California’s EDD provides unemployment benefits as a safety net for those employees that find themselves out of work. With hundreds of thousands of dollars in benefits paid out every year by the EDD, working with our lawyers can ensure that you receive the income you and your family need while you look for a new job.
Being fired from your job is difficult enough in its own right. The lack of a paycheck could be disastrous for you and your family. That’s why California provides unemployment benefits through its Employment Development Department (EDD).
California Unemployment Lawyers Offering Free Consultations
While these unemployment benefits are available to every Californian that’s been laid off or fired, there are firm requirements that must be met in order to receive them. Attorney Martin Gasparian and Maison Law know how important these benefits are to making sure you and your family can make ends meet. Our team of experienced, resourceful unemployment lawyers understand the process and can make sure that you receive the unemployment money you deserve.
To find out more about our law firm’s ability to protect your unemployment benefits, contact us today for a free consultation.
What Is the California EDD and Do I Qualify for Benefits?
The California EDD is the state agency charged with providing workers with unemployment insurance. The program is designed to provide a level of income security for those who have recently been laid off or lost their job through no fault of their own.
Generally speaking, there are two categories of worker that cannot receive unemployment benefits:
- Workers who quit
- Workers who were fired with cause
There are exceptions to workers who quit their job, however. Those workers that were forced to quit their job because of harassment or a hostile work environment can apply for benefits. In addition, if you meet the following requirements, you can receive unemployment benefits:
- You receive a W-2 from your employer.
- You have been laid off, furloughed, or had your wages or hours reduced.
- You and your family have been impacted by school closures.
- Your unemployment claim expired.
Lastly, there is a minimum earnings requirement for any unemployment claim. In order to be eligible for benefits, you will have to have earned:
- $1,300 in your highest paid quarter.
- $900 in your highest paid quarter and at least 1.25 times your high-quarter earnings during the entire base period.
The amount of benefits you receive is based on your earnings in this base period. With eligibility determined, you can then begin the process of actually filing your claim.
The California EDD Claims Process
The process for filing an EDD claim is fairly straightforward. While you can file via phone, fax, or in person, the EDD recommends filing online via their portal. When you file your claim, you’ll need to have some information ready for the application:
- Personal information, including your Social Security number
- Details on your most recent employer, including the company name, address and phone number, as well as your supervisor’s name
- The last date you worked and the reason you’re no longer working.
- Gross earnings in the last week you worked.
- Information on all employers during the previous 18 months, including details of the company, when you worked there, how much you earned and how many hours you worked per week.
How will I receive my unemployment payments?
The EDD issues payments via a prepaid debit card within five days of your first payment. From then on, all of your benefits will be issued on this card. Once you have the card, you can also set up direct deposit.
When do my unemployment benefits end?
Once your claim is approved, your benefits will continue for 26 weeks in total. Benefits can run either continuous or intermittently throughout these 26 weeks. In addition, you’ll need to resubmit your information to the EDD every two weeks. If you fail to recertify your eligibility, your benefits will end. Your benefits will also end if you fail to meet any of the above requirements for eligibility.
How Can a Lawyer Help With My EDD Claim?
Because unemployment benefits are so important to you and your family’s financial security, utilizing every avenue available to make sure your EDD benefits reach your account is in your best interest. To that end, our team of experienced California unemployment lawyers can help you in the following ways:
- Offering Legal Advice and Representation – Dealing with the EDD and their benefits process can be complicated. However, our team of experienced lawyers know the system and how to best position your claim so that it can be approved. Additionally, we can help you complete the application and provide any pertinent information that will help expedite the claim process. Further, our team can provide you with insight, legal advice, or a consultation to teach you more about the process.
- Helping You File your EDD Claim or Appeal – Not only can our lawyers help you file the initial claim for benefits, we can also help you file an appeal if you disagree with the EDD’s determination. The claim process requires a great deal of paperwork, both in the initial claim and the appeal. Our team can help you complete the necessary paperwork for the appeal and prepare you for the official determination hearing. Furthermore, we can help you with your claims by gathering evidence and presenting your case to the EDD.
- Helping You Receive Your Money Faster – Facing an EDD claim on your own can be hard, especially when you need the benefits and money to make ends meet. And if you don’t receive benefits because of an error in the claims process, it can be disastrous. Our team of knowledgeable lawyers can help you obtain benefits faster because they can work directly with the EDD as your representative, keeping the dialogue with them open and staying up to date with any documentation.
Let Experienced California Unemployment Lawyers Work For You
Applying for unemployment benefits with the EDD could make all the difference in you being able to provide for your family while you are looking for a new job. That’s why it’s extremely important to make sure your claim is completed correctly. Maison Law has a team of experienced California Employment Lawyers who can help you. Don’t risk missing out on unemployment benefits by facing the EDD on your own. Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your options.
