During the Covid-19 pandemic, many of our clients have asked us questions about their rights to unemployment benefits. One particular issue that comes up a lot is whether it is possible to collect unemployment benefits if you have not been fired, but your income has been cut dramatically due to the economic downturn. For example, what happens if you normally work 40 hours a week, but now you are only working 25 and earning much less?

Many people don’t realize that the California Employment Development Department (“EDD”) provides benefits for partial unemployment due to factors outside the employee’s control. It will be necessary to report to the EDD all wages that you do receive, but the partial unemployment benefits could ease the financial harm caused by a drop in your income due to an employer’s inability to currently provide full-time work.

Call the employment law attorneys at Buchsbaum & Haag, LLP if you have other questions about unemployment or disability benefits that might be obtained in connection with Covid-19.