Now that California has reopened following the pandemic, the Employment Development Department recently announced that on July 11 Californians receiving unemployment benefits should be looking for work to maintain their eligibility.
EDD has posted fact sheets about this requirement in Armenian, English, Korean, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese on the Returning to Work website.
In the weeks following July 11, the department will begin mailing individual notices to claimants in phases informing them of their specific, individual work search requirements that apply to their claim.
Those collecting benefits on a regular unemployment insurance or extension claim will receive notices first. Notices will then start being mailed the week of July 25 to those collecting Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA, and Federal-State Extended Duration, or FED-ED, benefits.
The requirement to search for work — and the potential to be found ineligible for benefits for a failure to search — begins when claimants get these individualized notices by mail with the specific work search requirements. The precise work search requirements for an individual claimant depend on state and federal law and the type of claim a person is on.
For example:
— Those filing new, regular claims after July 11 must register on CalJOBS — while this is recommended but optional for most other claimants
— Some claimants must attend a Re-employment Services and Eligibility Assessment appointment to assist with the efforts to return to work
— Claimants on Federal-State Extended Duration benefits must keep a written record of their effort to conduct three separate work search activities a week, such as applying for a job or attending a job fair.
— Claimants other than FED-ED must engage in any reasonable effort to look for work each week and written records are strongly recommended in the event EDD needs to collect further information from the claimant to determine eligibility for payment.
— Claimants on regular unemployment insurance must make reasonable efforts to look for work
— Claimants on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) must make reasonable efforts to restart their businesses.
Individuals can determine the type of claim they are on by referring to EDD notices or visiting the new Returning to Work webpage for tips on how to identify their claim types in UI Online.
Examples of reasonable efforts to search for suitable work each week for those on regular unemployment or an extension include activities such as:
— Set up an account on CalJOBS, participate in re-employment services, post a profile on various job search or networking sites.
— Let friends, prior employers, or community members know you are looking for work. Participate in networking, job fair events or clubs.
— Apply for positions with employers reasonably expected to have suitable openings matching skills and experience, including government jobs and exams.
— Engage in permissible education and training opportunities that assist in obtaining employment and do not interfere with an ability to accept suitable full-time work.
Most PUA recipients must also take action to restart their businesses or look for work starting in July. They will receive notices in the coming weeks detailing what’s required.
A variety of activities can meet the PUA work search requirement each week, including:
— Pursue new or additional clients, market the business, or research, prepare or submit a bid on a new contract.
— Attend networking events, participate in relevant workshops, or expand business.
— For independent contractors who participated in an online platform, establish an account on another platform that matches the individual’s qualifications.
— Enroll in training or education courses that will help the business and does not interfere with an ability to return to full-time self-employment.
A person on a PUA claim who no longer wants to continue self-employment (or was previously employed but not eligible for regular UI benefits) may look for work just like a regular UI recipient.
Information about the work search requirement, including a useful fact sheet, is located at the Returning to Work webpage. EDD has also created an online resource for employers, including an Employers: Reopening Your Business and Hiring Employees Fact Sheet.
