SAN DIEGO — There were a lot of questions and a few answers Tuesday during a live, town-hall meeting with EDD, California's unemployment agency.
Frustration was boiling over EDD’s lack of communication with its clients and delays over getting claim money delivered.
Hundreds of people attended the live meeting on Facebook, where the agency’s deputy division chief took written questions.
The hour-long meeting was led by two local, state assemblywomen, Shirley Weber and Lorena Gonzalez.
“Nobody ever thought we'd have 5 million people applying for unemployment insurance,” said Gonzalez, who represents District 80.
Weber represents District 79, and together the two districts cover much of South Bay.
Over and over again, people complained that nobody was answering the phone lines at the EDD agency.
“Getting through can be difficult, especially during the peak times [like] Monday mornings and Friday afternoons, so try to avoid that,” responded Annie Taamilo, the EDD deputy division chief.
People said EDD simply ignores email messages as well.
Both assemblywomen said people should call their assembly district offices directly if people can't get through to EDD. The deputy division chief agreed.
“Your constituents can send you an email and I know that there is an EDD liaison that you can send this information directly to, and they can help you with the specific questions from your constituents,” Taamilo said.
One question asked online: “If I am concerned for my health and high risk, do I have to go back to work if my job asks me to come back?”
“Under the California law, the EDD will consider whether the particular work is suitable in light of the risk factor mentioned above, such as the degree of risk involved to the individual's health and safety,” responded Taamilo.
Other people said they have been locked out of their online EDD accounts.
“You can reset your password and request your username by following the links on the benefit program's online login page,” Taamilo said.
The deputy division chief urged people not to submit duplicate claims, as that can cause delays. She said an initial claim typically takes 21 days to process, and clients can expect a response to emails in about 10 days.
The agency said it has processed more than 6 million claims since the pandemic began in early March.
Even so, Weber was feeling the frustration in the chat room.
“As I read your messages, I am feeling your concern and frustration and desperation, really, to try and get through his bureaucracy to get information,” Weber said.
EDD recently hired 900 workers to deal with the backlog, and they plan to hire 4,800 more workers in the coming weeks, according to Taamilo.
If you want to apply for one of those government jobs, you can file an application through the CalCareers website by searching for the term "EDD."