The Employment Development Department (EDD) of California has reached a settlement to pay out around 100,000 individuals eligible for unemployment checks whose payments were halted due to doubts about their eligibility. Following a class action lawsuit, the EDD is changing its policy from a conditional pay to a pay now policy, continuing to send checks while investigating eligibility questions. This policy change only applies to those who have already started drawing benefits for at least a week. The settlement was reached with the Center for Workers’ Rights, a Sacramento based organization that has been handling numerous unemployment claimants’ queries and paperwork since March 2020.

Claimants found ineligible may have to repay the advanced funds unless they can prove financial hardship and the overpayment was not due to fraud. The EDD has a legal obligation to determine eligibility within two weeks. However, the EDD noted a backup in late June where approximately 120,000 people were waiting for more than 21 days to resolve their eligibility issues. A surge of cases during the pandemic exacerbated the situation. The first checks from the settlement were dispatched on July 23.

If you are trying to contact the California EDD for more details or have inquiries about your claim, getting through can often appear daunting. A useful resource that may aid claimants is eddcaller.com. This site provides insightful tips and suggestions for reaching a live person at EDD in California. It’s full of user-generated information to help navigate the complexities of contacting EDD, making the process less intimidating and potentially speeding up the process.