D. Unemployment Insurance Benefit (UIB)

Requirements

State regulations require applicants/recipients, whenever appropriate, apply for Unemployment Insurance Benefits/State Disability Insurance (UIB/SDI) benefits as part of their responsibility to explore income potentials.

 

CalWORKs Eligibility Conditions

Aid is to be denied or discontinued when a mandatory included person whom the Human Services Specialist (HSS) has referred to Employment Development Department (EDD) fails to apply for UIB, or fails to accept UIB, or who fails without good cause to meet the conditions of eligibility for UIB.  Examples of good cause include but are not limited, to:

 

Illness or incapacity;

Court related appearance or incarceration;

Emergency family crisis or sudden change of immediate family circumstances;

Breakdown in transportation arrangements with no readily accessible alternate means of transportation;

Inclement weather;

Lack of child care;

The assignment of job referral does not meet the appropriate work and training criteria, including when the person fails to meet UIB eligibility conditions due to Welfare-to-Work activities;

Refusal to accept major medical services, even if such refusal precludes participation in the program.

 

General Information on UIB

UIB is a program that provides income to eligible persons who are out of work.  In general, eligible claimants applying in California must have earned a minimum of $900 during a twelve-month base period within the last 19 months and must:

 

·  Not have quit the job without good cause;

·  Not have been fired for cause;

·  Be able and available for employment; and

·  Be seeking employment.

 

Requirement to Apply UIB

All applicants or recipients who have worked in the last 19 months and who are not exempt from applying, are required to apply for UIB.  The UIB application is a technical condition of eligibility and aid cannot be granted until this requirement is met.

 

NOTE:  When a potential claim is not present on the EDD on-line real-time match, the applicant/recipient should not be referred to EDD.  (A copy of the screen print is required for documentation in the case file).

 

Exception to UIB Application Requirement

The following individuals are not required to apply for UIB:

 

·  Fully employed (40 hours/week);

·  Currently receiving or has an application for UIB, Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA), SDI or Workers’ Compensation;

·  Has not worked in employment covered by the Unemployment Insurance Compensation Law in the past 19 months;

·  Ill or injured (in this case the possible eligibility to Disability Insurance Benefit (DIB) or Worker’s Compensation must be explored);

·  UIB claim has exhausted;

·  Verification of an Invalid Claim; or

·  A potential claim is not present on the EDD real-time match.

 

All of the above exceptions must be documented in the case file.

 

Extended UIB

During periods of high unemployment, California has a special program for claimants whose regular benefits have expired or have been exhausted.  This is the California Extended Duration (Cal-Ed) program.  The Federal Government has a similar program of extended benefits known as Federal Extended Benefits (Fed-Ed).

 

Interstate Claim

Persons residing in one state (the agent state) are allowed to claim benefits from another state (the liable state), if wages earned were covered by the liable state.  Interstate claims are filed through the local EDD office, with benefits paid by the liable state.  To file a claim the applicant must call the EDD call center.  EDD will send the applicant a form verifying receipt of application.  The applicant must give EDD a mailing address.

NOTE:  The form does not have the applicant’s name or other identifying information.  The applicant should be informed to keep and provide the envelope in which the form is sent as verification of application.

 

 

Disaster Unemployment Assistance

DUA is a program that provides income to eligible persons when the President and/or Governor declare certain counties as disaster areas.

 

The DUA program covers individuals who have the legal right to work in the United States but are not eligible for regular unemployment benefits, including but not limited to, individuals who have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits or individuals who are self-employed.

 

Earnings to individuals participating in disaster relief unemployment under DUA will not be considered income for purposes of determining CalWORKs eligibility and grant determination.

 

State Disability Insurance

SDI is a program, which provides income to eligible persons who cannot work due to sickness or injury caused by their job.  Eligible claimants must have earned a minimum of $300 in a twelve-month base period and must:

 

·        Have an incapacity, which was not incurred on the job;

·        Be under treatment by a physician at the present time;

·        Have a statement from the physician verifying incapacity; and

·        Have earned a minimum of $75 in a quarter within the base period.

 

Note:  Pregnancy may be considered an incapacity if the woman is unable to work or continue employment.  An SDI referral would be appropriate.  After the birth of the child, the woman may be eligible for six weeks whether or not there was eligibility prior to the birth of the child.  A referral to SDI must be made.