What to Do If Your California Unemployment Benefits Check is Lost or Stolen

For those of us who are dependent on our unemployment benefits checks, loosing or misplacing one or having it stolen can be very traumatic. I know for me, I don't have any extra money to fall back on if my unemployment benefits check were to be lost.

So when I misplaced my unemployment benefits check not long ago, I went into panic mode. I knew I had received it. I had even made copies. But the check itself somehow never made it to my wallet to take to the bank, so I dug through my mail, the files and piles in my office, even my garbage cans trying to find it. But to no avail.

Fortunately, the California Employment Development Department or "EDD" has a system in place to replace your lost or stolen unemployment benefits check. Here are the steps to take as well as what to expect along the way:

What to do if your California Unemployment Benefits check is lost or stolen:

First, go to the California Employment Development Department website at: edd.ca.gov

Next, from the row of navy blue tabs near the top of the web page, click "Unemployment".

Then, on that page, select from the row of brown tabs and click on "Contact UI".

When that page comes up, I recommend you choose to contact them online. So from within the paragraph talking about contacting them online, click the link that says "Ask EDD".

On that page, the top category should read "Unemployment Insurance Benefits". If it doesn't, activate the drop down menu and select that category.

Then, on the bottom box where it says "Select a topic", activate the drop down menu and select "Checks - Replace a Lost, Damaged or Stolen Check" and then push continue.

On the new page, fill in your contact information. Be sure to include your email address and phone number and check to be sure they are correct.

On the next page, fill in the box explaining what happened to your unemployment benefits check, whether it was received or not, whether you think you lost or misplaced it or if you believe it was stolen. Submit this information and you are done with this step.

What and when can you expect to hear back when you report that your unemployment benefits check was lost or stolen?

I notified the California Employment Development Department about my lost unemployment check on February 9 and received an email back from them on February 19, or ten days later.

In their email, they acknowledged my report of the misplaced check, even quoting back to me the comments I had left in the system. They then went on to tell me that I would be receiving a form in the mail that I would need to sign and return and then they would replace my check. They provided a reference number.

The EDD further went on to admonish me not to sign the form and send it in if I found and cashed the original check, or not to cash the new check, once received, if I found and cashed the original. The gist of the message was, of course, that I should only cash one unemployment benefits check for that pay period. It was stating the obvious, of course, but do be aware that if you were to cash both checks you would be committing and could be prosecuted for fraud.

What happens next in the process of replacing your lost or stolen unemployment benefits check?

A little over a week later, I received a form from EDD which required only my signature. It came in duplicate, the top copy to be signed and returned to the EDD in an envelope they provided and the bottom copy to be retained in my file. I signed this form and turned it around by mail the same day.

How long does it take to replace a lost or stolen unemployment benefits check in California?

I finally received my replacement unemployment benefits check on March 8. The process took nearly four weeks. This is a painfully long time when you are depending on each and every check, but I am very grateful that the system worked as quickly and smoothly as it did.

Why did I recommend emailing the California Employment Development Department rather than phoning or writing them to replace a lost or stolen unemployment benefits check?

In my experience, snail mail is just too slow and it would be hard to know if your correspondence even reached the California EDD.

As for contacting them by telephone - I have attempted phone contact for a variety of issues since my unemployment began and I have never been able to get through to anyone there. In fact, over the past six or more months when I have tried to call, the automated message there at the California Employment Development Department has stated that they are too busy to take calls and that claimants should write or email them for service.

I hope this information is helpful for any of you that need to get a replacement for a lost or stolen unemployment benefits check in California.

Read more about Unemployment Benefits and Benefits Extensions at:

Five Reasons Unemployment Benefits Extensions Are Important to Everyone, Not Just the Unemployed

Was Jim Bunning Playing Politics With Unemployment Benefits Extensions?