Lawmakers and advocates are eager to see California’s Employment Development Department (EDD) implement reforms recommended by a state-backed task force in a new report.
The department has been under scrutiny since early in the pandemic for its dated digital resources and inefficient staffing structure. These shortfalls, among others, have led to more than a million Californians — 1.6 million, according to the latest figures — getting by with staggered payments or, in some cases, receiving no payments at all.
In addition to the technological shortfalls and lack of staffing, the state task force's report – called a "strike team" by Gov. Gavin Newsom – also highlighted how the department's own priorities have contributed to the bottlenecks that are keeping Californians from getting their benefits.
This came as no surprise to Daniela Urban, an attorney with Legal Aid at Work and founder of the Center for Workers’ Rights in Sacramento.
“EDD has had a history, and it's pointed out in the strike team report, of their belief that their need to combat fraud is of utmost importance," Urban said, "we see that come into conflict with claimants’ ability to access benefits in many ways.”
According to the report, more than 20,000 claims per day are diverted to be hand processed. Most of those diversions, the report says, are related to identity verification issues: In other words, EDD is taking these extra steps to prove these claims aren’t fraudulent. The reason it takes so long besides sheer numbers is, as of now, claimants have to physically mail these documents into the agency — there’s no digital uploading.
According to Assemblymember David Chiu, who’s been critical of the department since the pandemic started, these extra efforts are doing more harm than good.
