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Unemployment Updates
People in our community are hurting and desperate. While I'm proud to have been able to help some constituents through the process, far too many are still in need, living in fear they'll lose their housing or won't have enough to pay for medicine, food, car payments, and basic needs.
I won't rest until we've fixed these problems in the long term. I'm going to keep fighting to make sure every Oregon worker has what they need to make it through this downturn. ICYMI; My op ed on the subject HERE
And for those of you still needing help with unemployment here are a few helpful links and of course you can always contact my office.
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Recorded webinar from July 23, 2020 concerning the new PUA online form
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Step by Step PUA form; a video concerning how to get to the system, how to file claims
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Recorded webinar from July 30, 2020 concerning PUA process changes, reported earnings changes and more
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Also check out the Contact Us form on the new and improved employment department website
Some helpful Q&A the agency shared with my office:
Q. How long does it take to see an update online after talking to someone at OED who made a change and says I will be able to see it online? Immediately? A few days? How much time do I l let pass before I call again?
A. In most situations, changes should be reflected overnight (changes made on Saturday may not be reflected until the following Tuesday)
Q. Once a Work Share application is approved, how many weeks should it take before someone sees a payment?
A. It may take up to eight weeks. That timeframe is shortening, and many people begin to receive benefits more quickly, but particularly if it is a very large plan, it can take time for all of the individual claims for people covered by the plan to be processed and start paying.
Q. Why can’t people apply for direct deposit with the initial application, rather than needing to wait for their claim to be processed. For too many people, their payments get put on the ReliaCard, and they have to deal with an added layer of hassle (and delay) of transferring their funds to their bank accounts or withdrawing them from an ATM.
A. We would like to see this, too. Early in this recession we tried to make this change. Unfortunately, it was not working as intended and was creating significant issues that we have not had the ability, given the work needed to stand up new programs and get other priorities done, to return to this work.
Q. If someone has exhausted all of their benefits, gone through 13 weeks of regular UI, then 13 weeks of PEUC, then 13 weeks of EB which will expire next week. (They had been on UI prior to March). Should they file for PUA, or are they in fact at the end of their benefits?
A. If someone has used up all 26 weeks of regular benefits, and 13 weeks of PEUC, they should be eligible for up to 20 weeks of EB benefits right now (we are in a “high extended benefits” or HEB situation so there are more weeks available). If those also exhaust, it is possible the person may be eligible for a new regular benefits claim, or for PUA or, unfortunately in some situations, the person may not be eligible for any benefits we administer. The best approach is for the person to continue filing weekly claims.
Q. Can you tell me how the OED unemployment works for people associated with schools?
A. There are federal and state laws that apply specifically to people who work for educational institutions. We have information about these laws on our website.
Q. For Oregonians who had active unemployment claims prior to the COVID shutdown, what options do they have for extending or continuing their claim if they are unable to return to work due to COVID restrictions? What do these folks need to do, and where do they go for information, if they will need benefits after their initial unemployment claim expires?
A. There are several extension programs in place right now, including PEUC and EB, and depending on a number of factors, people may be eligible for one of those, for PUA, or for a new regular UI claim. The best place for information is our new website. The best generally applicable approach is to continue filing weekly claims. In many cases, they will automatically be asked the few additional questions needed for them to begin receiving PEUC benefits. If we do need additional information, we will reach out to the person. While we are increasing our speed of getting people onto these extensions, it is still taking us several weeks at this point.
Q. People receive checks and denial letters at the same time. What do they do with the letters and
checks? If the checks have already been deposited; should they be concerned?
A. There are many different scenarios that could have happened. The most likely is that the person
filed for both regular UI and PUA, received checks under one program and notices under the other informing them that they cannot get benefits under that other program. Another possibility is that there were issues with the weeks that were at least partially addressed – that the letters were triggered by our automatic systems, but an employee took required action for benefits to be paid out. If the letters were asking for additional information, the person should complete them and get them back to us (if it is the same question, and the same answer, for all of the weeks, they can send just one back and indicate the time period that their information covers).
Q. When using the new online PUA form, how do people know they have successfully submitted the form? They didn't get an automatic email confirming their submission.
A. We are working to provide a confirmation email, but do not know when that will be available. In the meantime, if you check your claim status the next day (or Tuesday morning if you submit it after 7:00 pm on a Saturday), you should see the weekly claim reflected.
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