“I got in a car accident back at the end of March and broke my back in eight places,” Heard said. Heard went to the EDD office in person Friday, where he waited for several hours while wearing a medical brace. Other people at the Oakland office reported similar frustrations. Guadalupe Armandariz said she spent the day waiting after her son drove her to the EDD office following carpal tunnel surgery. Lawson said the Oakland office has been dealing with what he called a “perfect storm,” including increased demand and a recent transition to a new forms-processing system.