Unemployment remains one of the most challenging areas for the taxpayer to tackle as millions of people remain out of work, and therefore benefits must be paid to support those searching for employment.
The Employment Development Department (EDD) hopes that its new unemployment and disability payment contractor it will be the end of an era of scams that have occurred over the past few years.
According to CalMatters, the EDD are to begin notifying 850,000 benefit recipients of the new payment provider, Money Network.
In mid-January, people receiving unemployment, disability and paid leave benefits from the EDD will be mailed new Money Network debit cards. Payments will officially begin on these cards on February 15.
Anyone who still has a Bank of America EDD debit card will have until April 15 to spend the money. The new EDD cards will include both security chips and tap-to-pay options common in consumer credit cards.
How much can I get and for how long?
Your weekly benefit amount (WBA) ranges from $40 to $450. To get an estimate of what you will receive, use the unemployment benefit calculator. You must serve a one-week unpaid waiting period on your claim before you are paid benefits.
To receive unemployment benefits, you must meet all eligibility requirements when applying and when certifying for benefits. These are as follows:
- Earned enough wages during the base period.
- Be totally or partially unemployed.
- Be unemployed through no fault of your own.
- Be physically able to work.
- Be available for work.
- Be ready and willing to accept work immediately.
What happened with the Covid rent relief program?
The $5.2 billion program launched in 2021 to help Californians pay down rental debt they accumulated during the pandemic. But according to CalMatters, the program is running out of funds to help those affected during the Covid pandemic between 2019 and 2021.
While it stopped taking new applications in 2022, more than 70,000 households still have applications pending. The program only has enough funding to cover a little more than 14,000 people – meaning the remaining 80 per cent of the total applicant pool will miss out.