Thousands of Californians in Legal Battles over Pandemic Unemployment Benefits

KQED's Forum

“A multi-billion-dollar debacle three years in the making” is how CalMatters investigative reporter Lauren Hepler describes the current state of California’s unemployment benefit system. During the Covid pandemic, the already fraying system reached a backlog that affected more than 5 million workers while up to $31 billion was paid to scammers, according to the state’s Employment Development Department. At the same time, watchdogs claim the EDD wrongly denied up to a million cases and mistakenly flagged more than half of those as fraudulent. More than 150,000 Californians are currently involved in the appellate process for their unemployment benefits, many accumulating debt and stress in the interim. We’ll learn more and hear what’s being proposed to fix the system.

Guests:

Lauren Hepler, investigative reporter, CalMatters

Nicolas Allen, graphic designer based in Fresno

Madeline Maye, video editor based in Burbank

Jenna Gerry, senior staff attorney, National Employment Law Project