TURLOCK, Calif. — If you filed for unemployment benefits with the Employment Development Department [EDD] and were wrongfully denied, you can file an appeal. According to the Center for Workers Rights, half of the people who appeal, get their money.
However, there is a backlog of cases, and it can take months to get a hearing.
Diane Serna from Turlock says EDD owes her $11,172 in unemployment benefits. She’s been waiting for a hearing since March 2021.
“I got a letter saying I was denied and you have to file an appeal, so I sent back all the information,” Serna said. “I haven’t even heard if they received the information.”
If you are denied, you can file an appeal within 30 days.
Serna reached out to ABC10 since she didn’t hear back from EDD after she sent in her paperwork. Others who have reached out to ABC10 say the same.
Once you appeal, EDD forwards over your case to the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board [CUIAB], which is separate from EDD. Local lawmakers who have EDD liaisons say they cannot help with cases in the appeals process. The EDD also cannot give updates on the appeals process either and many are left waiting for months, hoping their status changes on their EDD account.
Serna said she checks the status of her case online everyday through the EDD website.
According to Gregory Crettol, the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board’s CUIAB assistant director of policy, research, and innovation, the average wait time in September 2021 was 21 weeks from when someone files an appeal to when someone gets a decision mail date. Before the pandemic, the statewide average from appeal date to decision mail date was approximately a month.
In September 2021, the board closed over 26,000 cases. Before the pandemic, it averaged 15,000 to 18,000 cases a month. ABC10 questioned the board on the backlog. They have tried to address the issue by adding 60 new judges and are still recruiting for more.
One way to get an update on your appeal is to call your CUIAB field office to check on the status of your appeal and hearing. A list of them can be found HERE.
ABC10 helped Serna get ahold of her local office. The woman on the other line said it may take several more weeks to get a hearing and that she would get something in the mail.
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