>> WE BELIEVE THIS WILL FAST-TRACK THE LIKELIHOOD THAT YOU WILL OTHERWISE HAVE GONE INTO A MANUAL PROCESS THAT CAN TAKE UPWARDS OF 60 DAYS.
BRIAN: GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM ANNOUNCED A STRIKE TEAM TO LOOK AT ISSUES PLAGUING THE STATE’S EMPLOYMENT DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
ONE SOLUTION FOR THE DELAYS IN BACKLOG WAS AN IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM.
IT WAS SUPPOSED TO MAKE THINGS EASIER FOR PEOPLE APPLYING TO GET UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS AND EVEN SPEED UP THE APPLICATION PROCESS.
>> WE WERE SO FRUSTRATED.
BRIAN: THAT WAS NOT THE EXPERIENCE FOR KATHLEEN.
SHE HAD APPLIED FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS IN MARCH BUT WAS INITIALLY INELIGIBLE.
WHEN THE PANDEMIC ON EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, SHE WAS ABLE TO APPLY AND EDD CALLED HER IN NOVEMBER TO SAY SHE SHOULD CALL AND TALK TO A SPECIALIST.
>> EVERYDAY.
SEVEN DAYS A WEEK SUPPOSEDLY BUT I WOULD LITERALLY CALL AT 8:00 AND SAY BY THE TIME I WENT TO THIS THING, THEY WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TOO MANY CALLS AND WE ARE UNABLE TO HELP YOU AND
THEY WOULD HANG UP.
IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE.
BRIAN: THEN SHE REMEMBERED YOU CAN APPLY ONLINE TO GET STARTED.
>> I SUBMITTED MY PASSPORT, SOCIAL SECURITY CARD, MY INSURANCE.
BRIAN: AFTER ALL THE FRAUD WE HAVE EXPOSED INVOLVING THE DARK WEB, CRIMINAL FRAUD RINGS, AND EVEN INMATES INSIDE THE STATE’S PRISONS AND JAILS, THERE STEP ADDED TO THE VERIFICATION AT
EDD.
EMPLOYMENT DEVELOPMENT APARTMENT REQUIRES A VIDEO CALL LIKE THIS TO PROVE YOU ARE WHO YOU SAY YOU ARE, BUT THEY SAY THEY FOUND THE PROCESS IS NOT AS QUICK AS GOVERNOR NEWSOM AND EDD SAY IT
IS.
THE WAIT TIME WAS 30 MINUTES.
AFTER ONE HOUR, SHE COULD NOT WAIT ANYMORE AND THE SYSTEM SAID SHE WOULD HAVE TO SAVE AND FINISH LATER.
>> MY EMAIL, YOU ARE ALMOST FINISHED, AND I WOULD GO BACK TO THE MAIL AND SUBMIT DOCUMENTS AGAIN.
I LITERALLY WOULD HAVE TO SEND THEM AGAIN.
IN THE MEANTIME, I’M SAYING, WHAT IS GOING ON?
WHERE ARE ALL MY DOCUMENTS GOING?
IT’S BEEN VERY FRUSTRATING AND I HAVE GOTTEN A LOT OF CANNED SPONSORS.
BRIAN: -- RESPONSES.
BRIAN: SHE WENT THROUGH THIS PROCESS 13 TIMES AND FOUND OTHERS LOGGING ONTO THE NEXT APPLICATION ONLY TO START OVER FROM THE BEGINNING.
KCRA 3 REACHED OUT TO EDD AND ID ME TO FIND OUT WHY PEOPLE WERE ENDING UP IN THIS ENDLESS LOOP.
CEO GLYCOL SAYS -- LAKE HALL -- BLAKE HALL SAYS GIVEN THE DEMAND FROM THE DENMAN CLAIMANTS AND THE LEVEL OF FRAUD WE ARE FIGHTING, A 30 MINUTE WAIT TIME DOES NOT SEEM TO BE EXCESSIVE.
SOME USERS MIGHT HAVE TO UPLOAD DOCUMENTS AGAIN IF THEY DID NOT UPLOAD THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS PER THE INSTRUCTIONS OF FIRST TIME.
EDD SENT A LETTER SAYING WHILE WE DON’T BELIEVE THIS IS A WIDESPREAD ISSUE, WE ARE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH ID.ME TO ENSURE CUSTOMERS RECEIVE ALL THE ASSISTANCE THEY NEED AS TIMELY
AS POSSIBLE TO SUCCESSFULLY GET THROUGH THE IDENTITY VERIFICATION PROCESS.
>> I SERIOUSLY DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO.
I AM AT A COMPLETE LOSS.
BRIAN: KCRA THREE INVESTIGATES PUT HER IN CONTACT WITH ID.ME, AND THEY PUT A SPECIALIST ON THE LINE WITH HER.
SHE IS WORRIED ABOUT THE DOCUMENTS THAT SHE AND OTHERS LIKE HER UPLOADED OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
>> I KNOW THIS IS OVERWHELMING.
I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO BE PATIENT BUT I THINK THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE SENSITIVITY OF THESE DOCUMENTS.
I MEAN, I AM SUBMITTING SOCIAL SECURITY CARD, MY PASSPORT, AND OTHER, YOU KNOW, HOW THE DOCUMENTS.
-- YOU KNOW, OTHER DOCUMENTS.
RE