March 26, 2021 - Sacramento – Following Thursday’s update on the launch of the American Rescue Plan, the Employment Development Department (EDD) today released further details about efforts to help many Californians continue receiving benefits under federal unemployment benefit programs as new required programming is implemented.
Approximately 95 percent of the 1.2 million people collecting on a PUA claim and nearly half of the 1.4 million people collecting on an existing PEUC claim will continue to receive payments without delay as long as they had a balance remaining on their claim on March 14 and otherwise remain eligible. Here are further updates on the four main categories of benefits detailed last week:
1. Existing and Exhausted PUA claims: Approximately 95 percent of the 1.2 million people collecting on an existing PUA claim will continue to be able to certify and receive payments if eligible, plus the extra $300 federal payment, based on the balance remaining on their claim. The remaining five percent that exhausted all PUA benefits will be getting texts, UI Online notifications, or mailed notices by April 10, 2021, if not sooner, about when to certify for benefits.
2. Existing and Exhausted PEUC claims: Approximately 47 percent of the 1.4 million collecting on an existing PEUC claim will continue to collect benefits if eligible, plus the extra $300 federal payment, without delay. The remaining claimants that have exhausted all PEUC extension benefits will be phased in between April 10 and April 30.
3. Regular or FED-ED claims: Californians on regular state Unemployment Insurance (UI) or Federal-State Extended Duration (FED-ED) continue to receive the extra $300 federal payment without interruption.
4. New PUA claims: Any new claims for PUA benefits could be filed starting last week, and paid at the minimum level of $167 per week, plus the extra $300 federal payment. But by April 10, claimants may become eligible for a higher weekly benefit amount based on income information reported on their application and it will automatically be applied retroactively.
The extended federal benefits are attached to certain eligibility periods, and as long as someone qualifies for benefits during those periods they will be paid for those weeks--even if Department processing of those benefits may come a little later.
Claimants should monitor their UI Online accounts, or by mail if they are paper filers, for updates on when they can start certifying for benefits as we transition them to any extended federal benefits they may qualify to receive. In addition, the EDD has provided a federal benefits availability chart to help Californians understand what benefits are available and for what periods of time they may face unemployment during this COVID-19 pandemic.
We also encourage people to monitor our federal unemployment benefits webpage for further details as they become available. In addition, information is available on this page to help people understand what happens when they come up on the end of their 12-month initial claim and how that impacts access to further federal benefits that may be available.
Source: CA. EDD
