The Los Angeles Times is reporting this morning the Employment Development Deparatment (EDD) has shifted into high gear and will be issuing long delayed Unemployment Checks to California’s unemployed that have exhausted their benefits. The sudden speed up is directly attributed to media reports, including right here on Calitics.
The LA TIMES reports
Stung by criticism over delayed unemployment extension checks, the Schwarzenegger administration acted to speed up payments to 121,000 long-term jobless Californians, many of whom have been without benefits for more than a month.
Checks could arrive as early as midweek, with filings possibly starting on Sunday, said Loree Levy, spokeswoman for the state Employment Development Department. The jobs agency had said days earlier that the payments from a federally approved extension of at least 14 weeks could be delayed until the week of Christmas — or even into the new year.
The rapid response came as the agency decided to work around its usual paperwork and begin sending checks out right away, with agency staffers working through the weekend to prepare filings in advance of mailing the payments.
One can only wonder why this did not happen before the media pressure. I am sure our State Legislators will want to know the answer, as they are the ones that field the massive number of complaint calls.
The full story, including finger pointing, can be read at the Los Angeles Times.
The LINK to LA TIMES is: latimes.com/business/la-fi-jobless-benefits12-2009dec12,0,5912177.story