Unemployment insurance (UI) serves as our primary safeguard against job losses, whether in prosperous or challenging times.
Unemployment insurance (UI) programs are state-run systems that offer financial assistance to workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and are actively looking for new employment. Each state has its own eligibility criteria and benefit levels, typically covering 34 to 54 percent of a worker's previous income—averaging about $370 per week. Most states offer benefits for up to twenty-six weeks. During times of crisis, the federal government may extend these benefits, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, when an additional thirteen weeks of UI benefits were provided to eligible individuals.
In response to the economic crisis caused by COVID-19, Congress has enhanced unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. Under Phase 2 of the response, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act provides $1 billion in grant funding to state agencies managing UI programs. This funding helps extend benefits by an additional thirteen weeks and supports the increased number of claims. Typically, individuals must be actively seeking work to qualify for UI, but the federal government has mandated that states waive this requirement during the COVID-19 crisis for those “directly impacted by COVID–19,” including individuals affected by workplace illness or public health directives to isolate or quarantine.Phase 3, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, further increases UI benefits by adding an extra $600 per week through July 31, 2020. These additional benefits apply to anyone receiving state or federal unemployment benefits, including through the new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program.
California’s Employment Development Department (EDD) manages the state’s unemployment insurance program, handling the distribution of benefits to eligible individuals. To qualify, employees must meet specific eligibility criteria.
Julian Burns King, a Harvard Law School honors graduate, founded King & Siegel in 2018. As the leader of the firm’s discrimination and harassment practice, she advocates for the rights of working parents and individuals facing workplace discrimination and harassment. Recognized as a "Rising Star" by Super Lawyers every year since 2018, she has successfully recovered tens of millions of dollars for her clients.CONTACT US