EDD has processed 21 million claims in year; backlog looms

An expanded data dashboard from the California Employment Development Department that is updated weekly shows the agency has processed more than 21 million claims in the past year since the onset of the pandemic, but is still facing a backlog of more than 152,000 claims that have been awaiting agency action for three weeks or more.

The tool also breaks down unemployment claims by county, as well as how the agency has handled millions of calls from people struggling to get benefits as the agency has sifted through an avalanche of claims.

The agency received more than 2.4 million calls last week, according to the most recent data. Roughly 310,000 of them were from unique callers, and 257,000 calls were answered by staff, leaving more than 50,00 unanswered.

Despite the agency’s push for more transparency online, the EDD’s website was partly unable to process claims after it was beset by technical problems last weekend and into Monday.

Thousands of Californians receiving assistance took to social media to sound the alarm about also being able to certify their unemployment claims, which jobless people must do every two weeks to continue receiving benefits.

During a press call Friday EDD Deputy Director of Public Affairs Loree Levy reiterated that 95% of the 1.2 million people receiving benefits under the recently extended federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program would continue to get payments without interruption as long as they still had a balance on their claim as of March 14.

She said people receiving PUA benefits and who need to certify for those benefits would now be able to do so as of Sunday instead of April 10 as previously announced. The EDD has staggered under the deluge of unemployment claims brought on by the pandemic, which has pushed it beyond its technical limits.

Last week the agency said 2.4 million Californians would see a delay in receiving extended jobless benefits affecting the selfemployed and people on federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits.

A recently passed $1.9 trillion federal rescue package also extended the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program.

The EDD has said roughly 47% of the 1.4 million Californians currently receiving benefits under that program will continue to receive the benefits without interruption, including an extra $300 per week because of the rescue package.

The remaining 53% who have exhausted their benefits under the program will have to wait until early to late April to see their benefits continue under the recently passed rescue plan, however.