When will payments start?
LWA payments will be done in phases starting September 7, 2020
Who does Phase 1 cover?
Claimants who previously provided info that they were unemployed due to COVID-19 on their initial application and have already received their regular state or federal unemployment payments for weeks between July 26 and August 15
Claimants who applied for benefits mid-March would have been presented with questions about being unemployed due to COVID-19
Who does Phase 2 cover?
Claimants who did not have the opportunity to indicate they were unemployed due to COVID-19 reason on their initial application and still meet the $100 WBA eligibility requirement
EDD will send notifications to claimants to complete a one-time self-certification to inform if they were unemployed due to disruptions caused by COVID-19
How will I be notified?
EDD will notify claimants by email, text message, or by mail to gather this information by mid-September
Once claimants get notification, submit your self-certification through your UI Online account for faster processing
What are the eligibility requirements?
You need to have a weekly benefit award (WBA) of $100 or more to qualify on your regular UI, PUA, PEUC or FED-ED claim
Must have self-certified that you were unemployed or partially unemployed due to COVID-19
For those who applied before April 28 with a $0 award notice:
EDD is sending e-mail notifications to these applicants who have not returned to file a PUA claim when the new PUA applications were implemented.
PUA are for those who are business owners, self-employed, independent contractors, and those who have not received employment wages in the past 18 months
The fastest way to apply for benefits is through UI Online
When answering "Last Employer" refer to EDD's PUA's FAQs for more information.
Full EDD release here
FUTURE EDD PLANS
EDD has a PDF with plans they are taking to help those with identity verification. Document here
Sept 1, 2020
Allow customers to upload identity documents electronically and automatically process
Allow customers to upload wage documents electronically for claimants that are missing wage information to qualify for a claim
Sept 4, 2020
Identity opportunities to make claim status more transparent in UI Online so claimants can see what is preventing their claims in being processed and what actions they can take
October 2020
Add skills-based routing to allow escalated calls to be transferred tot rained claims-processing staff
They are also in partnership with the Strike Team to further explore technology options to improve customer experience
Tools & Resources:
NEW: direct Unemployment Guru Help
We are now servicing people who have claims that have been stuck for months or those who need assistance with appeals. If you have other questions you can ask in our forum which we check periodically.
Tools & Calculators
Unemployment Gurus has tools and calculators to figure out those really confusing questions:
How much can I earn and still qualify for the FPUC $300 from the new stimulus?
Do I qualify for FED-ED?
How much will I get if I work?
What is my standard base period?
Do I qualify for LWA?
Am I eligible for UI?
Preview tools here
