No ‘apply here’ button. California’s unemployment website is confusing, jobless say
The state’s website that aims to help people out of work receive unemployment benefits is a confusing mess, many readers are telling The Sacramento Bee.
The state department that runs the site acknowledges its web pages can be challenging at times, but says it’s constantly updating and working to improve the site.
To those without jobs and needing help and advice, that’s scant comfort.
“It is hard for those of us who have never applied to keep track of all of the different agencies, steps and delays,” said Joe Fahey, a self-employed consultant from Dixon.
“The website does not have a simple ‘apply here’ button to initiate the process,” said Jonathan Chaet, a limousine and business development director for a San Francisco black car service firm.
The state does have a new “Guide to applying for unemployment benefits” page that takes people through the process.
When one clicks on the main homepage of the Employment Development Department, which manages the unemployment program, they see two boxes. One, labeled “unemployment benefits guide,” immediately goes to the new guide. The other, labeled “Access Covid-19 resources,” goes to a different page with a broader look at what’s available.
If they click on neither prompt, and continue to scroll down the main EDD page, though, there is a “claims” prompt that leads elsewhere.
Some readers find all this hard to navigate. Experts have found it’s not uncommon for websites to be so loaded with information that people are overwhelmed, particularly those who have never filed for unemployment.
“I think the biggest frustration users have is that the websites are not written with humans in mind,” said Kathy Morris, marketing manager at Millbrae-based Zippia, a firm that helps people find jobs and careers..
Too often, sites use technical language like “base period” that most people don’t understand, she said. The EDD web site cites two different kinds of base periods, a 12-month period used to determine whether an applicant made enough money to file a claim.
Adding to the confusion, said Morris, is that “You need a plethora of documents and information, including contact information for everyone you worked for the past 18 months and exact wages. To add to the stress, making a mistake can push back receiving much-needed unemployment benefits.”
State officials say they’re well aware of the complaints and are trying to make things easier.
The website is being constantly updated, said Labor Secretary Julie Su. After going painstakingly through viewer questions during a Facebook Live chat Friday, she acknowledged at the end of the session, “people are concerned because there’s parts of our website that contradict what I’m saying here.”
Su conceded, “We’re not always getting to the changes in the rest of the website fast enough.” People are being urged to use the new unemployment benefits guide posted recently as well as the frequently asked questions pages on both the EDD and Labor & Workforce Development Agency sites.
“I’m sorry we’re not updating everything in real time but these are the right answers and we’ll continue to update as we can,” she said.
The website has been touted by Su and Gov. Gavin Newsom as a major aid for the millions of California workers who suddenly were tossed out of work. Phone lines remain jammed, even though the state has added a 12-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week line in addition to its existing 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday line.
But readers have said they have trouble finding the proper phone numbers on the web site, distinguishing what programs they might be eligible for, getting answers to specific questions in the application and more.
A big part of the problem is that the system is complex.
“For many people, this is the first time they’ve probably interacted with the UI program,” said EDD spokeswoman Loree Levy. “And then you add on to that the complex web of eligibility requirements established by the federal government provisions in the CARES Act, and it makes things very challenging for impacted workers looking for immediate financial help”.
The CARES Act created a new federal unemployment benefit program in March, with new qualifying standards. The state created a new web page to help people apply for and understand the federal program, called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.
Fahey thought he had received good news recently that he was eligible for the PUA program.
Newsom and Su had touted their new PUA system for several days. As of April 28, people could apply quickly, get questions answered on a new web page, and get a minimum benefit within 24 to 48 hours.
But when Fahey, 63, got his approval letter, it didn’t have the EDD Customer Account Number that was required to move forward.
“I was frustrated and searched EDD web pages and other sites for hours, looking for answers but found none. I called, FaceTimed and Zoomed friends and family members who were getting benefits,” he said.
Finally, he said, he “accidentally” came across information about the application process.
Chaet’s experience made him angry. Newsom, he said, “talks a game that sounds nice to people’s ear, but his execution of actually helping people is abysmal.”
He began looking at EDD’s website, and ran into instant difficulty.
“I was unable to even get a password reset sent to me,” said Chaet, 57. He saw no easy way to apply. He began calling his state senator, since he couldn’t get through to EDD.
When the PUA site opened April 28, he applied immediately, and was told once the claim was approved he’d be paid within 72 hours.
Tuesday, he got a letter saying he’d be getting his benefits. And when he went on the web site, it said he had been paid. Now he’s waiting to actually see the payment.
This story was originally published May 7, 2020 at 8:00 AM with the headline "No ‘apply here’ button. California’s unemployment website is confusing, jobless say."
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