SAN DIEGO — State legislators are calling for a complete overhaul of the Employment Development Department (EDD) and a resolution of its backlog of claims in California. They issued the call in a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom as more than a million people in the state are waiting for their benefits to come through.
Robert Mitchell is unemployed and trying to raise a family of five children in Lake Elsinore.
“I’m running out of money. I have five kids - five beautiful kids - two of them in diapers running around, and it is just difficult,” said Mitchell.
Mitchell, 32, is looking forward to getting off parole in five months, and he’s working to turn his life around.
“I have to come up with money for rent, for food, diapers, formula; one of them is still on formula. One of my kids is allergic to milk so I have to buy him almond milk. It's hard staying out here with no assistance, you know?” said Mitchell.
Employed as a foreman in a sporting supplies factory for the past year, Mitchell was laid off in April due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He applied for EDD benefits that same month and continues to look for a new job.
“Sixteen weeks. I mean I’m going on 16 weeks without pay and it's hard,” he said. “I sent my back claims in. It says that they received it. It's just pending, pending, pending."
EDD reports it has 239,000 claims pending resolution and an additional 889,000 claims waiting for verification, for a total of 1.1 million unresolved claims statewide.
In the letter sent to Governor Gavin Newsom this week, 61 legislators called for a complete overhaul of the EDD agency.
The lawmakers’ letter recommended that, right away, EDD should "award benefits... at least initial or partial benefits... and issue overpayment notices, if necessary" at a later date.
As it stands now, the best advice for people having trouble getting through to EDD on the phone is to call your state assembly member or state senator. Those offices also are overwhelmed but they do have staff members who can reach EDD.
“It just messes with you. It takes a toll on you. It messes with you personally, and as a father of five and me losing my job, I mean, it's really frustrating and embarrassing,” said Mitchell.