As coronavirus steadily spreads throughout Santa Barbara County, service and retail workers have turned to California’s Employment Development Department (EDD) to file unemployment claims. This surge in applications has resulted in the department experiencing unprecedented strain and immense obstacles for those who have lost their jobs.
Last Tuesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that 1.6 million Californians have filed unemployment claims through the EDD. In a tweet, Newsom warned that this number will continue to rise over the coming weeks.
Under normal circumstances, Californians who lose their job are eligible to apply to the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program, which pays weekly benefit amounts ranging from $40 dollars to $450 dollars. A person can only receive these benefits if they meet the EDD’s eligibility requirements, including total or partial unemployment despite physical ability and desire to work. Once a person files a UI claim, they must continue to demonstrate a need for benefits by meeting these requirements every week.