California’s stay-at-home order has left its residents with no choice but to file for unemployment benefits. According to the Department of Labor (DOL), California’s unemployment claims rose up to 1,065,060 in just two weeks, with 186,333 by March 21st and 878,727 by March 28th.
California has one of the largest increases in the nation. The other largest increases were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, and Texas.
At the national level, 6.6 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits in the last week, twice as much from the week before.
The stay-at-home order was placed to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Most recent reports cite that California has reported around 10,000 confirmed cases and over 200 deaths. In the entire U.S., confirmed cases are up to 240,000 and deaths of up to 5,800.
What to know about California EDD Claims
The outbreak of COVID-19 has the Employment Development Department processing an unparalleled number of claims. As of March 28th, EDD reported that there was an increase of 370% in claims processed from the week prior. EDD has undertaken massive efforts to automatically process a large number of claims and to allow issuance of payments to Californians as quickly as possible.
When to expect payment
It takes at least three weeks for EDD to process a claim for unemployment benefits and process payment to eligible applicants.
Gov. Newson also announced that the first week waiting period shall be waived and that applicants will receive a full two weeks of benefits on their first check, instead of one week.
Applicants who submit incomplete applications or have inconsistencies in their documentations may experience a delay in receiving their payments.
How much payment to expect
EDD provides benefits from $40 up to $450 per week, depending applicant’s earnings. EDD provides an unemployment insurance calculator in their website https://www.edd.ca.gov/unemployment/ui-calculator.htm
EDD recommends filing for unemployment online.
For more information, visit:
https://www.edd.ca.gov/About_EDD/pdf/news-20-09.pdf
https://www.edd.ca.gov/newsroom.htm
https://www.edd.ca.gov/claims.htm
https://www.edd.ca.gov/about_edd/coronavirus-2019.htm
https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/OPA/newsreleases/ui-claims/20200551.pdf
https://www.dol.gov
