Lost Wages Assistance program updates
On September 7th, SOME claimants will begin to receive $300 in additional benefit payments
LWA will be provided for three weeks MINIMUM (total of $900)
Payments are in addition to what claimants already received in weekly benefits
LWA Eligibility requirements
Minimum of $100 or more weekly benefit award
Received payment on claim between July 26 and August 15
Must self-attest that you are unemployed/partially unemployed due to disruptions caused by COVID-19
I worked during that time, my payout was less that $100... do I qualify?
If you main WBA is more than $100 you will still qualify for the extra LWA payment if YOU RECEIVED PAYMENT between July 26 and August 15
Make sure to look at all other eligibility requirements as well
How will payments be issued?
Those with debit cards, it will arrive in one lump sum
Those receiving checks will get separate checks
LWA is going to be executed in phases. Who do the phases cover?
Phase 1: 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
This will take a couple weeks to get retroactive payments issued
Phase 2: 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 and will gather this info by mid-Sept
Once claimants get notification, submit your self-certification through your UI Online account for faster processing
NEW UPLOAD FEATURE for identity verification
EDD has launched a new Document Upload option allowing claimants to provide required documents to verify their identity. This will also be rolled out in two phases
PHASE 1: for claimants who applied recently and are required to verify identity
You will receive notification by mail, email or text messaging to fully register in UI Online and to upload requested documents
PHASE 2: the ability to upload documents from a mobile phone
This phase also expands to allow claimants to provide wage information that may not have been reported by employers to EDD
EDD Preventing UI Fraud
Recent schemes have triggered multiple mail items with different names sent to addresses throughout the state
Non-claimants may receive debit cards that have to be activated by individual named on card with personal identifying information before benefits can be accessed. Card items can be returned to EDD or Bank of America and will be destroyed
A large number of mail items are notices requiring additional identifying documents to be provided to EDD before claim can be paid -- these notices are part of EDD's preventative Identity Verification process
EDD asks for the help of the public to protect the integrity of the UI program. If you received multiple items through the mail that doesn't belong to you or witness other suspicious activity take these steps:
Report it to EDD right away – The EDD website features information about fraud and options on how to report it. The easiest way to report is through the online Fraud Reporting Form. In order to protect the confidentiality and integrity of an investigation, the EDD cannot provide those who report fraud any updates unless ordered by a court or required by law.
Provide mail evidence to EDD if at all possible - For the most direct route to investigators, those who received potentially fraudulent mail are encouraged to send it to EDD PO Box 826880, MIC 43, Sacramento, CA 94280-0225. OR, for a cheaper and more convenient option, people can write “Return to Sender” on the envelope and provide it to their mail carrier.
Watch out for scams – Californians should be aware to not provide the multiple mail items they may have received to people who may show up at their door claiming to be collecting materials for EDD. EDD representatives will not come to your home.
Most of this article is a summary of the newsletter, the information about fraud is taking right from the EDD Newsletter.
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
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