Coronavirus unemployment: Callers overwhelm EDD phone banks

Apr. 20--"Thank you for calling. Please try again later" was the phone message on Monday for many attempts to reach the beleaguered state Employment Development Department, in a new indication of the economic destruction unleashed by the coronavirus.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last week that the EDD phone banks, bolstered by hundreds of additional employees and a new phone center, would be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.

Monday was slated to be the start of the EDD's dramatically expanded effort, but many attempts to reach the office on Monday were unable to get past a message that said the phone banks were receiving too many calls to answer.

The EDD says it has processed a "historic number" of unemployment claims in the wake of coronavirus-linked business shutdowns imposed by the government.

"Thank you for calling the Employment Development Department Unemployment Insurance Self-Service Line" was beginning of the phone greeting for more than 10 phone calls placed to the EDD office on Monday.

However, the calls, placed from different cell phones, quickly went downhill after that hopeful start. The calls were placed to the number listed on the EDD's website, 866-333-4606

"We are currently receiving more calls than we can answer," the EDD phone line stated, as a prelude to the call being disconnected.

The goodbye message was repeated in Spanish.

The EDD also directed people to a web page where individuals could create an account to process, track, and update their unemployment claims and benefits.

The EDD didn't immediately respond to a request for a comment.

Last week, Gov. Newsom announced the ranks of the EDD's unemployment insurance unit had swelled to 1,340 employees, including 740 EDD employees and 600 employees from other state government agencies.

At least 3.1 million California workers have filed claims for unemployment benefits since around March 12, the governor estimated recently.

The new EDD phone center hours were meant to accomplish a major expansion of the state agency's capabilities. Prior to the changes, the phone lines were being answered only from 8 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday. Now phones are being answered 84 hours a week compared to the previous 20 hours weekly.

On Monday, though, it wasn't immediately clear whether those hundreds of additional workers had made a meaningful dent in handling the avalanche of unemployment claims.

"Please try your call again later," was how the EDD phone message ended in English. In Spanish, it was "Gracias. Adios."

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