Earlier this week, the California Employment Development Department (EDD) launched a new website for the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. As of April 30, data suggests 190,000 claims have been filed for PUA benefits. According to a press release, the new website is specifically for “business owners, self-employed and independent contractors.”
Users have expressed some confusion over where to enter W-2 and 1099 information and whether or not someone who has received W-2 income qualifies (According to the EDD website, if you are already receiving regular unemployment insurance benefits, you cannot qualify for PUA benefits). Since there is one application portal for both regular UI and PUA claims, EDD hopes to simplify the process, yet the site has reportedly been crashing for many claimants. The department stated it will soon be launching a new guide to navigate the application process.
In the meantime, the Unofficial CA unemployment help Facebook group â 25,000 members strong, is collectively answering unemployment questions and providing some support. A post aimed to help those struggling to decipher the current online forms and language has garnered 1000 comments. In addition, there are currently over 6,000 comments on the “Applying to PUA 4/28/20” thread.
In the press release, EDD Director Sharon Hilliard said âWe know there are a lot of workers in the state who are in business for themselves and have been greatly struggling through this historic pandemic.â
Additional frequently asked questions on the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program can be found on the EDD website.
â Lakshmi Sarah (@lakitalki)
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