Sacramento
“For the week ending on Saturday, April 4, 2020, the California Employment Development Department (EDD) processed 925,450 claims, which is a 2,418 percent increase over the same week last year.” – Office of Governor Gavin Newsom
Starting this Sunday, April 12, 2020, California workers receiving unemployment benefits will begin receiving an extra $600 on top of their weekly amount.
The added dollars are part of the new Pandemic Additional Compensation (PAC) benefits initiated by the CARES Act, Governor Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday.
The welcomed announcement came just as record numbers of unemployment claims in the state continue to be filed on a weekly basis.
“Many Californians are feeling the effects of this pandemic, and this added benefit is very important to our workers, so they have needed resources during this difficult time,” said Governor Newsom.
California has processed about 2.3 million unemployment insurance claims in the last four weeks, which is more than the total number of claims filed in 2019.
For the week ending on Saturday, April 4, 2020, the California Employment Development Department (EDD) processed 925,450 claims, which is a 2,418 percent increase over the same week last year.
In the last four weeks the Employment Development Department has paid a total of nearly $684.3 million in unemployment benefits.
“I want to thank both our federal partners, as well as everyone in our Labor Agency and the staff in the Employment Development Department, who are working around the clock to ensure California workers have the resources they need to get through this difficult time,” added Governor Newsom.
For more information on how to apply for unemployment insurance benefits and what claimants need to know about these new $600 additional payments, visit the EDD website.