The online application for Unemployment Insurance is now available in Armenian, Korean, and Tagalog. These languages are in addition to English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese. The application is available through the MyEDD online portal and UI Online.
Unemployment Insurance customers can now receive updates about the status of their claim and payment notifications via email or text message in those eight languages. (EDD News Release 24-12, March 28, 2024.)
Unemployment Insurance, State Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave benefits can now be issue by direct deposit into personal checking or savings accounts. Recipients can elect to have their benefits issued by direct deposit by going to their MyEDD account, selecting profile on the main menu, and then updating their preferred payment option. (EDD News Release 24-23, June 17, 2024.)
Residents of Kern, Mariposa, Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz, Tulare and Tuolumne Counties can now apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA). DUA is available to workers business owners, and self-employed persons who lost their job or business, or had their work hours reduced or interrupted because of impacts of the severe storms that began on February 21, 2023.
DUA applies to losses beginning the week of February 26, 2023. Eligible full-time workers and self-employed persons can get between $171 and $450 per week for up to 32 weeks. Part-time workers and part-time self-employed persons may be eligible. The last payable week of DUA ends October 7, 2023.
DUA is available to storms victims who meet any of the following criteria:
Persons must have applied for and used all regular unemployment insurance benefits, or be ineligible for regular unemployment benefits, and remain unemployed, to be eligible for DUA. In addition, the work or self-employment that the person can no longer do must have been their primary source of income.
Applicants must submit all required documentation within 21 days of applying. Required documentation includes the most recent federal tax form or check stubs, or other documentation to support that the applicant was working or self-employed when the disaster happened.
Applications for DUA must be filed by May 15, 2023 unless the applicant has good cause. (EDD News Releases 23-15, April 14, 2023.)
Californians in multiple counties can now apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA). DUA is available to workers business owners, and self-employed persons who lost their job or business, or had their work hours reduced or interrupted because of impacts of the severe storms.
DUA applies to losses beginning the week of January 1, 2023. Eligible full-time workers and self-employed persons can get between $166 and $450 per week for up to 28 weeks. Part-time workers and part-time self-employed persons may be eligible. The last payable week of DUA ends July 15, 2023.
DUA is available to storms victims who meet any of the following criteria:
Persons must have applied for and used all regular unemployment insurance benefits, or be ineligible for regular unemployment benefits, and remain unemployed, to be eligible for DUA. In addition, the work or self-employment that the person can no longer do must have been their primary source of income.
Applicants must submit all required documentation within 21 days of applying. Required documentation includes the most recent federal tax form or check stubs, or other documentation to support that the applicant was working or self-employed when the disaster happened.
Unless the applicant has good cause, applications for DUA must be filed by:
February 22, 2023 for residents of Sacramento, Merced, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and San Joaquin counties.
February 27, 2023 for residents of Calaveras County.
March 2, 2023 for residents of San Mateo County.
March 9, 2023 for residents of Alameda, Contra Costa, Mendocino, and Ventura counties.
(EDD News Releases 23-02, January 23, 2023; 23-03, January 26, 2023; 23-04, January 31, 2023, and 23-05, February 7, 2023.)
The Employment Development Department (EDD) has agreed to several measures to increase language access. EDD will continue to provide no-cost language interpreter services in any language; expand existing in-language phone lines that currently include Cantonese, English, Mandarin, Spanish and Vietnamese to include Armenian, Korean and Tagalog; and translate unemployment insurance documents for claimants into 15 non-English languages.
EDD is also building a multilanguage web portal, establishing a Language Access Office, and convening a multilingual advisory board. (News Release 22-11, February 28, 2022.)
People who received Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) were required to submit documentation showing their work history. Starting on November 10, 2021, the Employment Development Department (EDD) will send notices by email, text message and UI Online to people who must submit their proof of work history.
In general, notices will go to PUA claimants whose claim started in 2020 and who collected benefits after December 27, 2020, and PUA claimants whose claim started in 2021. People who filed for PUA in 2021 will be required to provide documentation of their 2020 work history even if they have already provided wage information. People who filed PUA claims after January 31, 2021 will have 21 days to submit proof of work history or request an extension. People who filed claims before January 31, 2021 will have 90 days to submit proof of work history or request an extension. Claimants can request more time by going to the UI Online homepage and selecting “Request More Time” in the “Upload Employment Documents” section.
Documents that can be used to prove self-employment include but are not limited to business licenses, tax returns, business receipts or invoices, signed affidavits verifying self-employment, contracts or agreements, or bank statements from a business account.
Documents that can be used to prove plans for self-employment include but are not limited to business licenses, state or federal employment identification numbers, written business plans, or lease agreements.
Notices will give the exact time periods that proof work history must be submitted and deadlines for submission or for requesting an extension of time to submit documentation. EDD will acknowledge receipt of submitted information and will follow-up with a communication indicating whether the documentation was sufficient.
If the claimant does not respond to the notice, a follow-up notice will be mailed. Failure to respond to the notice could result in a finding that the claimant was ineligible for PUA and an allegation of an overpayment of benefits. In those situations, EDD will send a Notice of Determination which can be appealed. If the claimant is found to be ineligible for PUA, EDD will send a Notice of Potential Overpayment which will give the claimant another opportunity to submit information. If EDD confirms an overpayment, the claimant will receive a Notice of Overpayment which gives the opportunity to appeal or request waiver of the overpayment. (News Release 21-64, November 5, 2021.)