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Guru Success Stories
Angel - ID Verification, UISD review
Angel was constantly being tossed around back and forth, speaking to so many different EDD agents who did not understand her situation. Although she received a W2, her company did not pay into unemployment, which meant she did not qualify as a regular UI claimant. She needed to be on PUA. She hadn't been paid a dime since becoming unemployed in March 2020. She found Unemployment Gurus in January 2021 to help her with her situation. She discovered she needed to verify her identity. The Unemployment Gurus were able to work on her behalf and send her documents via certified mail and fax. Angel thought she never was going to see that money, but after many calls and persistently pushing for what was owed to her, she was finally paid out a lump sum of $27,000.
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Case #21 RESOLVED: ID verification, UISD review, correct PUA program, backpay
Rosie - ID Verification, Disqualification
Rosie, like so many others, had attempted to verify her ID through ID.me. When her disqualifications remained, she reached out to the Gurus. Our Gurus were able to help her obtain all the proper documentation and worked directly with EDD to get her ID verified quickly and efficiently. Despite being told that she would need to appeal her disqualification, with the help of the Gurus, Rosie was able to obtain $21,000 in benefits in just a matter of weeks.
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Case #606 RESOLVED: ID verification, disqualification
Daniel - ID verification, Extensions, Backpay
Daniel was unemployed since July 2020 and needed to verify his identification. He was disqualified and hadn't been receiving payments. He was now homeless and was kicked out of where he had been living. It was not until he worked with Unemployment Gurus that they pointed out the spelling on his driver's license was incorrect and likely the reason why he was not properly passing the identity review. His Unemployment Guru went out of their way to look for the nearest DMV and even set up an appointment for them to renew his license. They helped gather all his documents and ensured they were clear enough for both printing and faxing. Unemployment Gurus prepared a packet with the appeal documents and a letter to send for Daniel via certified mail. Daniel's claim cleared, and the Unemployment Guru made sure all extensions cleared so he was finally up to date with his claim. In total Daniel finally received the benefits owed to him: $21,000.
Case #302 RESOLVED: ID verification, extensions, backpay
Jay - PUA, Backdate
Jay had applied for unemployment in early 2020 and should have been placed on the PUA program. Unfortunately, the EDD fumbled his paperwork, leaving him on a regular unemployment program and making him ineligible for benefits. With the help of the Gurus, Jay was able to not only reapply for benefits but also backdate his claim to his original application in April of 2020. Through this process, he was able to reclaim $22,000 in benefits.
Case #168 RESOLVED: PUA, Backdate
Tina - False Statement Penalty Weeks, PUA
During the pandemic, the EDD was paying people for their false statement penalty weeks. Tina was trying to be paid out for those weeks early on in the pandemic. Unemployment Gurus helped file an appeal for Tina and attended as her representative. Originally Tina had tried to call to report that she had mistakenly reported falsely. When the Guru attended the appeal with Tina, not only did she get paid for those weeks, but the entire disqualification was lifted! She was paid out her false statement penalty weeks, and also from the previous claim as well.
Case #39 RESOLVED: False Statement Penalty Weeks, PUA
Brenda - PUA, Eligibility
Brenda applied for unemployment in April of 2020. Because she was working for a non-profit, there was confusion about what type of claim she needed to be on. With the expertise of the Gurus, Brenda was able to reach more knowledgeable representatives who could refile her claim and recoup her benefits for 18 months equaling $30,000.
Case #1088 RESOLVED: PUA, Eligibility
Simon - Backpay
Simon never applied for unemployment, because the process was so confusing and overwhelming. After speaking to a Guru, he understood that he was qualified the entire time since he was unemployed because of COVID-19. As a W2 claimant, the Unemployment Guru helped him apply for benefits and backdated him to when he was unemployed in May 2020— a year's worth of unemployment. He was able to receive all the extensions and his backpay of $30,000
Case #286 RESOLVED: backpay
Evelyn - Bank of America vs. EDD
Evelyn was stuck in a lengthy battle between Bank of America and the EDD attempting to release funds to her and her daughter. Because they had recently moved (and also because her daughter was a minor), Bank of America had frozen their accounts with no viable solutions for them to regain access to their benefits. The Gurus were able to get the matter resolved.
Case #692 RESOLVED: Bank of America vs. EDD, Frozen account
Katie - Extensions
Katie suddenly had a stop in her benefits. She never received her extensions, and her claim was at a standstill. She contacted Unemployment Gurus and they were able to explain to her what was going on with her claim and get her extensions pushed through. She finally received the unemployment benefits that were owed to her of $11,000.
Case #1143 RESOLVED: extensions, backpay
Sara - Extensions
Sara's claim was complicated, because the EDD kept saying that she was on disability. Although she had applied for disability in the past, she was not trying to be on both disability and unemployment. They disqualified her for not being able to work for health reasons which was untrue. Her Unemployment Guru listened to the entire situation and was able to help draft a letter explaining her situation in detail. They attended Sara's appeal as her representative and were able to overturn the decision as well as fix the overpayments.
Case #160 RESOLVED: overpayments, disqualification, disability
Seth - Overpayments, Disqualification, ID Verification
Seth was defeated and nearly gave up on retrieving his benefits. He was stuck waiting for the EDD to confirm his identity. He had a payment from EDD but due to being disqualified for not verifying his identity on time, he was also hit with an overpayment notice which was incorrect. Unemployment Gurus assisted him in filing an appeal for Seth and was able to overturn the disqualification, making him eligible for benefits.
Case #376 RESOLVED: overpayments, disqualification, identity verification
Tim - PUA, Backdate, ID Verification, Disqualification
Tim was an independent contractor who applied for PUA benefits. He needed to verify his identity and he sent in the appropriate documents. He never received any updates, finding it nearly impossible to speak to an EDD agent. After finding Unemployment Gurus, he learned that the EDD had never received any of his documents. Behind on mortgage payments, he had not been paid anything since the beginning of the pandemic. His Guru helped gather his documents and made sure they were in good order for identity verification. Once his identity was finally cleared, he ran into another issue! They would not backdate his claim past December 6, 2020. His Guru worked hard and pushed for his claim to be backdated since it was clear in their records that he had applied in 2020 with the EDD but never received his benefits. Unemployment Gurus were successfully able to backdate his PUA claim to the start date of his unemployment in 2020 and received nearly $28,000 in a lump sum.
Case #380 RESOLVED: identity verification, appeal, backdate, PUA, disqualification
