California’s Employment Development Department (EDD) is responsible for paying out the state’s unemployment claims. Ever since the pandemic began, the agency has struggled to close its huge backlog of claims. The system is even more frustrating for people who struggle with technology and language access, and advocates say these issues are still a big problem today.
Guest: Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED reporter and producer for The California Report
Episode transcript here.
Claiming unemployment in California? Here’s what to know about EDD and pandemic federal benefits.
These organizations provide multilingual assistance in applying for unemployment benefits. Below is their contact information, and the languages in which they offer support: