in a row I was connected to a very helpful woman. She told me I could fill out the online webcert if I felt comfortable doing so. She also sent me a paper form just in case.
I did the online webcert. It was easy to register and fill out. This was on Sunday. I called the automated system and it says I was paid today. I’ll let you all know if I get an actual check in the mail from doing the webcert.
Note: my only issue with the webcert would be it gives you a chart with week starting and ending dates which lets you know if you can fill out online or if you’ll need to use a paper form. That’s fine. However, it had three open dates for me. The one I needed and two others I had already filed for. The problem is it doesn’t let you choose a date. You hit the next button and it has you fill out claim forms for all the dates listed in order.
Hopefully the system is advanced to know I already claimed the other dates. I’ll let you all know.
does anyone know if they will extend unemployment benefits to those people whose first claim runs out of money in january 2011?
ps.. i get my checks now on thursday. not saturday anymore. i moved to a new city and i guess they process mail faster here
why risk it with the webcert? for the cost of a stamp, id keeps me sane, not having to worry if the webcert system is going to mess with my check.
Hey guys, this blog has been very informative, though I figured out the phone trick 12117 on my own in the original tedious manner. I called EDD to file for a claim on 09-27-10, and received the two papers, de429, de1101clmt, a guide to employment benefits brochure, cal jobs brochure and one piece of paper where you fill out whether or not you were looking for work. I registered on the caljobs website and sent back that other piece of paper as to whether or not I was looking for work. About how long does it take for you guys to receive your unemployment.
Guys, you know what would be interesting? Wouldn’t it be interesting to find out what the success rate of receiving unemployment based on the size of the employer? Let’s say you were laid off, fired, or whatever from wal-mart or best buy. Is it much easier to receive unemployment from these employers than say a small business owner of 5 employees? I worked for a big company like these 2, what were yours? How many of you guys received phone interviews or whatever and sucesfully received unemployment with little hassles from big employers? How about for the small employers. This statistical testing might help us better understand what is going on in EDD.
I worked for a larger retailer. I had a phone interview about a month into receiving benefits and was approved a second time.
A note on my earlier comments…I did receive my late check and my check after using webcert.
Using webcert didn’t make it any faster. I think I’ll just keep mailing in the claim form.
Anyone else have any comments on using webcert.
@CY the paper you fill out about looking for work is called the continued claim form.. the first week is a waiting period, so u dont get paid.. when you mail in the continued claim form on Sunday.. do it from the Post office, that way you will get your check faster. *the post office sends out mail a few times a day, if you just drop it in the blue mailbox, it wont go out until the very end of the day* i get my check then either Thursday, Fri and by the latest Saturday.
@JA. i worked for a small employer. got laid off, no disputes, left on amicable terms
@k id use a stamp and an envelope .. never webcert.. i just dont trust it yet.
et: Yea I am going to use the stamp and envelope way now. I used it that one time because my check had become lost and I didn’t have a continued claim form. It worked when I used it online, like I mentioned, but I just don’t trust it.
I am finally back on track as far as paying my bills. That check getting lost and getting it so late really messed up my bills. I was so proud that even though I’ve been unemployed for months and receiving unemployment that I hadn’t missed a payment.
The last week or so I’ve been getting a gazillion phone calls from credit cards, utilities, etc wondering why I hadn’t paid yet. So aggravating.
Anyone accept a part time and/or seasonal job then lose it (either by being laid off or the position was over) and then get back on unemployment? I have applied to several seasonal positions and was curious how the process would work if I didn’t get an offer for regular employment after working for the holiday season.
Thanks!
anyone’s check late this week?
to: liz
my checks have never been late. i always receive by saturday latest. now since i moved to a new city, ive been getting them on thursday.
check on the edd FAQ section. im pretty sure you could just file unemployment again if you lost your job.. if there is money still left and your existing claim has not expired, then you could continue it.otherwise youd have to open a new claim and then they would recaculate your benefit amount by the new base period, if you worked during the new base period.
my check came the next day
i guess someone stamped the wrong side of the envelope
hey the vietnamese number worked for me!! i just pushed 1 then 2 then 4 then 2… i didnt know what they were saying but i just used the menu options I would use on the english line… my call was answered within like 3 minutes ….. the guy was speaking vietnamese so i asked him if he speaks english … he said hold on… then helped me in english .!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!
my check was a day late a couple weeks ago. usually i get it on thursday but instead got it on friday. called today (wednesday) to check the status for this week’s check and it hasn’t been processed yet. seems like edd is a day behind in sending out checks. anyone else noticing this? i’m in norcal.
Yeah, I called edd on Wednesday because thats when my check usually gets processed, but it hasn’t been prosseced yet, which means my check will be late! Hopefully only by a day, because everyday counts when your waiting…..
Does anyone know how it would work if I start working before my regular 26 weeks of benefits would run out? I assuming EDD was going to automatically enroll me in the next tier. But what happens if you start working before that. Its a temp job. Will I still be eligible if the job ends soon?
I’m on the FED-ED extension and the boxed is checked on every claim form to fill out job search information on the back. I’ve already applied to every job in my field in my area. Do I have to start applying for jobs I am not qualified for to keep my extension going?
Took your advise and dialed the Vietnamese line. I just held on while the recording spoke (because I don’t speak the language) and after a male recording a woman answered. At first, I thought she was angry that I said “Hello, do you speak english?” but to my delight she helped me. I only called the number ONCE…Hallelujah and Thank you.
All this because they kept sending me the wrong time sheet
@don.. yes if the BOX is marked, u need to put down jobs u applied to. start applying to any job, mcdonalds, 711, landscaping, starbucks, singing telegram clown. u have to apply to anything and write it on that paper
today is wednesday the 27th and my check usually gets processed today..i was starting to worry something had gone awry/got lost in the mail, but after reading the posts above from last week.. seems like other peoples checks are behind also.
@e and @yoli_v : were your checks processed on thursday?
my unemployment ends in january 2011.. does anyone know if i will get extended benefits?
i know the tier 1-4 has already ran out,, but if a tier 5 was to become available.. would i be elgigible for that tier 5?
what about other types of extensions? like cal-ed.. i know besides the federal extensions if a state is above a certain percentage of unemployment, the state can have their own 13 week extension
California Extended Duration (Cal-ED)
California has its own state-financed extended benefits
program.
The benefits paid under this program are from
the state UI fund. The actuated mechanism for the Cal-ED
program is similar to Fed-ED. Under either Cal-ED or Fed-
ED, an individual receives up to one-half of the regular UI
base claim. Therefore, any claimant who has received the
full amount of extended benefits on a Fed-ED claim cannot
qualify for a Cal-ED claim based on the same base claim.
Fed-ED and Cal-ED Priorities
Since the source of funding for the Fed-ED and Cal-ED
programs is different, the question of which program has
precedence over the other becomes important. The
Fed-ED program is the basic permanent extended benefits
program for the nation, so that if there is a Fed-ED period
in effect, Fed-ED becomes the primary source of benefits.
@et:
my past two checks have both been processed on thursday rather than wednesday and received them on friday rather than thursday. i suppose it’ll be a normal thing now to expect checks a day later than what we’re used to. good to know that i’m not the only one, though.
i was getting my checks Thursday instead of Saturday for a long while now i’ve been receiving them on Fridays for a couple of weeks. So i assume we shouldn’t expect it to come on any certain day right now because it keeps changing. I don’t care when i get it just as-long as i get it
right
I tried the 12117 trick as soon as I got the welcome on the phone call to EDD and was talking to someone within 2 minutes!!! Thank you so much! The gentleman on the phone was extremely helpful to boot!
@ e or liz
when does your unemployment runs out? mine ends at the end of january.. is there going to be an extension?
@liz
i was getting my checks on fridays when i first filed last year. a few months after i started getting them on thursday and thought ‘SWEET!’. the past couple of checks have been back to fridays. isn’t it funny how just one day can get you paranoid? or maybe its just me. hehe…
@et
i’m currently on the fed-ed extension, so i think this is the last of the extensions for me. i think as long as you continue to meet qualifications and congress or obama don’t change anything you should be good to continue to get your extensions after your claim ends.
on another note, i called again today (wednesday) to see if my check was processed and it wasn’t. looks like its getting processed on thursday again for the third straight check. i suppose this is going to be normal from now on. anyone else expecting their check processed today and didn’t?
my check was processed yesterday (Tuesday) sometimes its Thursday. I give up lol
i am on the regular UI benefits this is my last week, hoping i will get an extension and i should because i will run out before November 30th cut off date, that will take me until April of 2011.
Not sure what will happen after that, unless something passed yesterday in congress?
@liz
processed yesterday? did you send your claim form this past sunday/monday?
i have an interview today, so hopefully i dont need an extension, but just in case.
liz and e where are u guys from? im in the SF bay area.
ur new nicknames are Liz = Lizzy the lizard and E is Eduardo.. LOL =)
I called the Vietnamese line and I did get a live person but they hung up on me as soon as I stared speaking English. When I call the English line they tell me there are too many callers and I get disconnected, even when I used the 12117.
i’m in southern california – ventura county
i used the web-cert on-line, i’ve been using it for a while now and seems to work just fine
et – good luck at your interview!
The “12117″ trick resulted in the same message I’ve been hearing all week – “due to the call volume, we’re unable to take your call at this time.”
S0.. the Vietnamese trick worked – 1800-547-2058. I didn’t quite understand the recordings but I pressed “0″ and got through.. talked to.. a.. HUMAN!!!!!!!!!!!
Since my employer fired me after six years without valid reasoning, I filed for an appeal – they’ve received my appeal letter, and it takes “3 weeks to… MONTHS” to get a reply for an appeal hearing.”
Gosh.. you don’t suppose that they make it miserable to get unemployment so you give up, do you?
what did you guys do before you got laid off? what type of career? how long have you been in that career?
what type of work are you looking for now? same career or different? did you like the career u were in before.
I did very well at a Bank, in the Wholesale Home Mortgage Lender side, we dealt with Brokers was VERY busy for a couple of years, then we were all Laid off after 5 years. A Year later i was employed at another Bank doing Foreclosures. Sad really!
Now currently looking to get into the Medical or Insurance but no one will hire you without experience in those Fields.
I’ve applied everywhere, i cant get an interview.
Gotta keep ya head up
The lame duck Congress will probably not pass another extension before Dec.31. 2010. More than likely they’ll have to pass a temporary extension which will cover January and February
liz, ur not getting interviews, probably because you havent completely refocused your resume on why you would be a good fit for the new career and what skills you can apply/transfer from your old job to the new one.
start by writing a very focused cover letter on the job you want, then update your resume, to focus on the exisiting skills and experience you have that carries over into medical or insurance.
fred:
my 26 weeks of unemployment ends at the end of january… do u think there will be an extension for me?
S0.. the Vietnamese trick worked!!!!!!!!!!!!! I didn’t quite understand the recordings but I pressed “0″ and got to real live HUMAN who processed the error in just a few short minutes!!
the way I understand it. Congress reconvenes on the 15th of November and will vote on the extentions that week. If not passed there will be no new extentions granted after the 20th for people on state unemployment and people on federal extentions now, will not get another after the 27th. If passed it will remain the same with a slim chance a 5th teir will be added.
Myself, I received the last check on my first extention and then received a new claim form for the second. What I didn’t notice was the date my claim expires on, remained the same on the little tab on top of the form. After calling all week I found that I had to refile my claim with the state, they did that today and said I will receive a letter that my clain is invalid and to ignore the letter and my missing check will be in the mail today.
So if your are starting a new extention and your check is late, call right away and use the 12117 trick, that is the only wat I got through.
I have an interview TODAY
so exciting – i felt like this day would never come lol
I wasn’t getting any phone calls cause i was applying in an industry i have no experience in but as soon as i applied to job’s i’ve done before i started getting phone calls……..
I hope this is my dream job i’ve been holding out for
WISH ME LUCK !!!