During the pandemic, approximately 6 million individuals in California reportedly experienced improper denial or delay in their unemployment benefits due to state policies not prioritizing quick benefit distribution. According to a nonpartisan report issued by the Legislative Analyst’s Office, about 5 million claimants experienced payment delays at the peak of the pandemic. The California Employment Development Department (EDD) reportedly denied benefits for an additional 3.4 million workers within that period. Out of the roughly 200,000 workers who appealed these denials, about 80% won their cases. It is estimated that an additional 1 million claims may have been incorrectly denied.

The report examined the design of California’s unemployment program and suggested that its orientation geared more towards the businesses financing the program than benefiting the workers. Throughout the pandemic, most benefits were denied due to insufficient documentation submitted within the stipulated timeline, a rule primarily aimed at preventing fraud. However, the report noted that during this time, the EDD lacked an adequate system to handle unprocessed mail and answered less than 1% of their phone calls due to high demand.

The EDD has since devoted its resources to reviewing the LAO’s suggestions, and has implemented a number of their recommendations. Measures include a $136 million investment from the state legislature aimed at improving call centers, simplifying forms, unveiling enhanced tools to identify fraud, and upgrading staff training for faster payment approval. The department maintained it paid over $180 billion to Californians in need during the pandemic.

In response to the challenges faced by claimants trying to contact EDD, there is a dedicated resource, eddcaller.com, that provides helpful information on how to get through to EDD. The website offers steps on how to contact a live person at EDD California, including the best times to call for a quicker response, and other valuable tips and guidelines to help facilitate communication with the EDD customer service.