For those currently unemployed - help thread

[PenTurner]

Heretic,

I also received the "Your internet initial claim has been received" earlier today,
This is what is being display for me on the weekly claim status page now:

We received your report for the week ending April 25, 2020 .
Payment information for this week will be available on April 28, 2020.
Because of the time it takes for processing and mailing, please allow four days from the day you claimed the week before inquiring about a late benefit payment.

It is starting to look like I might get some money. I hope you see this as well.

 

[The Heretic]

Good. All I wanted was something to the effect of "we are working on it" to at least acknowledge that my initial claim was noticed. Then I want something to say "it is valid, we are working on processing your claims" - which it sounds like you are getting now. I am about a week or two behind you, so maybe they are catching up - a little.

 

[The Heretic]

The feds gave Oregon money to update Employment Dept computers, where did it go?

For more than a month, Oregonians have struggled to obtain unemployment benefits from the Oregon Employment Department. Its computer system has been plagued with problems, frustrating laid off workers. Meanwhile, state leaders sat on a funding fix for more than a decade. Back in 2009, the...

katu.com

Sounds like another gov boondoggle. Is it really that complex that they need to spend $100M to fix it?

 

[E4mafia]

In relation to yours above:
April 26th 2020

Gov. Kate Brown apologizes as Oregon's unemployment site down for many on Sunday

SALEM, Ore. – Governor Brown took to Twitter Sunday to apologize to Oregonians out of work during the coronavirus pandemic who are still experiencing errors while trying to file for unemployment benefits. Since March 15, there have been about 333,700 initial claims for unemployment insurance in...

katu.com

KB says sorry...

in NYC (i posted the link in another thread) they're reporting that nobody can get through and Cuomo says they are 10-15bil in the red asking daddy fed for help. People are complaining about no money for food/bills etc. I would really hate to be in that state right now and it made me think of this thread and similar issues.

 

[clearconscience]

The feds gave Oregon money to update Employment Dept computers, where did it go?

For more than a month, Oregonians have struggled to obtain unemployment benefits from the Oregon Employment Department. Its computer system has been plagued with problems, frustrating laid off workers. Meanwhile, state leaders sat on a funding fix for more than a decade. Back in 2009, the...

katu.com

Sounds like another gov boondoggle. Is it really that complex that they need to spend $100M to fix it?

well it cost them something like $180 Million for an obamacare website that never worked, so yeah

 

[PenTurner]

Heretic,

So I check the weekly claim status today and see this:

We received your report for the week ending April 25, 2020 . However, the computer cannot find a claim for you. If you are a new claimant, you need to allow five working days for your file to be added to the system. If you are not a new claimant, you need to call your Unemployment Insurance Center. Unemployment insurance claims are no longer handled through our local Employment offices.

This is what was displayed yesterday for me on the weekly claim status page:

We received your report for the week ending April 25, 2020. Payment information for this week will be available on April 28, 2020. Because of the time it takes for processing and mailing, please allow four days from the day you claimed the week before inquiring about a late benefit payment.

I'll just wait until next Monday and see if anything changes and see if they can "Find" my claim.

Ron

 

[The Heretic]

Yeah - got the same thing. Notice that the web page look and feel has changed for those pages.

If you instead go to the claim status and select "how much time and money" selection, you get the older look and feel and the status is:

Your internet initial claim has been received. Our records show that we have received your internet initial claim. If you recently filed a new claim for benefits, please allow several weeks for our staff to process it. Our system only updates once a day. In the meantime, you should make weekly claim reports for any weeks you want benefits. Unemployment Insurance Center. Unemployment insurance claims are no longer handled through our local Employment offices.

So the two parts of the site disagree with each other.

The fact that they are receiving weekly claims means that they must have an initial claim - I don't see how the system would allow weekly claims without making an initial claim.

In short, they still got their heads up their anal orifices. I too will wait and see what they say next week.

 

[PenTurner]

If they finally pay me, I will let you know that as well

Thanks for starting this thread.

Ron

 

[The Heretic]

New York needs federal loan to pay state unemployment benefits

New York has to borrow money from the federal government to pay its state unemployment benefits after more than a million newly jobless residents filed claims amid the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday.

www.cnn.com

 

[Knebel]

Oh man this is screwed. My wife is getting letters that she didn't "look for work" but she did and also submitted it. Still Waiting on unemployment that has been filed March 23rd.

 

[The Heretic]

Family member just got letter from OR UI saying that their benefits have expired, saying "no additional extensions are available". Which I think is wrong.

 

[Fishonshawn]

My wife is on furlough and got denied because they said theres no record of her working the last 18months. Shes worked at her job for 5yrs. She had to call them over 2000 times (auto dial app, she called for hours and hours for days) before she got ahold of anyone and then they told her the systems were messed up and they couldnt help her. And then I got let go from the same place my wife works at after 5yrs there. They got rid of about 250 of us and I was one of the lucky ones to get the axe. Never really been unemployed, pretty weird feeling.

 

[The Heretic]

My wife is on furlough and got denied because they said theres no record of her working the last 18months. Shes worked at her job for 5yrs. She had to call them over 2000 times (auto dial app, she called for hours and hours for days) before she got ahold of anyone and then they told her the systems were messed up and they couldnt help her. And then I got let go from the same place my wife works at after 5yrs there. They got rid of about 250 of us and I was one of the lucky ones to get the axe. Never really been unemployed, pretty weird feeling.

Dig up your W-2 forms for the last couple of years. Also, your pay records for this year.

If your employer had not paid into the UI fund then they broke the employment laws, but I doubt that is the case - as you say, the Oregon UI systems are screwed up right now, so you will have to keep at them until they fix it. Keep claiming weekly. Hopefully they will eventually get it fixed.

 

[Ducati_Meister]

Another tip - although it may be too late if you are already unemployed: don't burn your bridges behind you. Leave on good terms, polite and professional. Don't badmouth anybody at your old job.

Why? Even if your employer/boss/etc. were complete anal orifices and you have bad feelings, it can come back to haunt you.

1) Past employers may hire you back. I've had that happen twice, the second time I had some hard feelings about how they handled the terminations of those they laid off, but I mostly kept my mouth shut.

2) The word gets around. You don't know who is friends with who. Speak bad of someone and it may get back to them. Then when a prospective employer checks on you and asks the grapevine, they hear bad things.

Probably the best advice for anyone. My mom preached this to me when I got my first gig in high school before going into the USAF. Don't burn bridges as everything follows you.

 

[The Heretic]

Extended benefits.

First, federal guidance:

Unemployment Insurance Relief During COVID-19 Outbreak

www.dol.gov

I am about to exhaust my regular unemployment compensation benefits. What kinds of relief does the CARES Act provide for me?

Under the CARES Act states are permitted to extend unemployment benefits by up to 13 weeks under the new Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program. PEUC benefits are available for weeks of unemployment beginning after your state implements the new program and ending with weeks of unemployment ending on or before December 31, 2020. The program covers most individuals who have exhausted all rights to regular unemployment compensation under state or federal law and who are able to work, available for work, and actively seeking work as defined by state law. Importantly, the CARES Act gives states flexibility in determining whether you are "actively seeking work" if you are unable to search for work because of COVID-19, including because of illness, quarantine, or movement restrictions.
In addition, if you have exhausted the 13 weeks of additional benefits available under the PEUC program, you may be eligible to continue receiving benefits under the PUA program. PUA benefits are available for a period of unemployment of up to 39 weeks, meaning that if you have exhausted regular UC and PEUC benefits in fewer than 39 weeks, you may be eligible to receive assistance under PUA for the remaining weeks within PUA's 39 week period.

 

[The Heretic]

Oregon state guidance:

This site has moved

govstatus.egov.com

Scroll down to:

Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC)
My unemployment benefits have ended or soon will end. What help can I get?
The CARES Act legislation provides an extension to regular benefits called Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC).
This extension is effective the week starting March 29, 2020 and ends December 26, 2020. This extension adds 13 weeks of benefits to a regular claim for those that are eligible.
There are two ways to be eligible.
Option 1:

• Your claim balance is $0,
• Your claim has not yet expired, and
• You do not have a regular claim available in another state, Canada, or through another federal program.

Option 2:

• Your last valid claim expired July 6, 2019 or later, and
• You do not have a regular claim available in Oregon, another state, Canada, or through another federal program.

We are working to implement this extension into our systems as soon as possible. Once done, we will notify everyone by mail who may qualify. If you were eligible for PEUC for weeks that have already passed, we will apply the extension to the first week you became eligible.
In the meantime, follow these instructions:

1. Continue to make weekly claims for weeks that you are requesting unemployment benefits, and
2. If your address has changed, update your address with us. You can do this by using the Online Claim System and select the option to change your address or by calling your local WorkSource Oregon office.

 

[The Heretic]

According to this: https://www.oregon.gov/employ/Documents/04.10.20-Press Release.pdf

If you are on "extended benefits" you will get the extra $600 until July 31 as long as you are eligible for the extended benefits (which last 13 weeks).

It doesn't say federal extended benefits, but I assume that is what it means.

My impression is that they have not implemented this in their computer systems/etc. yet, they are working on it. So you may get a letter saying no extension is available - I have a relative who has already seen this. Keep filing weekly claims, maybe contact them, but keep filing. I think they will first try to catch up on the people who have initially claimed UI and are not getting anything yet, then catchup on the extended benefits - or maybe they are working on both at the same time.

I do know they are paying the extra $600 to those who were already claiming before the CV hit, and probably some of those who filed after CV.

The rest of us have to be patient.

 

[The Heretic]

For the self-employed/"gig" workers, it appears that the OR PUA system is up and running?

This site has moved

govstatus.egov.com

The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program is open and accepting applications. Self-employed, contract, and gig workers not eligible for regular unemployment benefits who are filing for the first time should use the instructions and initial application form below to complete their first claim. Additional certifications will be required for each week you continue to be out of work due to COVID-19, and will be posted on this page in the coming days.


Self-employed, contract, and gig workers who have already filed initial and weekly claims and have an established PIN should complete the PUA application and certification process at Entry Error (English) or theError al Introducir Datos (Spanish).
Instructions on How to File a PUA Application

 

[The Heretic]

Oregon unemployment, at 362,000, is twice that of Great Recession

Oregon's unemployment rate for April could be as high as 20%, and 30 million people nationally are out of work since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

www.statesmanjournal.com

 

[The Heretic]

Oregon has more than 100,000 unprocessed jobless claims, some waiting more than a month

“I have a growing feeling that for some reason my application is the equivalent of a draft email forgotten with no hope of delivery."

www.oregonlive.com