SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Thousands of Californians are still awaiting unemployment benefits from the Employment Development Department after 1.4 million unemployment accounts were suspended as part of fraud screening by EDD before the New Year.
It's been more than six months since David Dwight, a U.S. Air Force Veteran, has received any benefits from EDD.
"Ever since then, I check my card off and on and it's $0.51 balance and that's it. There's nothing there," Dwight said.
Now homeless, living out of a Motel 6 without a car, Dwight said he stopped receiving benefits when they asked for identity verification and that's when he was told to send in a copy of his driver's license.
"But unfortunately that was right about the time of my birthday. My driver's license expired. I sent in a picture of it on the last day it was valid and also my temporary that I got at the DMV and they disqualified that," he said.
So Dwight waited for his new driver's license to show up in the mail until mid-December, which he sent a copy of right away.
"And they lost that, they misplaced it. When I finally called in around Christmas time, they said, 'oh we never received that.' And I said, well it was sent right to you and it was supposed to go in my file," he said.
Dwight said they told him to file a second appeal, with the certified copies of his new driver's license... again.
"I submitted it, certified mail, and [they responded with] crickets, nothing," he said. "And now I call them and call them and call them and can't get through. They tell me, sorry, we're too busy, please call back."
At this point, he said there's about $12,000 due to him but he still can't get through to EDD.
"We're at our wit's end when you can't even call and you can't even get somebody on the phone," he said.
That's where lawmakers like Assemblyman Jim Patterson, (R-Fresno), come in, as they get direct access to EDD.
Patterson said since the pandemic, they've helped about 2,500 people with their unemployment benefits. All seven of his staffers are working on 100 cases each.
"This is really a backward approach because it gives people like me a special entrée to the EDD that Californians don't have," Patterson said.
ABC10 connected Dwight with his representatives while he continues to wait for his benefits.
"I just, I want to live life again," Dwight said.
To find your respective lawmaker for help getting through to EDD, click here.
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