SAN DIEGO — Cindy Griffith is cherishing her days with her husband Matthew and one year old son, Wilder.
"I'm very blessed right now to have this time with them," she says.
But this time is not totally stress free.
That's because in the back of Griffith's mind is the fact that it's been more than two months since she filed for unemployment - yet to receive a dime.
"Everyday it's something that I constantly think about," she says. "It's eating at me, and I'm worried that it's not going to come."
Cindy Griffith lost her job at an Encinitas restaurant when Coronavirus restrictions took effect. Matthew lost his restaurant job in Del Mar.
Both filed for unemployment.
Matthew got his right away - giving the family a much needed lifeline.
Cindy, however, got a letter saying she needed to verify her identity - and the Social Security Number on the form was way off.
"I said there's no way I typed this in like that," she said. "I went back and checked my records and you could see that I put it in right."
That letter came in early April. Cindy Griffith says she's called the E.D.D. hundreds of times since - even keeping her documents in Wilder's stroller in case she gets through on a walk.
She confirmed the EDD received her identity information, but is always told her benefits are pending. The EDD reports that identity verification is its primary backlog. That division has grown from 13 people to 218. The agency training an additional 150 to help with the demand.
Meanwhile, Griffith is falling behind on bills - and using credit card debt to get by.
"The hardest part is getting no answers," she says. "I think that's been the most frustrating, it's like what can I do?"
