Expanded Unemployment Assistance in California

California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced new initiatives to support the millions of California workers who have lost jobs or wages as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the governor’s direction, the Employment Development Department (EDD) will launch a new call center on Monday that will operate seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Unemployment Insurance Branch will be upstaffed with 1,340 employees, including 740 EDD employees and 600 employees from across state government.

The EDD will also stand up a one-stop shop for individuals applying for unemployment insurance and the new federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program starting April 28. The PUA will provide federally funded benefits distinct from the Unemployment Insurance program for certain individuals out of work or partially unemployed due to COVID-19. This includes the self-employed, individuals who may be employees but who lack sufficient work history and independent contractors. Federal guidelines include gig workers and California’s gig workers will continue to be protected by our strong laws against misclassification in the administration of PUA. PUA benefits will be issued within 24-48 hours – not the traditional 21 days for regular UI claims.