Saying the COVID-19 pandemic changed a lot of things is an understatement. One of the many facets of our lives the pandemic altered is the job market. With so many employees losing jobs during 2020 due to the pandemic, unemployment benefits had to adjust to help citizens. However, as of September 2021, the pandemic-era compensation will be changing drastically. Read the details below to learn why millions of Californians are losing EDD benefits and whether you’re one of them.
Unemployment and the Pandemic
On March 27, 2020, The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law. The CARES act is a way of helping individuals struggling to find employment during the pandemic. For instance, part of this act includes new parameters for receiving unemployment benefits.
One form of compensation the CARES Act introduced is Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, allowing individuals to collect 53 weeks of additional payments if they exhaust their unemployment benefits. Let’s dive into all the policies coming to an end for Californians and exactly when they’ll become inactive.
Which Claims Are Changing and When
As the California EDD website details, after September fourth, 2021, four unemployment claim types are no longer eligible for benefits. The list of newly illegible claim types includes the following:
- Pandemic Additional Compensation (PAC)
- Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
- Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC)
- Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC)
However, September fourth isn’t the only date on which unemployment benefits under the CARES Act come to an end. On September 11, 2021, Federal-State Extended Duration (FED-ED) is officially unpayable, too.
Knowing Where You Stand
Now that you know why millions of Californians are losing EDD benefits, you should have a clearer picture of whether you still qualify. This guide can help you understand whether your benefits denial is wrongful under these circumstances. So, if you feel you’re wrongfully being denied benefits, contact an EDD lawyer in California to start finding a solution. After all, if you’re eligible for those benefits, you deserve them.
