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WORKER

WORKER RESOURCES

OVERVIEW & PURPOSE

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Riverside County is here to provide you with the employment-related support needed during this difficult. The information below provides links to our services, such as one-on-one career coaching, resume building, job search assistance, work-readiness workshops, and vocational training. Also provided below is as well as helpful information about Unemployment Insurance and other to apply for financial assistance. We understand that this time brings many uncertainties and we are here to assist you in your next career steps.


Riverside County Workforce Development Services

Programs and services for impacted workers, primarily funded through the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
  •  Career coaching
  •  Resume writing
  •  Mock interviews
  •  Bootcamp and workshops for work readiness
  •  Labor market data and information
  •  Referrals to other services (EDD, Public Social Services, Veterans Services, housing assistance, community colleges, etc.)    

To Contact Riverside County Workforce Development Centers

  • See Website: https://www.rivcoworkforce.com/
  • E-mail: workforceHelp@rivco.org 
  • Or Call the nearest America’s Job Center of California/Riverside County Workforce Development Center:
        • Riverside (951)955-3100
        • Indio (760)863-2500
        • Hemet (951)791-3500
        • Moreno Valley (951)413-3920

Employment Development Department

California Employment Development Department (EDD) offers a variety of services under the Employment Services, Unemployment Insurance, State Disability Insurance, Workforce Development, and Labor Market Information programs. To see more on the programs, please see below.
 

 

Unemployment Insurance (UI) 

Questions & Answers

What is UI?

The Unemployment Insurance (UI) program is designed to assist those who are out of work due to no fault of their own.

Who is eligible?

When filing for Regular UI benefits, you must have earned enough wages during the base period to establish a claim, and be all of the following:

  • Totally or partially unemployed (e.g., you lost your job or have had your hours reduced)
  • Unemployed through no fault of your own
  • Authorized to work in the US
  • Physically able to work
  • Available for work
  • Ready and willing to accept work immediately
  • Actively looking for work

If your child’s school is closed, and you have to miss work to be there for them, you may be eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits. See EDD’s website for additional information about UI eligibility requirements and eligibility FAQs.  

For Expanded UI benefits under the CARES Act, see EDD’s web page on the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program. The following eligibility requirements apply:

  • You are unemployed, partially unemployed, or unable or unavailable to work due to COVID-19
  • You are self-employed, seeking part-time employment or otherwise would not qualify for regular UI
  • Any additional requirements as determined by EDD
How much would my benefit be?

Regular UI benefit amounts depend on your current and past income- ranges from $40 to $450 per week for up to 26 weeks.

Expanded UI through the CARES Act provides an additional benefit of up to $600 per week.

How do I Apply?

Regular UI: See handout for step by step instructions. (EDD) has provided guidance on the best way to apply (“fi


le a claim”) for UI benefits.

  • Best option: Apply at EDD’s UI Online website with computer or smart phone
  • Second option if no computer or internet available: Phone
  • Option of last resort: Paper application

Expanded UI: EDD has not yet provided instructions. Check EDD’s UI website often for updates.

How do I check the status of my unemployment claim?

The best way to check on the status of a claim is to log in to  UI Online. Payment status can also be checked through an automated, self-service telephone system at 1-866-333-4606. The line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in English and Spanish.

How do I contact EDD about UI?

You may submit questions about claims via UI Online as explained here.
EDD also has a new virtual messenger available on the bottom right of this page.

For general or technical assistance while applying, call 1-833-978-2511. The line is open 12 hours a day, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week, only in English.

UI Claims Support phone lines are available 4 hours a day, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., Monday – Friday as follows:
- English: 1-800-300-5616
- Spanish: 1-800-326-8937
- Cantonese: 1-800-547-3506
- Mandarin: 1-866-303-0706
- Vietnamese: 1-800-547-2058

For more information on Unemployment Insurance (UI), see the following web pages:

State Disability Insurance

Program administered by EDD that provides short-term benefit payments. An overview of this program may be found on EDD’s website.

Questions & Answers

What is SDI?

The State Disability Insurance (SDI) program provides partial wage-replacement benefits to eligible workers who are out of work. SDI provides benefits to workers who will lose wages when unable to work due to a non-work-related illness, injury, or pregnancy.

Who is eligible?

Eligible workers who have a full or partial loss of wages due to a non-work-related illness (e.g., COVID-19). Click here for more information about eligibility requirements.

How much would my benefit be?

Depends on your current and past income- ranges from $50-$1,300 a week for up to 52 weeks.

How do I Apply?
  1. Best option: Apply for Disability Insurance online with computer or smart phone
  2. Option of last resort: Paper application (see details here)


Paid Sick Leave & Family/Medical Leave

Questions & Answers

What is PFL?

Paid Family Leave (PFL) provides benefits to workers who will lose wages while taking time off work to provide care for a seriously ill or quarantined family member or to bond with a new child.

Who is eligible

Individuals caring for a seriously ill family member are eligible if they were attached to the labor market prior to their family care period, had a loss of wages as a result of the family leave, and have sufficient prior earnings in a 12-month period. For additional eligibility information, click here.

How much would my benefit be?

Depends on your current and past income- ranges from $50-$1,300 a week for up to 6 weeks.

How do I Apply?
  1. Best option: Apply for Paid Family Leave online with a computer or smartphone
  2. The option of last resort: Paper application (details here)

Family/Medical Leave

The Families First Corona-virus Response Act and impacts federal (A) paid sick leave and (B) family/medical leave. An overview of the Act may be found on the Department of Labor’s website.

Questions & Answers

Who is eligible?

Employees of covered employers and for whom any of the following apply:

  • Are subject to a Federal, State, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19
  • Have been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine related to COVID-19;
  • Are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking a medical diagnosis
  • Are caring for an individual subject to an order or self-quarantine as described above
  • Are caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed for reasons related to COVID-19
How much would my benefit be?

See the details here.

  1. Paid sick leave: Depends on your current rate of pay and the reason for the leave- ranges from 2/3 of your regular rate of pay to the full amount of your regular rate of pay for 2 weeks.
  2. Paid expanded family and medical leave: 2/3 of your regular rate of pay for up to an additional 10 weeks.
How do I Apply

Through your employer.


Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Information

Questions & Answers

What is PUA?

A new program that helps unemployed Californians who are business owners, self-employed, independent contractors, have limited work history and others usually eligible for regular state UI benefits who are out of business or services are significantly reduced as a direct result of the pandemic. 

Who is eligible?

Benefits are payable if you don't qualify for regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits in California or another state and also do not qualify for state Disability Insurance or Paid Family Leave benefits. You can also be eligible if you qualified for regular UI benefits, but have already collected all of those benefits. You must also meet one of the following criteria:

  • You have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and are seeking a medical diagnosis.
  • You are unable to work because a health care provider advised you to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19.
  • A member of your household has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
  • You are providing care for a family member or a member of your household who has been diagnosed with COVID-19. 
  • A child or other person in the household for whom you have primary caregiving responsibility is unable to attend school or another facility that is closed as a direct result of COVID-19 and the school/facility care is required for you to work.
  • You became the breadwinner or major support for a household because the head of household has died as a direct result of COVID-19.
  • You have quit your job as a direct result of COVID-19.
  • Your place of employment is closed as a direct result of COVID-19. 
  • You were scheduled to start a job that is now unavailable as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency. 
  • You are unable to reach the place of employment as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency. 
  • If you work as an independent contractor with reportable income, you may qualify for PUa benefits if you are unemployed, partially employed, or unable or unavailable to work because the COVID-19 public health emergency has severely limited your ability to continue performing your customary work activities, and has thereby forced you to stop working. 
How much would my benefit be?

Payments will be issued in phases. If qualified, recipients would receive payments as follows:

  • Phase 1: $167 per week, for each week from 2/2/20 to 3/28/20, that you were unemployed due to a COVID-19 related reason.
  • Phase 2: $167 + $600 per week, for each week from 3/19/20 to 7/25/20, that you were unemployed due to a COVID-19 related reason. 
  • Phase 3: $167 per week for each week, for each week from 7/26/20 to 12/26/20, that you were unemployed due to a COVID-19 related reason up to a total of 39 weeks (minus any weeks of regular UI benefits that you have received). 

If you qualify for your claim to be backdated to an earlier PUA effective date based on your last day of work, you could receive payment for prior weeks you were unemployed due to COVID-19. The effective date of your claim will begin the Sunday of the week when you last worked and became unemployed due to reasons directly related to COVID-19. 

How do I Apply?


Pandemic Unemployment Compensation

Questions & Answers

What is the Pandemic Unemployment Compensation?
As part of the CARES Act Pandemic Additional Compensation program, an additional $600 will be added to each Pandemic Unemployment Assistance weekly benefit amount. Only the weeks of a claim between March 29 and July 25 are eligible for the extra $600 payments.
How do I apply for the additional $600.00?
Claimants do not need to do anything to receive this extra funding. EDD will automatically add the full $600 to each week of current benefits that are paid every two weeks, as long you are eligible for at least $1 in a regular payment each week.
How much could the benefit be?
For someone receiving the most recent average Unemployment Insurance payment of $340 a week, a usual biweekly payment would equal $680. With the extra payment, that biweekly payment would increase to $1,880.

The first week the additional payments can be made is for the week ending April 4, not before. Separate retroactive payments will be automatically issued soon to those who had an active claim that week, and the $600 extra payments can continue to those who remain impacted and otherwise eligible for benefits through the week ending July 25, 2020.
When does the program end?
The $600 additional benefits are available through July 25, 2020.

One -Time Stimulus Benefit

One-time cash assistance is provided as a tax credit under the CARES Act. These benefits are also referred to as “recovery rebates” or “economic impact payments”. Details can be found on the IRS website
Who qualifies?

Individuals with a work eligible Social Security number who are not claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return and are within given income limits. See the IRS website for eligibility details .

How much is the benefit?

Depends on the income you report on your taxes. The maximum amount is $1,200 per person plus $500 per child.

How do I receive the benefit?

If you filed a tax return for 2019 or 2018, the IRS will use information from your tax return to determine your benefit amount and make payment. For Social Security recipients who did not file a tax return for 2018 or 2019, the IRS will use information from your Form SSA-1099 to make payment.

What if I did not file Taxes?

If you did not file a tax return for 2019 or 2018 and are not a Social Security recipient, you may still be eligible to receive the benefit. Check the IRS tool- do I need to file a tax return? - to see if filing is required.

When does the program end?

The PUA program ends December 26, 2020.

Additional Resources


Job Search Resources for Impacted Employees

OnwardCA.org - California's new platform connecting displaced workers with job opportunities in critical industries.

CalJOBS - Job Search Website to look for employment, sign up for job opening notifications, and apply for jobs. 

Job Openings List - For list of employers hiring including Amazon, Lowes, Costco, Target, Walmart, and more.


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