SACRAMENTO – A bill that would force California’s Employment Development Department (EDD) to post wait times for services on their website was approved unanimously in the Assembly Insurance Committee Wednesday.
Assemblyman Jim Patterson introduced AB 1821 to require the EDD Director to post current average processing times for unemployment claims as well as the average number of days it takes for claimants to be contacted by EDD for a required determination interview. The information must be posted on the EDD website and updated bi-weekly.
The EDD currently posts the number of claims filed that have been waiting longer than 21 days.
Since the beginning of the pandemic in March of 2020, 26.5 million Californians filed for unemployment benefits. Unfortunately, many people who desperately needed funds from the EDD waited several months for their claims to be processed or for the EDD to perform a mandatory interview.
“The EDD has been slow and inept for decades,” said Assemblyman Jim Patterson. “Now is the time to make systemic changes at this department to make sure customers get the payments they need when they need them – not months later.”
AB 1821 moves to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.