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Californians Who’ve Run Out Of Unemployment Benefits Are Waiting For Extensions

By David Wagner
Published Apr 30, 2020 11:21 AM
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A staffer works to process claims at California's unemployment office, March 30, 2020. (California Employment Development Department)
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California launched its new unemployment program for self-employed workers on Tuesday, giving many freelancers and independent contractors their first chance to apply for benefits.

But the online application system was off to a rocky start, with many users reporting that the state’s website repeatedly crashed.

Then there are those who’ve already run out of unemployment benefits for this year. They’re still locked out of the online system, and state officials don’t have a firm date for when they will be able to process extensions under new federal legislation.

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