Hey, guys, it's Ginny Silver.
And today I want to talk to those of you in the state of
California who are reaching the end of your unemployment
benefits. Whether you re a UI, PUA, PEUC, or Fed Ed, many
of you are approaching the end of your benefits for various
reasons. Whether you're reaching a zero dollar balance, the
end of your benefit year, or the deadline for the end of
the federal level pandemic related unemployment benefits,
I want to talk you through exactly what to expect now.
I previously released a video that was very similar to this,
but as things change and unfold, it's important that I release
content of the most updated and current information.
First, Let's go over how to decipher what type of claim you
have because many of you are still confused about this.
You're going to go to UI online, click on Claims History,
and then click on your most recent paid transaction.
If you see UI, then your UI.
If you see Fed Ed, then you are Fed Ed.
If you see DUA, then unless you're you're in a natural disaster
location such as a wildfire Dua means that you are Pua.
And if you see PEUC, Tier two or Tier two augmentation, you
are part of PEUC.
First, Let's talk about the end of the federal level pandemic
related unemployment programs.
These stimulus bill created PEC, PA, and the 300 Dollars
Boost as Pandemic related additional programs to unemployment.
These programs, Pua, PEUC, and the 300 Dollars Boost are set
to expire on September sixth in the state of California the
last week to collect unemployment benefits under Pua, PEUC.
And the 300 dollar boost is going to be claim week ending
September 4 th.
Now, many of you are wondering if you will be able to certify
for, collect and receive your unemployment benefits as well
as the boost on September five th certification day.
The answer is Yes.
On September fifth, you will be certifying for claim week
ending September fourth.
That means that when you certify for your unemployment benefits
on September five th, you will be certifying for that week
prior ending September fourth.
That week's payout will include the 300 dollar boots and
your last payout of PUA or PEUC.
Because these programs end claim week ending September fourth
, you will not be receiving any additional payouts on your
balance for PEUC or Pua.
Regardless of the amount of claim balance you have.
You will no longer receive any additional Pua or PEUC benefits.
For those of you that have a remaining claim amounts that
are asking me if you will be able to receive it as a lump
sum or as future payouts.
The answer is no.
Unfortunately, with PEUC and PUA coming to an end, the program
will cease to exist and you will not be able to collect that
remaining balance.
For those of you who are collecting traditional unemployment
and are noted as UI in your claim your claim will continue
to pay out your full 26 weeks worth of benefits.
Traditional unemployment UI is not affected by the stimulus
bill. State unemployment benefits are always available to
those previous workers who qualify, and your claims will
continue to pay out your 26 weeks worth of benefits.
Once you reach a zero dollars balance on your UI claim, you
will not be eligible for a PEUC extension after September
fourth.
Why?
Because the PEUC extension will cease to exist claim week
ending September fourth.
Next, Let's talk about those of you who are PEUC or UI who
are hoping to transition over over to a Fed Ed extension
following the end of your benefits.
The Edd recently announced changes to the Fed Ed program.
Fed Ed is an extended period of benefits following a traditional
unemployment claim.
Fed Ed is typically up to 13 weeks of additional extended
benefits following a traditional unemployment claim.
If the program is triggered on due to a period of heightened
unemployment rate and if the claim it qualifies now, Fed
Ed is typically a duration of 13 weeks worth of extended
benefits is triggered on.
But during the pandemic due to stimulus bill legislation,
there was an additional seven weeks worth of federally funded
additional benefits added in which brought the total number
of weeks in Fed Ed up from 13 to 20 weeks in total.
In last week's press release date of July 30 th, the Edd
stated, due to improving economic conditions in California,
the state will no longer meet the federal threshold for offering
maximum Fed Ed benefits.
For those of you collecting Fed Ed, this means that after
August eight th, you will be able to collect a maximum of
13 weeks of Fed Ed.
If you have already collected those 13 weeks prior to August
eight th, you no longer will be eligible to collect Fed Ed.
If you have not yet received the full 13 weeks, then you
would collect all remaining weeks of Fed Ed moving forward.
Additionally, the Fed Ed program is stated to likely come
to an end on September four h.
If you use up your full 13 weeks worth of Fed Ed benefits
either at August eightth or shortly thereafter, the Edd
will next put you onto the remaining weeks of the PEUC extension
up until claim week ending September fourth.
This should be an automatic change about a week after hitting
zero dollar balance.
The Edd should send you over a notice letting you know that
you've been awarded a PEUC extension about a week after receiving
that notice.
You should then receive the ability to certify and the claim
balance. This should be done automatically and take about
two weeks to apply.
But if the Edd fails to do this automatically within two
weeks, make sure you call in.
Next, Let's talk about those of you who are reaching a zero
dollar balance right now.
For those of you that are reaching a zero dollar balance
right now.
Who see maximum benefits paid?
Next?
The Edd should award you an automatic extension to your claim.
Next, the Edd should award to you an automatic PEUC extension
to your claim.
Euc extension is typically awarded to you within one week
after reaching a zero dollar balance.
One week after reaching a zero dollar balance, the Edd sends
you out a notice letting you know that you've been awarded
the next phase of the PEUC extension about a week after receiving
that notice, you will then see the ability to certify and
your cleaning balance will populate either right before you
certify or shortly thereafter.
The PEUC extension comes in three different phases.
The first phase is called PEUC and it is 13 weeks long.
The second phase is called PEUC Tier two and it is 11 weeks
long, and the third phase is called PEUC Tier two Augmentation,
and it is up to 29 weeks long.
The Edd will send you out an notice letting you know that
you have been awarded the next tier of the extension.
However, all tiers of the extension can only be paid out
through claim Week Ending September four th.
Many of you are confused because you received an award letter
letting you know that you received a certain number of weeks
and a certain amount of claim balance.
However, you will not be able to utilize that claim balance
or those weeks past.
Claim Week ending September four th.
Why?
Because the PEUC extension is created as a part of the stimulus
bill and that bill text expires the program.
Claim Week Ending September fourth.
If you reach a zero dollar balance and are not automatically
extended within a two week period of hitting zero, then contact
the Edd.
They should process this automatically.
Unfortunately for some claimants, they do not.
Next, Let's talk about those of you who are reaching the
end of your benefit here.
If your UI, PEUC or Fed Ed, look in your UI online dashboard,
look at your claim start gate and count 12 months out.
That is the end of your benefit here.
Your claim has reached the end of your benefit year and you
are beyond those 12 months.
Then you are required to file a new claim with the Edd if
you have worked and earned enough income within the last
18 months in order to establish a new claim.
Now, if you're not sure if you earned enough income, try
filling out the application online.
First, the Edd States that if you did work and earn enough
income, the application will allow you to PROCEED.
If not, then it will reject your application.
Additionally, you can utilize the benefits calculator to
check and see if you did qualify.
Now, many of you who have expired claims have continued to
certify. Those certifications on your expired claims will
be noted as pending.
Those pending otifications will eventually move to not paid
if you were awarded a brand new claim.
Why?
Because those pending certifications were on your expired
claim. You were awarded a new claim and then began to certify
on your new claim.
Those old, pending or not paid certifications do not automatically
migrate over to your new claim.
If you have pending certifications on an old claim, you will
need to contact Customer Service to request those to be migrated
over, or you can attempt to backdate them yourself by using
asked Edd CA Gov and request a backdate to your new claim.
For those of you who applied and were denied a new claim,
you will first receive a denial notice in the mail.
Now, Unfortunately, the Edd sends out to separate notices
to claims that are denied a new claim.
First, you will receive a letter of determination stating
that you receive a zero dollar claim balance and that you
were denied for a new claim.
Next, about one week later, the Edd will then send a notice
of extension of your old claim.
Your old claim will be able to have the PEUC extension applied
and you'll be able to continue to collect under your old
claim. In this case, all of your pending certifications will
move to Paid once that extension letter comes through to
you and is applied to your claim.
Now, for those of you that had to file a new claim and were
awarded a new claim and we're able to certify on your new
claim, those certifications are going to be pending for the
first up to three weeks.
During this first up to three weeks, your brand new unemployment
claim is undergoing additional fraud checks.
This is called a UISD review, and during this point in time,
your claim is sent out to a third party company called Thompson
Routers to help in performing these additional fraud checks.
During this point in time, your certifications will be stuck
in pending for up to three weeks.
Unfortunately, there's nothing about the Edd can do in order
to speed up this process, but if you are pending for longer
than three weeks on a brand new claim, then it is time to
contact the Edd.
Lastly, many of you continue to ask me in the comments about
the current status of any forward momentum in Congress regarding
an additional extension to Pandemic related unemployment
benefits. At this point in time, we do not have anything
that is moving in Congress in order to extend Pandemic related
unemployment benefits because we do not have any significant
actions in Congress at this point in time regarding the extension
of Pandemic related unemployment benefits.
I do not have any information to share with you in terms
of updates.
If anything unfolds in Congress regarding a potential extension,
then I will continue to keep you up.