Interview: EDD Solutions Team

Sonseeahray Tonsall reports

IT'S BEEN 10 DAYS SINCE THESTATE TASK FORCE LOOKING ATCALIFORNIA'S PROBLEMS WITHPROCESSING UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMSBUT A HARD STOP ON NEW CASESIN ORDER TO GET A HANDLE ONFRAUD AND A MASSIVE BACKLOGOUTRAGING LAWMAKERS ANDCLAIMANTS ALIKE EVEN BEFORETHE TASK FORCE REPORTASSEMBLYWOMAN LORENA GONZALEZHAD DEDICATED PART OF HEROFFICE TEAM TO WORKING THROUGHSOME OF THESE PROBLEMS FORCONSTITUENT SHE JOINS US NOWLIVE ALONG WITH JULIE DUNHAMWHOSE CASE THEY WERE ABLE TOSOLVE GOOD MORNING.

LADIES.JULIE WHAT KIND PROBLEMS WEREYOU HAVING BEFOREASSEMBLYWOMAN GONZALEZ'SOFFICE GOT INVOLVED.I CALLED SEVERAL TIMES.HUNDREDS OF TIMES.

FINALLYTALK TO SOMEBODY AND I WASTOLD I WAS PUT ON PRIOR TOTHAT LIST TO RECEIVE A CALLBACK AND MIGHT NEVER RECEIVEDA CALL BACK.

I EMAILED ON THEFOR ME AND I RECEIVE RESPONSESTHAT THEY WOULD AND I NEVERRECEIVED GOT.SO VERY FRUSTRATING WHENYOU TURN TO HER FOR HELP JULIDID YOU EVEN KNOW THERE WAS ATHESE ISSUES AND NOW BUT THEWHOLE STATE KNOWS ABOUT IT DOYOU FEEL LIKE THEY'VE DONEENOUGH WITH THIS ANALYSIS ANDPOINTING OUT THE PROBLEMS.YEAH, YEAH.I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT IT IREAD ON THE NEWS ABOUT THESTATE ASSEMBLY HELPING.

PEOPLEGET THEIR A D D AND SO ICONNECTED WITH THEM.

AND YOUKNOW LIKE CONNECTED.

IRECEIVED A CALL THAT THEYWOULD BE HANDLING EVERYTHING IGET NEED TO CALL IN A NEW BOREOR TRY TO CONTACT THEM ANDTHEY HANDLED ITALL RIGHT IAN ASSEMBLYWOMANGONZALEZ YOU RECENTLY TWEETEDTHAT THE TEAM WORKING ONISSUES IN YOUR OFFICE WEREABLE TO CLEAR 45 CASES SIDEFROM JULIE'S WHAT KINDS OFISSUES WAS YOUR OFFICEFIELDING.WELL THAT WAS 45 CASES THATWEEK SO WE HANDLED ABOUT 3,500CASES SINCE THE START OF THEPANDEMIC AND WHAT WE'RE TRYINGTO DO IS JUST MAKE SUREEVERYBODY HAS THE APPROPRIATEINFORMATION WE TRY TO GET THEATTENTION OF DDT WHICH WE'VEBEEN ABLE TO DO LIKE WE GETINTO LEE CIRCUMSTANCE AND MAKETHAT THEIR QUESTIONS ARE BEINGANSWERED THAT THE CLAIMANTS ASTHEY'RE MOVING FORWARD HAVEALL THE INFORMATION THAT THEYNEED SO THAT THEY DON'T GETSTUCK.

ONE TIME NOT HAVINGTHEIR ID CRACKED THE NEXT TIMENOT HAVING A PIECE OFINFORMATION THEY NEED.

WE DIDSO DID MOST OF MY ENTIRE TEAMMOST MY ENTIRE OFFICE TOHELPING FOLKS BECAUSE RIGHTNOW THERE'S NOTHING POINT THATWE CAN BE DOING AND HELPINGCONSTITUENTS AND ALLCALIFORNIANS GET UNEMPLOYMENTINSURANCE.NOW WHAT YOU JUST POINTINGOUT AN ID NUMBER OR CASENUMBER.

THESE DON'T SEEM LIKEHUGE ISSUES AND YET THEY'VECREATED THESE BIG SNAGS DOESTHAT SEEM RIGHT TO YOU.NOW YOU KNOW I THINK THATTHAT'S ONE OF THE BIGGESTPROBLEMS IS THERE ISN'T A LOTHELP AVAILABLE AND SO YOU CANHAVE ONE LITTLE THING WRONGYOUR NAME COULD BE FELT WRONGOR YOU COULD BE PUTTING IN FORINFORMATION JUST SLIGHTLYWRONG.

IT KICKS IT BACK TO YOUAND YOU'RE TRYING GET SOMEBODYON THE LINE AT A TD TO FIX ITAND THE NEXT THING YOU KNOWTHERE'S SOMETHING ALL THAT'SWRONG.

I JUST DON'T THINK THATTHEY HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE WHOARE THERE TO HELP IN THE SAMEWAY AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEENTRYING TO FILL IN IS TO ENSURETHAT WE CAN WALK PEOPLETHROUGH IT WE CAN GET A TD ONTHE LINE AND SAY HEY YOU NEEDTO TAKE CARE OF THISEVERYTHING IS SET WE HAVEEVERY PIECE OF INFORMATION YOUMAY NEED AND WE NEED ON THISPERSON'S CLAIM TO BE FELT.ONE OF THE REFORMS THAT THETASK FORCE HAS INSTITUTED ISTHAT MORE EXPERIENCED STAFFOVER A DVD IT'S THE STARTWORKING THROUGH THIS BACKLOG,WE'RE TALKING ONE 0.6 MILLIONPEOPLE THAT MAY NOT GET PAIDUNTIL JANUARY AND HAVE THEMWORK THESE CASES AS OPPOSED TOJUST ANSWERING THE PHONE.

THISSEEMS LIKE WHAT SHOULD HAVEBEEN HAPPENING MAYBE ALLALONG.YEAH IN YOU KNOW I THINKTHAT THAT'S GOING TO BEHELPFUL I THINK WHAT HAPPENEDIS THERE WAS SUCH AN ONSLAUGHTOF CASES RIGHT I JUST WE HAVENO WAY OF PREDICTING THIS WASGOING TO HAPPEN IN AND THENEV-D OF COURSE DID YOU KNOWHAD NO WAY OF PREDICTING HOWCLAIMS HAPPENED ALL AT ONCE INNATURALLY WHAT PEOPLE DO ISTHEY TAKE THE EASY IT CLAIMSTHE ONES THAT ARE PERFECTLYTHERE'S NO PROBLEMS THERE'S NOISSUES THERE'S NO QUESTIONSAND PROCESS THOSE AND THENTHERE'S EVEN THE SLIGHTESTPROBLEM SOMETIMES PEOPLE WILLGET KICKED BACK WEEKS ANDWEEKS AND WEEKS AND THAT'SWHERE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HELPA LOT LIKE I SAID THERE 3,500PEOPLE THROUGH OUR OFFICE ANDWILL HELP ANYONE.

SOMETIMESTHEY'RE NOT FROM OUR DISTRICTAND WE TRY TO LINE THEM UPWITH THEIR ASSEMBLY PERCENTBUT IF THEY DON'T GET ARESPONSE.

WE WILL HELP ANYONETHIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANTTHING WE CAN DO AS ELECTEDOFFICIALS RIGHT NOW ALL RIGHT,THANK YOU TO YOU AND THANK YOUJULIE, I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE ABLETO GET.SOME HELP AND GET YOURPAYMENTS STARTED OF COURSE WEWISH GOOD LUCK WITH YOUREMPLOYMENT FUTURE.

THANK YOULADIES FOR JOINING US THISMORNING.THANK AMAZON IS TESTING OUT