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The federal benefits you may receive automatically What to know about reapplying for benefits Options for people not on regular unemployment Reopening a claim vs. filing a new one
We’re a year into a deadly pandemic that has cost hundreds of thousands of Californians their jobs, and caused claims for unemployment benefits to soar into the millions.
President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law in March 2021 to get more direct relief to people hit hardest by the pandemic and help the economy. In addition to direct stimulus payments, the bill also extends federal unemployment support.
If you’re claiming unemployment insurance through the Employment Development Department (EDD), this one year milestone might mean you need to take action on your claim. But how do these pandemic federal benefits affect your California unemployment claims? And how can you make sure you’re getting the support you’re entitled to?
Please note: The EDD website has recently been prone to glitches for people trying to certify their claims. In addition, wait times for EDDâs ID.me identity verification platform can still be considerable. Both of these issues can mean that even if you do everything right, it still might be hard work to get your benefits.
You’ll find phone numbers to speak to EDD representatives here on their site. But if youâre really struggling, you may find that contacting your legislator or a workers’ advocate group like the Center for Workers Rights could be a better bet than waiting on the phone. We also have a list of multilingual resources for unemployment claimants.
Consult EDD’s California Unemployment Benefits Flowchart to see your eligibilityÂ
What Unemployment Benefits Are You Entitled To?
Unemployment Insurance, or âRegular UIâ: The state program that supports Californians with W-2 income who are fully or partially unemployed because of no fault of their own (including COVID-19, school closures or an expired unemployment claim).
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA: The federal program that supports business owners, independent contractors and self-employed workers. (If you only got a 1099 tax form, this is likely the program youâre on).
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, or PEUC: The federal program for people who were on regular unemployment but exhausted those funds. You can be put on PEUC more than once â but to qualify for a PEUC extension, your regular UI claim must have started on July 8, 2018, or after. Depending on when you filed your unemployment claim and if it has expired, you may need to reapply for unemployment.
Federal-State Extended Duration, or FED-ED: The federal program for people whoâve exhausted both regular UI and PEUC funds.
Will I Get Any Federal Benefits Automatically?
You might. For all applicants, for weeks of unemployment between December 27, 2020, and September 4, 2021, EDD will add $300 of federal Pandemic Additional Compensation (PAC) to benefit weeks, on top of the other benefits you certify for.
This money should come through automatically; applicants shouldnât need to make any adjustments on their claims to get it.
How Do I Know If I Need to Reapply For Benefits?
If your benefits year has ended, you must file a new claim if youâre on either:
Regular unemployment insurance (UI) Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) extension Federal-State Extended Duration (FED-ED) extension
Your benefits year ends 12 months after you filed your claim. You need to re-file so EDD can assess whether you are eligible for a new UI claim and â if you arenât, decide which program makes most sense for you.
If you are in this position, EDD should send you a notice (via your UI Online account or through the mail) telling you that you need to reapply for another claim.
What If Iâve Been on Regular UI, But Havenât Worked At All During The Pandemic â And Now My Claim Is Expired?
To be eligible for more UI benefits, you will need to have earned enough in W-2 income during the pandemic to qualify for a new claim.
If you havenât worked at all throughout the pandemic, EDD should automatically file a PEUC extension on your prior UI claim, and you should be notified the agency has done this.
Iâm Not On Regular UI. What Federal Support Does My Program Qualify Me For, And What Do I Need to Do to Get It?
1. Existing and Exhausted PUA Claims
If you still had a balance remaining on your PUA claim on March 14, EDD says you should continue to get benefits without delays. EDD says around 95% of PUA recipients should be able to keep certifying without a break. On a media call on March 26, EDD said everyone on existing PUA claims should have been able to start certifying for these benefits on Sunday, March 28. For the around five percent of PUA recipients who exhausted all PUA benefits, EDD says you should be getting texts, UI Online notifications or mailed notices by April 10, 2021 â if not sooner â  about when to certify for other benefits.
2. Existing and Exhausted PEUC claims
Still had a balance remaining on your PEUC claim on March 14? EDD says you should also continue to get benefits without delays. Around half of people with existing PEUC claims should be able to keep certifying without a break, says EDD. For the other half of applicants whoâve exhausted all PEUC extensions, you could be eligible for another 20 weeks of benefits under FED-ED Extension. If you are, EDD will automatically file a FED-ED extension on your claim. EDD says it will phase in these benefits between April 10 and April 30, and will notify you in your UI online account when it does. Not everyone is eligible, though, so take a look at EDD’s Unemployment Benefit Programs flowchart to work out if you are.
3. Regular UI and Existing FED-ED claims
If you have not reached the end of your benefits year, you should continue to be able to continue to certify, in addition to receiving the $300 federal PAC bump without interruption.
4. New PUA Claims
Need to file a new PUA claim? You should be able to do so, but you will currently only be paid at the minimum level of $167 per week, plus the extra $300 federal payment. By April 10, applicants may become eligible for a higher weekly benefit amount based on income information reported on their application, and any shift in benefit amount will be applied retroactively.
How Many Weeks Will These New Benefits Carry Me Over For?
EDD has a breakdown of how long these federal benefits will extend your support for, and how many weeks of benefits you can ultimately receive. See the breakdown of benefit lengths.
Reopening a Claim Vs. Filing a New One
According to Daniela Urban, Executive Director of the Center for Workersâ Rights, applicants should be on the lookout on their own for the ability to file a new claim, even if their old claim is allowing them to re-certify. Some peoplesâ accounts just say pending for a long time when really, itâs time for them to re-file. Even though that option may have already popped up on their account, they may be overlooking it.
The option to âReopen Claimâ online is supposed to appear if itâs been more than 30 days since you last certified for benefits. If your benefit year hasnât expired, EDD will put your account into a semi-dormant mode, instead of closing out your account. (Think of it like your computer going into sleep mode, instead of shutting down.)
Reopening an unemployment claim online is a shorter process than filing a new claim if your benefit year has not ended. In most cases, we can automatically reopen a claim within a few days to a week. Learn more: https://t.co/LtBxmebgKK
— EDD (@CA_EDD) March 3, 2021
That said, there have been glitches in the past and people have gotten this notification when they shouldnât have. So if you get this “Reopen Claim” notice, but you have been certifying regularly, donât click on that option until youâve gotten more information about why youâre getting this notice.
PUA and PEUC claimants who had a balance remaining when the CARES Act expired on December 26, 2020 don't need to reopen a claim. EDD will recalculate and alert you when weeks are available to certify for up to 11 weeks of additional unemployment benefits.
— EDD (@CA_EDD) January 15, 2021
If you do actually need to re-open your claim, EDD has a step-by-step video guide:
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