California Unemployment Insurance Facts: Part II

Dated May 22, 2009, California's Unemployment Rate Decreases to 11.0 Percent is the title of a news release from the Employment Development Department (EDD). Further noted in this release is the number of people unemployed in California was 2,057,000 - showing a decrease by 35,000 people over the month of April. Great news, right? Not actually!

Those statistics sound promising however, this total is actually up by 843,000 compared to April of 2008! In the past 52 weeks alone, the initial claims for Unemployment Insurance (UI) are up by 67.0 percent and the continuing claims are up by 116.0 percent.

These numbers are not good and with the recent voter's response to Propositions 1A and 1B, combined with the uncertainty of GM Chrysler, things are only going to get worse.

What happens if you enroll in training, while receiving UI benefits?

There are several different programs available through the EDD for which you may qualify. Many of these programs allow you to receive your benefits while attending training courses. You can review information on their Web site directly www.edd.ca.gov about all of the approved programs offered under the job training benefits and the qualifications to receive those benefits.

One available program is called The California Training Benefits Program (CTB) it allows eligible California UI claimants to still receive their UI compensation benefits while attending an approved training or re-training program. This program was established to assist individuals that lack necessary, competitive job skills an opportunity to gain required skills to enable them to enter into demand occupations. These training courses must be approved by the EDD and certain eligibility requirements must be met. Individuals interested in applying for a CTB program can call the EDD directly at 1-800-300-5616, or for additional information and general questions you can visit their Web site directly at www.edd.ca.gov.

Once you enroll in an approved course, you are required to disclose on your continuation claim form that you have begun training or schooling and the approved program representatives must fill out, and sign the back of your benefit continuation form.

That all sounds pretty simple and easy - now for the bad news...

Do not expect to receive your UI check in the mail as usual. You will be receiving a letter in the mail saying that a telephone interview has been scheduled for you. Guess what else? Benefits cannot be paid until you are determined eligible by your phone interview and your continued claim form is received. Due to the mass numbers the EDD is already dealing with, these appointments are being set out at a minimum of two weeks!

Be prepared now, every one who knew something, has disappeared and you are stuck! It is impossible to get through to the telephone numbers provided, and showing up at a local office for assistance is not going to speed up your process as they are very adamant about sticking to their rules.

This is not to say that you won't be paid those benefits at all, it just means that you now have to wait to receive them - and if this is your only source of income you might want to know this requirement in advance so this letter doesn't catch you off guard and leave you scrambling to figure out how you will pay your rent or buy groceries for the next five or six weeks.

Knowing the rules and potential risks before jumping in full speed ahead, will allow you to prepare for this delay. Being informed is better than being blindsided.

Part one of this article is available for additional information.
www.associatedcontent.com/article/1692198/california_unemployment_insurance_facts.