I'm now unemployed. I'm considering applying for unemployment insurance in CA. I don't really need it to survive but it would be very valuable for something like a down payment to replace my 25 year old car. Or replacing my AC/furnace which is 20+ years old.

My hesitation is concerns with expanding my digital footprint (including name, address, ssn, etc) in more insufficiently protected gov databases and privacy concerns (apparently need to post a resume with contact info; the gov website warns against spam and fraudulent contacts enabled by posting a resume).

On one hand, the funds could be nice icing. On the other hand, it could lead to problems I just don't need. I know some people who would be eligible but decided against applying for UI; they considered it not worth the hassle and risk. I'm trending toward not applying as well.

Wondering if you've heard of any issues - you or someone you know or something you heard. I'm probably overly paranoid again. But I just don't need my identity hacked at this point and I have little faith in the security of these databases.

I’m sure it varies state by state but I’ve not heard of any issues in the mid Atlantic..

Hope things work out for you soon.

I just finished my 6 months on UI in Texas. No concerns or issues here, other than it pays crap (max ~$571/wk here). But it helped. To qualify I had to make 5 search activities per week, reported every 2 weeks. That process was not onerous.

Take the money. Your info is already out there.

quote:

Originally posted by berto:
Take the money. Your info is already out there.

^^ Ditto

Okay. Thanks. Probably paranoid again. Seems like some system I'm in gets hacked annually. What’s one more i guess. I’ll take the money and run and hope for otherwise the best.

After my company closed down because of Covid I applied.

I'm in Ca like you.

No hassle at all and I was in the period where they pumped up the $$$ because of Covid.

I figured I had payed in most of my life and had never taken a dime back and have no regrets.

In your position is disability an option too?

Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m gathering the required info. Disability probably not applicable for me despite below average health.

Good that uploading a resume doesn’t seem to result in undesired inquiries.

quote:

Originally posted by PR64:

I figured I had payed in most of my life and had never taken a dime back and have no regrets.

Does the worker bee pay into the Unemployment Insurance fund in California? Here in Florida, it is paid for by the employer, not the employee. I know that for sure, because I handled all payroll for my small mom & pop company for more than twenty years, including all of the Unemployment Fund* stuff.

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*It used to be Unemployment, but at some point, I believe it was around COVID time, the wokesters in Tallahassee changed the name to "Reemployment Insurance." Stubborn asshole that I am, I continued to send company checks made out to "Unemployment Insurance Fund" -- I refused to use the new name. Apparently the state did not care, they continued to accept the checks and never said anything to me.

After the 2015 OPM data breach that released the personally identifiable information of all applicants for security clearances, as well as their families to the COMMUNIST CHINESE (this happened under Obama and strangely, no one have ever been investigated, much less prosecuted for this hack), I've largely assumed that every nefarious actor on the planet knows everything about me.

Seven security clearance application, renewal, or upgrade documents.

Just remember UI is taxable at the Federal level and *maybe* at your state level. Just plan for that when tax time comes around.

It's Unemployment Insurance. You've been paying into it to hedge against the risk of being unemployed. Are you unemployed? If you are, then take the benefits.

I think for CA, they have some requirements that you have to be "actively looking for work." So, just document spending some time looking on the internet, updating your LinkedIn profile, clicking on Easy One Step applications. Don't worry, people on LinkedIn are complaining they don't even get a rejection letter.

Thanks Rey. Yes, I was wondering about what satisfies that criteria.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
Thanks Rey. Yes, I was wondering about what satisfies that criteria.

I lost my job shortly after the lockdown. There was a requirement to be looking for work. I dutifully cut and pasted job listing from Craigslist into the EDD web site. I think they wanted three a week. There was an option to claim an in person application. No biggie. There was no verification. They might be back to some minimal level now. It’s an easy process. I spent maybe 15 minutes a week on it. I was even sorta looking for a job.

Thanks! This helps as I try to figure this out. I'm so far assuming that I don't need to apply for any job for which I might be qualified, but rather a job which I would prefer (which may not be common). For example (just for concept): I may be (over qualified) to be a line cook at a family diner but I prefer to be a sous chef for a reputable french restaurant. There may not be much for the latter but it counts if I searched for it. I don't need to apply for the job at diner.