After this Saturday, September 4, 2021, federal unemployment benefits are set to expire. California unemployment benefits will continue to be available, for those who are eligible.
You may qualify for several vital programs to help cover food, housing, utility, and health care expenses, especially since the pandemic has been tough on many workers and their families.
Resources
Contra Costa County residents can apply for public benefit programs.
California families and individuals receiving CalFresh benefits will soon receive a significant increase in food benefits.
The American Rescue Plan and California Comeback Plan have substantially expanded other vital benefits that continue to help eligible California families:
- Cash aid and services for families with children (CalWORKs), as well as CalFresh food assistance and free health insurance (Medi-Cal) for families and individuals via MyBenefitsCalWIN (for Contra Costa County).
- Over $234 per person per month for food via CalFresh (GetCalFresh.org or by phone at 1-877-847-3663), whether a person is working or not.
- Money for rent and utilities—including 100 percent rent and utilities—via Housing is Key (HousingIsKey.com or by phone at 1-833-430-2122).
- Free or low-cost health insurance through Covered California or Medi-Cal (CoveredCA.com or by phone at 1-800-300-1506). Californians who received unemployment insurance in 2021 may be eligible for Covered California’s best coverage for $1 per month.
- Golden State Stimulus payments for millions of qualified residents who file taxes, even if not required (by phone at 1-800-845-6500).
Individuals already enrolled in Medi-Cal or a Covered California health plan should report changes in unemployment benefits because this could lower their health coverage costs.
EDD has resources to help claimants find jobs and get job training on its Returning to Work webpage.
That includes CalJOBS, a no-cost virtual job center that includes more than a million job listings from private job boards and recruitment sites.
You can find a fact sheet with information about the end of federal unemployment benefits and key benefit programs still available in California on the EDD Federal Provisions for Unemployment webpage (fact sheet is also available in Armenian, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Tagalog, Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese).
September 4th is the expiration date for most federal unemployment benefits, including Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Pandemic Unemployment Emergency Compensation (PEUC), the $300 Federal Additional Compensation (PAC) (also known as Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC)) supplement, and Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC). September 11, 2021, is the end of the Federal-State Extended Duration (FED-ED) extension. According to CDSS, over three million workers are receiving notices about these changes, with links to the other vital benefit programs that continue.