SACRAMENTO, CA - To help respond to increased demand for unemployment benefits, the state Employment Development Department will begin opening its call center for questions on Saturdays, beginning tomorrow.
Starting Saturday, the EDD's Sacramento call center will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays to help workers file for unemployment assistance. During those hours, anyone looking to file a claim can call the center's phone number at 1-800-300-5616. Spanish speakers can call 1-800-326-8937.
"We're already hiring more staff to keep up with unprecedented demand and ensure benefits continue to be paid on time," EDD Director Patrick Henning said. "By extending the hours of our call centers, we will be able to serve more unemployed workers more efficiently."
Henning said EDD had also implemented other measures to help meet the unprecedented demand for benefits, including overtime for staffers and the hiring of 400 additional workers to get claims filed quickly.
While the call center would be open Saturdays, EDD is encouraging unemployed workers to apply for benefits online at the EDD Web site for the quickest possible results.
News10/KXTV