Unemployed in SLO County: Laid-off mother called EDD 100 times and still couldn’t get help
Gabrielle Saunders is a single mother of two teenage sons who was laid off from her administrative assistant job in April as the COVID-19 pandemic hit California.
She wants to work. She’s actively looking for a new job. But so far, she hasn’t found one.
Making matters worse, Saunders has hit a so-far impenetrable roadblock seeking unemployment assistance. Upon being laid off, she immediately applied for aid, but as of this week, three months later, she’s still waiting.
“I can’t even find the words,” Saunders said. “My mental health has decreased tremendously due to all of the stress and the unknown. I don’t known how to take care of sons and live. I can’t get any answers and help.”
Saunders is just one of hundreds of Central Coast residents who’ve reached out to local state legislators in search of help with a system that at best, they say, is frustrating and at worse is flat-out broken.
“EDD is an abject failure and a total nightmare,” Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham said in a statement. “My constituents deserve a state government and bureaucracy that works for them. EDD has failed to live up to that standard.”
Nipomo woman’s struggle for unemployment assistance
In an effort to get help with a situation that’s becoming more dire as each week passes, Saunders said she has called the state’s Employment Development Department (EDD) as many as 100 times in a single day.
She successfully applied to county Social Services for food stamp assistance, but she fears losing her rental housing and vehicle without funding from the EDD, the department charged with processing and paying out unemployment claims.
Her situation is complicated by a past unemployment claim.
Before her latest job, Saunders was previously unemployed for a few months in 2019 and received an overpayment from the state, which now makes her ineligible for regular unemployment. She accepts the overpayment issue.
But Saunders said she received a letter saying she qualified for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which would provide her with $167 plus $600 in federal assistance for each week she is unemployed due to COVID-19.
“Shortly thereafter, I received a letter stating that I did not qualify for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, with no reason provided,” said Saunders, adding her subsequent appeal to the state department was denied.
Still convinced her coronavirus-related job loss does qualify her, Saunders has spent hours on the phone trying to get through and the only time she connected, after assistance from Sen. Bill Monning’s office, the EDD employee who answered couldn’t find her record, she said.
Saunders calls California’s EDD a “broken system” that’s not equipped to handle the needs of residents like her.
The Tribune tried to contact the EDD for comment, but the agency did not immediately respond.
Cunningham calls system ‘nightmare’
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic shutdown, Cunningham’s office said it has been contacted by nearly 2,500 Central Coast residents looking for help with EDD.
Cunningham said he is “launching a petition campaign to overhaul EDD, a broken state bureaucracy that is failing Central Coast residents in times of desperate need.”
The assemblyman’s aide, Nicholas Mirman, said in email to The Tribune that people are being wrongly denied benefits.
“They’re not getting their debit cards or checks,” Mirman said. “They’re not able to re-certify. They’re unable to change an honest mistake or typo on an application that bounces them from eligibility.”
The office is calling the issue “bureaucratic failure and mismanagement” and says it’s time for an overhaul of the EDD.
Cunningham and others in the state Legislature are asking the Joint Legislative Audit Committee for an independent audit of the agency, to review the department’s practices in order “to best address its failures moving forward.”
Meanwhile, they encourage anyone who needs help to call the office immediately.
Monning seeking to help ‘hundreds’
Monning likewise told The Tribune that he also has heard from many constituents experiencing difficulty.
“We know it’s been a challenge for many,” he said. “We’re keenly aware that there are those who have had trouble making a connection or securing their benefits. That’s where our office has been able to help those who have problems with the bureaucracy.”
Monning said his office been contacted by hundreds of constituents stuck at various stages in the process.
Staff at his three district offices can provide residents with a list of organizations that can walk them through the application process or simply provide an internet connection to fill out the appropriate paperwork, Monning said.
People who have already applied but are running into bureaucratic roadblocks or getting caught in an automated system can usually benefit from contacting his office, he said.
“There have been some success stories,” said Monning, adding a legislative representative can help.
“I recognize the frustration and I can’t imagine how tough it is on somebody who is depending on that support,” Monning said.
Worried for her future
Back in Nipomo, Saunders said she has applied to numerous jobs but keeps getting rejected amid steep competition and widespread economic challenges.
Her last job was at a small SLO County healthcare company that supplies medical devices to elderly people.
The company’s management warned employees of pending layoffs because of the particular impact of coronavirus on the industry. As a recent hire, she was let go early on.
“I’m applying for every job under the sun,” Saunders said. “Those are jobs I’m qualified for and even overly qualified for.”
Saunders said that her landlord has allowed splitting up monthly payments to help make rent, and she has exhausted her savings and relied on family members to help. But they’re struggling, too.
She has read up on the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and believes no circumstance would disqualify her from receiving it.
“My claim was not a simple claim, because of the past overpayment,” Saunders said. “But I believe I’ve fallen through the cracks. The department is definitely backed up, and they don’t have enough people to assist. It seems individuals at the EDD don’t have the appropriate training.”
Saunders added: “But rather than let you know or find out the answers and call you back, they don’t have the answers and you’re forgotten about. I’m sure this happening with so many other claims.”
County and state unemployment data
Access to unemployment benefits remains a persistent challenge in San Luis Obispo County and across the state with the jobless rate still in double digits.
In the month of June the unemployment rate decreased to 11.5% in SLO County; a decrease from a revised 12.9% in May, according to county officials.
Data shows that the county’s unemployment numbers decreased by 1,600 jobs to 15,200.
The unemployment rates also dropped to 15.1% from 15.9% statewide and 11.2% from 13% nationally during the same period.
In June, SLO County ranked 12th lowest unemployment rate in the state, county officials said.
San Luis Obispo County officials reported an unemployment rate of 12.7% in May, an improvement from 14% in April.
Leisure and hospitality showed the largest gains in June with 3,400 jobs, totaling 14,000.
Government jobs dropped by 1,600, totaling 21,700.
How to apply for unemployment benefits
Since the onset of the pandemic in March, many out-of-work residents have been eligible for both unemployment benefits from the state and a flat $600 a week payout as part of the federal CARES Act.
But that extra money, which for some people amounted to a raise over their normal wages, is set to expire at the end of July unless it is extended in some form by Congress, which is taking up the issue again next week.
Regardless of what happens to the federal money, the Employment Development Department encourages people to file a claim for unemployment within the first week of a job loss or hour reduction. An applicant’s claim begins on the Sunday of the week the person submits an application.
If an applicant has filed a previous unemployment insurance claim within the last 52 weeks and has not exhausted benefits, that person must reopen their claim to resume benefits.
Applications can be submitted online, by phone, fax, or mail. Once the application is received, the applicant will be mailed information about their claim and the program.
For more information on how to apply for unemployment in California go to: https://unemployment.edd.ca.gov/guide/how-to-apply. Information about eligibility requirements and a general FAQ section are available online.
The agency has also created a Benefit Calculator to estimate a claimant’s weekly benefit amount.
If applicants run into problems, they are encouraged to call Cunningham or Monning’s offices for assistance:
California Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham represents the 35th Assembly District encompassing all of San Luis Obispo County and northern Santa Barbara County. His staff can be reached online or at the offices listed here:
District Office: 1304 Broad Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401; 805-549-3381
Capitol Office: State Capitol, Ste. 4012, Sacramento, CA 94249; 916-319-2035
California state Senator Bill Monning represents the 17th Senate District encompassing all of San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz counties, as well as parts of Monterey and Santa Clara counties. His staff can be reached online or at the offices listed here:
San Luis Obispo District Office: 1026 Palm Street, Ste. 201, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401; 805-549-3784
Monterey District Office: 99 Pacific Street, Ste. 575-F, Monterey, CA 93940; 831-657-6315
Santa Cruz District Office: 701 Ocean St. Ste. 318A Santa Cruz, CA 95060; 831-425-0401
Santa Clara County Satellite: 408-847-6101
Capitol Office: State Capitol, Room 4040, Sacramento, CA 95814; 916-651-4017
This story was originally published July 17, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
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