H1 to H4 EAD conversion.

Hi all,

I am on H1 right now but lost my job. I understand that now there is a 60 day grace period before my H1 status is no longer valid and I should apply for a change of status. Now I am planning to convert to H4-EAD, but I had an approved H4 visa previously, which had an end date of Sept 2016 (expired). I see that currently approval of H4 and EAD can take up to 90+days.

In my case, since I had an approved H4 but it expired now, is it considered as a brand new H4 again?
how long does it take to change my status from H1 to H4 and get the EAD approval?

Appreciate any inputs. Thank you.