SACRAMENTO – Representatives with the Employment Development Department (EDD) are providing assistance with unemployment insurance claims and other services at new Local Assistance Centers (LACs) opened to provide disaster victims easy access to support resources.

“These wildfires and associated power shutoffs have devastated several communities in California, and we want to ensure anyone who has suffered impacts on their ability to work are well aware of the financial support they could be eligible to receive in the form of unemployment benefits,” said EDD Director Patrick W. Henning.

Department representatives will be available to assist individuals who have lost their jobs or had their hours reduced due to the disasters to apply for unemployment benefits at the following Local Assistance Center:

Healdsburg Community Center, 1557 Healdsburg Avenue in Sonoma County, from Tuesday, November 5 –  Wednesday, November 6 Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Staff will be able to assist individuals who have lost their jobs or had their hours reduced due to the disasters to apply for unemployment benefits. Otherwise, the fastest way to apply for benefits is online. For more information, visit the Unemployment Insurance section of the EDD website or contact the EDD and be sure to note the disaster conditions that led to your unemployment or reduced hours.

Those who meet eligibility requirements may receive benefit payments that will range from $40 to $450 a week based on their past earnings. Benefits are generally paid on a bi-weekly basis as long as the claimant remains unemployed and otherwise eligible.

Governor Newsom waived the standard one week waiting period for obtaining UI benefits as part of his emergency proclamation in response to the fires. The waiver allows eligible individuals impacted by the disasters and related conditions covered under the governor’s disaster proclamation to be paid UI benefits for the first week they are unemployed providing them a full two weeks of benefits on their first payment.

For information about other EDD services available to workers, families and employers affected by disasters, visit EDD Disaster-Related Services.

# # # # #