Thread: Californians battle swamped state phone lines to get jobless

PLEASE TELL ME THE RED BELOW IS A MISPRINT???
Thursday, January 8, 2009


HECTOR AMEZCUA/hamezcua@sacbee.com

Richard Dziedzic, 28, of Elk Grove says he spent six hours a day for two days trying to apply for unemployment benefits on EDD's toll-free number. When that failed, he spent hours Wednesday waiting to use phones at the EDD office at 50th Street and Broadway. Dziedzic, who was laid off before Christmas, finally got through, above.


Danielle Saxon, 22, of Elk Grove went to the Broadway EDD office Wednesday trying to get an unemployment check. As she waited for an EDD phone, she dialed the EDD number on her cell phone 23 times.

More Information

* See who is laying off workers in California
* Need assistance with jobs, housing, credit?
* Home Front blog: 10 percent unemployment?
*
GETTING HELP

To locate an EDD office or a Sacramento Career Works Center, which offers job search assistance, and apply online for jobless benefits, go to www.sacbee.com/links

California Employment Development Department officials recommend that unemployment insurance applicants avoid call centers and apply instead online for benefits at www.edd.ca.gov

Other advice:

• Gather a list of all names and Social Security numbers you have used while working.

• Make sure you have your last employer's full name and address.

• Be ready to briefly explain the reason you are no longer working for your last employer and the date of your last day of work.

• Don't put an "X" when the claim form requires you to fill in a circle. This can cause delays in processing.

• Don't use colored pens to complete forms – only blue or black.

• Mail all forms back according to the instructions and in the envelope provided or to the address listed. Not all forms go to the same place, so be sure to send everything to designated locations.

• Give the department 10 days before calling or checking on your claim status.

– Andrew McIntosh

Popular Comment
"Oh yes keep screaming to lay off more state employees so you can stand in even longer lines or not get your fire put out, or your place in a calvet hospital, or your deaf or blind child taught etc etc. And when the state employees arent working they wont be spending money at your businesses either so they can shut down and more of you can be out of work."

-- rocketman
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Californians battle swamped state phone lines to get jobless benefits
By Andrew McIntosh
amcintosh@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Jan. 08, 2009 | Page 1A

Unemployed workers seeking jobless benefits have overwhelmed state phone lines, leaving some frustrated callers to give up and instead pile into employment offices in hopes of speeding up the process.

Many callers say they've been unable to get through to the state Employment Development Department to file for unemployment insurance for days or weeks, facing busy signals or being cut off after waiting on hold when they finally did get through.

Richard Dziedzic, 28, returned to Sacramento after he was laid off from his job as a firefighter in Southern California before Christmas. Dziedzic said he spent six hours a day for two days trying to apply for unemployment insurance using the EDD's toll-free number.

He gave up, and on Wednesday morning traveled to an EDD office at 50th Street and Broadway. There, he waited in line for hours to use the telephones – and finally got through.

"I just couldn't get through at home," he said. "It was very frustrating."

With California's jobless rate at a 12-year high of 8.4 percent, 850 staffers in EDD call centers in Sacramento, Oakland, Hollywood, Buena Park, Riverside and Chula Vista have been grappling with surging call volumes, forcing them to put callers on hold for lengthy periods.

EDD call centers were averaging at least 2 million calls a day during the holiday period after big employers filed notices of layoffs to come this month, spokeswoman Loree Levy said. In October, the department received 9 million calls, compared to 7.3 million calls for the same month in 2007.

Because of high unemployment, California's unemployment insurance fund is about to run a multibillion-dollar deficit. A mix of state and federal extensions can give some recently laid-off workers up to 59 weeks of benefits. Depending on salary and work history, a jobless worker can receive a maximum of $450 a week.

Deborah Bronow, deputy director of the unemployment insurance program, said she has redirected EDD staff to meet demand, but officials are facing big challenges and a lot of stress.

"Clients are screaming at the staff because they can't get through on the phones," Bronow said. "People are worried about their homes. They're worried about paying their rents. They're worried about their kids."

On Wednesday, the six phones at the 50th and Broadway EDD office were occupied by unemployment insurance applicants. Fifteen more people waited in line for a turn. Dozens more used state computers to file for benefits and search for new jobs.

Danielle Saxon, 22, of Elk Grove was laid off as an administrative assistant at a Sacramento construction company. On Wednesday, she went to the Broadway EDD office after failing to reach anyone by telephone.

As she stood waiting for an EDD phone, she also dialed the EDD number on her cell phone 23 times.

"You have no idea," she replied when asked how frustrated she was after trying to get through for days. "I lost my claim form two weeks ago. I'm due two checks already and I've got a car payment due."

The call centers have a two-tier phone system. At first callers are sent to staffers or put on hold, but when peak capacity is reached they are then diverted to a recorded message urging them to apply for benefits online.

The two-tier approach is designed to keep the system from buckling, Bronow said. The practice was adopted after phone crashes in 2002.

Still, Bronow said callers have the same chance of reaching an EDD staffer regardless of whether they call from home or a phone in a state office. "Better to stay home, keep dialing and save your gas money," she said.

EDD manager Eva Rios said her office helped 500 people file for jobless benefits on Monday alone, including older workers without telephones or computers.

EDD staffers have been working voluntary overtime since February to deal with ever-expanding workloads. The department also has hired more staff, but it takes months to train them to deal with the public, the EDD's Levy said.

"We've put as much staff on the phones as possible," Levy said. "But we do have to direct some staff to trying to keep up with the applications coming in online."

Levy said that 70 percent of jobless workers are now filling out their benefit applications online at www.edd.ca.gov.
Call The Bee's Andrew McIntosh, (916) 321-1215.
http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/1524933.html

Stupid California, the rest of the "Santuary states" are right behind you. Gosh this is what the pro-illegals candidates are talking about when they tell us how much illegals are doing (for us)...............they should say( to us !).

You get what you pay for Califorinia .. you pay for crap ~ you get Crap

You know Social Security does not issue new numbers. If you get your ID stolen, you are stuck. Why would they ask for your "numbers"(plural).

Dixie

"Gather a list of all names and Social Security numbers you have used while working".

This obviously is a hidden tip for the millions of illegal aliens fraudulently applying for unemployment and other benefits. I wonder what open borders groups sent this????

Unbelievable....I have to send this to Lou Dobbs as another example of the insanity posing as the US government.......

Originally Posted by Dixie

You know Social Security does not issue new numbers. If you get your ID stolen, you are stuck. Why would they ask for your "numbers"(plural).

Dixie

Dixie, that is the kind of question that can be reasonably asked only before your first cup of coffee in the morning!

Isn't the answer obvious? :P