Overwhelmed by jobless claims, California waives rule requiring unemployed to update status

People who are receiving unemployment insurance payments in California no longer have to recertify their claims every two weeks to keep receiving the money, California Labor Secretary Julie Su announced Thursday.

The change should allow the state workers processing claims to spend more time on new claims, which have surged in the last couple days, Su said in a news release.

The surge “has threatened the ability of people to apply for benefits and our ability to pay benefits,” Su said in the release.

More than 2.7 million Californians have filed for unemployment insurance in the last five weeks as the coronavirus pandemic keeps people at home. Su in a memo to the Employment Development Department said the state paid out $2 billion in unemployment benefits last week alone.

Thursday’s change applies to people who were supposed to submit certifications for the weeks ending March 14 through May 9, according to the release.

Thursday’s change does not eliminate the requirement for initial eligibility reviews for people filing new claims, a Labor and Workforce Agency spokeswoman said.

Former Gov. Jerry Brown took that step in 2013 after a botched technology upgrade at the Employment Development Department hindered unemployment claim processing in the wake of the Great Recession.

Su said in the release that state law allows for temporary flexibility in requirements to conduct the recertifications every two weeks.

“These are extraordinary times calling for extraordinary measures and it is our job to do everything we can to get these critical benefits into the hands of Californians,” said Su.

Those who return to work still need to notify the Employment Development Department immediately, according to the announcement.

People attempting to file unemployment claims online have reported a range of frustrations in calls and emails to The Sacramento Bee.

Some people successfully navigate the process and then don’t receive a debit card in the mail, while others are determined to be ineligible for unknown reasons. Some have called the department hundreds of times trying to resolve problems without success.

This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 9:01 PM.