Getting incorrect EDD benefits removed from award amount
I won my case, yay! But theres a major error.
When I received my award letter in April, it falsely said that I was receiving EDD benefits, and so they were reducing my amount from $1316 (just enough to barely make it) to $35.
I called my local social security office and they told me to get paperwork from EDD showing that I have not received benefits and have none available to me. The person at the local office said once I uploaded the paperwork it would take 60-90 days to process, and that I could file a direct needs letter to try to make that faster.
I also contacted my lawyer and had them sumbit my dire needs letter. My situation is dire (not going to go into detail here). I gave them all of this on May 1st.
Today, may 18th, lawyers office calls and says I have to actually appeal the whole decision, meaning going to an judge and taking 18-36 months or longer (Im in Santa Cruz, Ca).
Anyone know about this specific type of correction? Do I really have to appeal the entire thing and basically start over in terms of wait time? Is that wait estimate correct?
Anything more to speed it up other than dire needs letter and contacting my representative to have them flag the case. Did those both last time and still took 2.5+ years to get here.
I have no family help, have run through savings, and am on general assistance atm to barely survive (but I doubt it will last that long) & I owe people money, etc, etc.