California's jobless benefits system is set up in a way that 'makes getting benefits unreasonably difficult,' a new nonpartisan state report says.
California delayed or improperly denied unemployment benefits for roughly 6 million people during the pandemic because state policies “do not prioritize getting benefits to workers quickly,” according to a nonpartisan report released Monday by the Legislative Analyst’s Office.
Businesses’ tax rates go up each time one of their former workers is awarded unemployment benefits. From 2019 through 2021, more than half of the Employment Development Department’s decisions to deny benefits were overturned on appeal. But in other states, less than 25% of denials were overturned on appeal, according to the report.
“Individually, policies and actions aimed at preventing fraud may appear justified and reasonable,” the report said. “Viewed as a whole, however, the collection makes getting benefits unreasonably difficult for eligible workers.” Michael Bernick, a former director of the Employment Development Department, said the report was unfair because it placed too much blame on the state. Unemployment benefits is a joint program with the federal government. Much of the anti-fraud policies are mandated by federal rules, he said.
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