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I'm happy to say that I've given up the unemployment big bucks and am now back to work. I guess a lot of people aren't willing to go back to work due to the added unemployment benefits. It's a real disincentive to workers and making it very hard on employers trying to staff their crews back up to get things moving again.
 
It sounds like the UI has been extended for 13 weeks for a total of 39 weeks. That should push out my UI from ending in October to after the first of the year where I can start collecting SS if I haven't found a job by then. Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

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.

 
It sounds like the UI has been extended for 13 weeks for a total of 39 weeks. That should push out my UI from ending in October to after the first of the year where I can start collecting SS if I haven't found a job by then. Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

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.


Good not just for those stuck in unemployment limbo, but also the people who were unemployed previous to CV-19 and then find themselves competing with 400K+ other unemployed people for a given job.

This mess (multiple messes) is not going to resolve for a LOT of people for months, possibly years.
 
Good not just for those stuck in unemployment limbo, but also the people who were unemployed previous to CV-19 and then find themselves competing with 400K+ other unemployed people for a given job.

This mess (multiple messes) is not going to resolve for a LOT of people for months, possibly years.

Some jobs won't return when the lockdown is over and others will be eliminated after due to the contraction of the economy.
 
Some jobs won't return when the lockdown is over and others will be eliminated after due to the contraction of the economy.

Agreed. I made a post in the "blood in the streets" thread about one estimate in a news article about 40%+ of the jobs gone won't come back. I think that after most people that are going to go back to their jobs have gone back, we will see an unemployment rate as high as 10%

I know my job won't be there; I wasn't laid off due to CV-19 (I can easily do that job at home and I was doing it at home when I got the phone call that I was laid off with zero notice). The CEO of Daimler was talking about large layoffs worldwide last year before anybody knew anything about CV-19. I got word recently that Daimler is still laying off IT staff - which is not surprising.
 

From the article "...The state struggles with an antiquated and underfunded unemployment insurance system; OED leaders said they received less in federal funding than it takes to run the program in normal times."

My translation: political hacks funneled those funds elsewhere (also known as theft, or stealing in the private sector).

Because unemployment, up to now, has been paid by everyone working & there employers.

Those funds should have been solely & explicitly set aside for just that.
 
Just got the first two direct deposits into my checking account. Now I can relax that I got that setup correctly and they did it correctly.

I guess I will hang onto the Reliacard they sent, but it will have a zero balance on it.
 

jobless-claims-600.png
 
This is a start, now all Gbrown needs to do is resign and we can get back to business.

 


PORTLAND, Ore. — One day after Gov. Kate Brown swapped leadership at the Oregon Employment Department, the new director sat before lawmakers Monday to answer questions about how he plans to address a backlog in claims.

Brown announced Sunday afternoon that she had asked for and received a letter of resignation from Kay Erickson, the former agency director. David Gerstenfeld, formerly the Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Division Director, will now lead the department.

"I'd like to thank Director Erickson for her years of service to the State of Oregon, but it is clear that new leadership is needed," said Brown.

Sunday's announcement came one day after U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, called for Erickson to resign.


On Monday, Gerstenfeld spoke before the Senate Committee on Labor and Business.

"We're not losing a minute of momentum," said Gerstenfeld, addressing the change in leadership.

During Monday's hearing, Gerstenfeld addressed some confusion about the size of Oregon's unemployment backlog. He said 445,000 people applied for regular unemployment benefits. About 245,000 people have been paid.

Of the remaining 200,000, he said 73,000 were not eligible. Thousands of other people are receiving benefits through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which provides benefits to self-employed and contract workers who are not normally eligible for benefits. Gerstenfeld said another 42,000 people applied for benefits but never submitted a weekly claim.

Later, Gerstenfeld said the backlog includes about 38,000 people waiting for their claims to be processed, and another 17,000 to 18,000 people who are waiting for the agency to address problems with their claim. Others are in the "waiting week" period and will receive benefits the next time they apply.

"Those are the people we're focused so intently on right now and protecting the time from our most experience staff to really work on those people who have been waiting the longest, whether their initial claim was processed or not," said Gerstenfeld.

Brown told the Employment Department to waive the waiting week. The agency has not yet done that.

Gerstenfeld admitted the agency has done a poor job with communication, especially for people who applied for PUA.

Over the past two months, KATU News has interviewed dozens of people who said they have been unable to reach the Employment Department to address a problem with their claim. Some said they called thousands of times but only got a busy signal. Many of those who made it past the busy signal waited for hours, only to be disconnected.

"I think the biggest area where we struggled more than other states is with that communication," said Gerstenfeld.

The director said the agency tried opening an email inbox to take questions, but it was quickly overwhelmed with messages.

Gerstenfeld said notices they send to applicants are not as specific as they would like. He said the online system for PUA applicants is not user-friendly and the department is working with Google to address it.

This week, the department will open phone lines specifically for PUA applicants.

More than a decade ago, Oregon was given $85 million to upgrade its computer systems at the employment department. Several viewers have asked where that money is and if it is collecting interest. Gerstenfeld said that money is in their Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. He said they still have the money and it is collecting interest. He said that interest is used to pay benefits which keeps the employer taxes down.

This story is part of our Following the Money initiative. If you suspect government waste or a lack of accountability, give our Following the Money reporter, Keaton Thomas, a call or write him an email.
 

Temporary Leave of Absence here do to covid. Job may or may not be there by the time I can go back - so I'm taking it day by day.

Fraud claim made in my name after I have received 7 weeks of unemployment. Had to send pictures of documents to prove I am who I claim to be, all uploaded same day I received the request.

Now I haven't been paid for the last 3 weeks claims and watching as my checking account balance continues to drop.

Made 192 phone calls to unemployment in a row for 2 hours to finally get someone on the phone. They had to send me to a level 2 operator so that was another hour on the phone.

End result - They are working on it but no ETA as to when they may resume payments.

I make more working so not super happy about being at home but making the best of it.
 

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