Contra Costa County Employment & Human Services Office - Pleasant Hill, California

Sara G.

Despite what Google says, this is not the unemployment office.
hopefully, I'll be able to save somebody the trip. Especially, if they need to take public transportation.

Unemployment is located at 4071 Port Chicago highway, suite 250.

Albina L.

Zero stars. The Contra Costa County Employment
& Human Services office is absolutely terrible when it comes to communication. They claim the best time to call is at 8 AM, but that is a complete lie. It doesn’t matter if you call right at 8 AM or throughout the entire day—they simply do not answer. Their excuse about “high call volumes” is also misleading because it seems like they just don’t respond at all.
I have been trying to update my case, including my income change, since November 2024, and despite multiple attempts, I have received no response. I even went to their office in person, where a clerk scanned and stamped all my documents months ago, yet there has still been no follow-up. This level of negligence is beyond frustrating.
If you need anything done, be prepared for a long, exhausting process with no guarantees. It’s unacceptable for such office to be this unresponsive when people rely on them for important matters. Absolutely disappointing service.

Sam R.

I cannot get a hold of anyone on the phone. As all the reviews say they don't answer the phone or seem to do their jobs. I tried transferring my medical to another county June 2024 because I don't live here anymore. Which I thought had been transfered and when it came time to renew my medical I am still getting letters from this county. I called the county I live in and they said they've been emailing and calling Contra Costa County once a week since last June because no one has transfered my case. Well I sent in my renewal online back in January and NO ONE from this county has taken a look so I must not have benefits anymore since my medical expired in February. How is this fair?

Jason P.

I utterly HATE HATE HATE dealing with this office.

The first issue dates to 2017 when I was on Medi-Cal and had to report a change of income since I had a temporary job for a few months and was wondering if I would still qualify. The worker I spoke to said I would not but then I informed her it was a temp job only and this was in early November. It turned out that, even with this job, I would still be able to receive Medi-Cal coverage due to my income. This is a basic inquiry and yet the worker fumbled it. She then assigned me to a caseworker. I call the caseworker and ask questions, then request for her first name. She said, per policy, she could not disclose it. However, I was sending her documents which are protected by HIPAA and are therefore confidential so I wanted to get it to the right person. I learned from a friend who works in this office that workers are assigned an identifying number. She could have provided me such but did not. When I call the main office in Martinez to complain, I get more red tape and stumbling blocks. I jokingly asked, "Is this a CIA operation?" and the person said, "Yes it is". Totally unprofessional (luckily the Ombudsman agreed when I spoke with her via phone)

Then we get to today. I just purchased a Kaiser plan off Covered CA so I need to terminate my Medi-Cal benefits (I had to go on Medi-Cal again). Through their automated service, I provided two identifying pieces of information they requested: my social security number and driver's license. In both instances, they said "We could not locate anyone". They then asked for an ID and password. I entered incorrect information just to see if I could get anywhere. FINALLY did I get the option to speak to a representative. Funny enough, I gave her my SSN and she pulled up my information.

Wait times are also ridiculously long and should not be.

I hope I do not have to deal with this office ever again. The only saving grave is the Ombudsman.

Wendi Q.

TERRIBLE TERRLE EXPERIENCE WITH THIS DEPARTMENT. Wait time on the phone minimum 2 hours and it is taking two full days for trying to cancel the medi-cal correctly and it is still not done correctly. TOTALLY FEELING HELPLESS. I have to call them again for a third day in a row and I’m feeling super upset to know that I potentially will be hold for hours again. It’s despairing. All these super long waiting time over the phone is seriously affecting my life. It is unbelievable how difficult it is to get something resolved with this part of the government.

Jordan C.

I must be blessed because my experience was way different than most of these posts.
Very polite, very fast and efficient, very clean. No issues at all.
Edit. Spoke too soon. Had my phone appointment ignored today.

Andrea E.

You would be hard pressed to find a group of dumber and lazier people work in one place on the planet. No wonder why people want government programs cut. So many people collecting paycheck to do nothing and see it in real life for hours and days to get simple documents through.

Jason S.

One of the most important things for this type of a government agency was present at this office: empathy. And that's due to a woman named Sandy. I wasn't sure if the reviews were true, as after I took a number, I sat and heard a woman say she had been there for almost two hours. I then was pretty concerned that my 3-minute question (attempting to verify information on a state website in a county offce) would never be heard. Enter Sandy. I heard her asking people in the waiting room if anyone had any questions. I listened to the way she answered someone and decided that I'd try my luck and see if she could answer me. She was so knowledgeable and compassionate and at a moment where it was ever-so-urgent - much more than I had ever expected. Thank you, Sandy. It is so rare to find someone that performs their job with empathy and rarer still to experience this at a waiting room that resembles a DMV.