How To Get Cobra
Group health plans must give covered employees and their families a notice explaining their COBRA rights. Plans must have rules for how COBRA coverage is offered, how beneficiaries may choose to get it and when they can stop coverage. For more COBRA information, see COBRA Premium Subsidy. The;page links to information about COBRA including:
Is It Too Late To Apply For Unemployment Insurance
If you’ve been laid off or furloughed, you can apply for unemployment benefits in your state. Once the state approves your claim, you can apply to receive whatever state benefits you’re entitled to. Because states cover 30% to 50% of a person’s wages, there isn’t a single sum you could expect on a national basis. Each state’s;unemployment insurance office;provides information to file a claim with the program in the state where you worked. Some claims may be filed in person, by phone or online, so it’s best to contact your state’s office directly.
Eligibility criteria vary from state to state, but the general rule is that you should;apply;if you’ve lost your job or been laid off through no fault of your own, including if it was due directly or indirectly to the pandemic. You can check on your state’s requirements here. In February, the;Department of Labor;updated its unemployment eligibility requirements to include people who refused to return to work due to unsafe coronavirus standards.
As for self-employed workers and freelancers who are losing PUA coverage, some;online groups;are calling to extend pandemic unemployment programs through the crisis and offer more information.;
You might also want to know about the IRS issuing refunds to those who were;taxed on their 2020 unemployment benefits. And here’s an important primer on the 2021 enhanced;child tax credit, which is offering millions of families extra money in advance of next year’s taxes.
Failure Is Not An Option
House Democrats will provide enough votes to pass a two-part spending package that is the centerpiece of President Joe Bidens agenda, top party lawmakers said Tuesday.
Democratic Caucus Committee Chairman Hakeem Jeffries and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the House will be able to pass a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package as well as a second social welfare spending bill with a price tag as high as $3.5 trillion, despite pushback from party centrists.
The votes will be there for both the bipartisan infrastructure agreement and the Build Back Better plan,”said Jeffries.
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To Speak With Telephone Claims Center Staff
If you are a hearing impaired individual who is being assisted by another person, call the Telephone Claims Center at 783-1370; however, if you use TTY/TDD, call a relay operator first at 662-1220, and ask the operator to call the Telephone Claims Center at 783-1370.
In person:
You can visit a New York unemployment office at one of many locations.
If the Frequently Asked Questions section doesnt answer your question, you can send a secure message. Sign in with your NY.GOV ID and then click on Messages.
New York State Department of Labor, P.O. Box 15130, Albany, NY 12212-5130
Send faxes to 457-9378. Write your Social Security number at the top right-hand corner on all pages and save your fax confirmation.
Will I Get Back Payments Automatically Applied Or Manual Claim/actions Required
Once states are able to update their IT systems to pay the extended PEUC and PUA benefits they are automatically adding the extra weeks to eligible claimant accounts. One the claimant claims or certifies for the relevant weeks they should get payment for current and past eligible weeks.
However due to the complexities, unique cases or system limitations some states area asking claimants to take manual actions to get back payments. For example in Pennsylvania , claimants on PEUC are being requested to email the UC Help Desk for backdating retroactive weeks. Similarly in IDES in IL is asking claimants to call their call center representatives to discuss backdating their claims
So essentially if you cannot claim your past weeks online or you have received a current/recent week payment but no back payments for prior eligible weeks or any official notification of delays, then you will likely have to take a manual action via your state UI agency to get your payment. ;
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How Long It Will Take To Receive Unemployment Check
The coronavirus pandemic created a lot of problems for the U.S. economy. Once a thriving economy is struggling to cope with numerous challenges. Millions of Americans lost their jobs since the beginning of coronavirus pandemic. A historic $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package expanded unemployment benefits in several ways, partly by increasing jobless pay by $600 a week.
It is worth mentioning that, money provided as part of the rescue package comes in addition to any weekly benefits Americans receive thanks to the states unemployment framework. Nevertheless, everything is not so easy. For example, those $600 payments which are available through July are delayed in some states.
Also, some states decided to pay the money provided by the federal government separately from traditional state benefits. As a result, unemployment checks may seem less impressive than anticipated by some people.
For example, people who lost their jobs in Washington state will receive two payments each week. The first for $600 provided by the CARES Act legislation. Moreover, the second one is for the normal unemployment benefit provided by the Washington state.
Moreover, according to the states unemployment website, there may be a gap between the two checks. It makes sense as it takes more time to complete all necessary steps until a jobless person will receive his or her check.
Watch Out For Potential Unemployment Scams
During times of emergencies and natural disasters, the rates of scam activities increase. Its important to stay vigilant and aware of scammers who may pretend to be a government agency in order to gain access to your personal information.
Possible scams include emails, texts, phone calls, or social media messages that appear to come from the U.S. Department of Labor or your states unemployment office, asking you to verify your personal information, including your name, Social Security number, or bank account information. Scammers often also ask for up-front fees in order to process your payments or application.
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How Do I Apply
To receive unemployment insurance benefits, you need to file a claim with the unemployment insurance program in the state where you worked. Depending on the state, claims may be filed in person, by telephone, or online.
- You should contact your state’s unemployment insurance program as soon as possible after becoming unemployed.
- Generally, you should file your claim with the state where you worked. If you worked in a state other than the one where you now live or if you worked in multiple states, the state unemployment insurance agency where you now live can provide information about how to file your claim with other states.
- When you file a claim, you will be asked for certain information, such as addresses and dates of your former employment. To make sure your claim is not delayed, be sure to give complete and correct information.
- Find the contact information for your state’s unemployment office to start your claim.
The Tax Authority Is In The Process Of Sending Out Tax Rebates To Over 10 Million Americans Who Incorrectly Paid Tax On Jobless Benefits Received In 2020
One of the lesser-known provisions of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan was a substantial tax break for recipients of unemployment benefits, which offers a considerable tax exemption.
The stimulus bill ensured that the estimated 40 million Americans who received unemployment benefits during 2020 would not be taxed on the first $10,200 of assistance they received from the federal government.
However, as the legislation was only passed in March, the IRS estimate that over 10 million unemployment benefits recipients had already filed their taxes; meaning that had missed out on the relief. However, the IRS is now in the process of sending out tax rebates to rectify that. Heres how to check on the status of your unemployment refund.
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Spotlight Changes To Unemployment Benefits Under The Consolidated Appropriations Act
- An additional $300 per week in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation payments will be added to all unemployment benefits through September 6, 2021 %E2%80%94An%20additional%20%24600%20per,25th%20for%20most%20people.” rel=”nofollow”>FPUC)
- Regular state unemployment benefits will be extended for up to an additional 29 weeks through September 6, 2021, beyond the 50 weeks of benefits provided for by previous laws, through Pandemic Emergency Unemployment compensation %E2%80%94An%20additional%20%24600%20per,25th%20for%20most%20people.” rel=”nofollow”>PEUC)
- Pandemic Unemployment Assistance for categories of workers excluded from regular benefits %E2%80%94An%20additional%20%24600%20per,25th%20for%20most%20people.” rel=”nofollow”>PUA)
- Six months of free COBRA health insurance will be available to the unemployed
- Workers who have at least $5,000 in annual self-employment income but were previously ineligible for regular state unemployment benefits will continue to receive up to $100 per week
How To File For Unemployment Benefits Back Payments
Many of the recent comments in this article reflect the challenges with actually being able to claim unemployment back payments for eligible weeks. In particular getting through a live agent or getting a response from your local state agency has been a challenge which has often meant stress and panic around the status of your unemployment check, and if you will even be getting paid one for current or past weeks.
While it varies by state, the following are the key ways to file and get your retroactive unemployment payments:
- To claim past weeks or correct dates you will generally have to contact your state UI agency and get them to retroactively certify you for past week. Getting an agent is a challenge, so may agencies are offering secure message as a way to lodge your claim. New York is doing this extensively and people have reported this is more effective than trying to get through to someone.
- States like Florida have actually setup dedicated phone lines and options to modify the date of unemployment claims or to certify for past weeks. In California, there is a dedicated site to certify for past weeks to confirm your eligibility .
- Some states like PA are trying to do more of this online through their unemployment portals/dashboards, and actually are recommending claimants experiencing any errors or issues email their state agency. But response times are still expected to be several days.
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Pandemic Unemployment Assistance For Independent Contractors
Regular unemployment insurance is designed for workers and employees those pay federal and state unemployment taxes to account for the unemployment system. Thats why in ordinary cases, an independent contractor cant collect unemployment benefits while he is out of work because self-employed workers dont pay these state or federal unemployment taxes.
But due to the Pandemic situation, Congress has passed the CARES Act to support independent contractors during this difficult time.
Independent contractors or self-employed workers can qualify if they certify that they were diagnosed with COVID-19 or a family member of their household has been diagnosed with Coronavirus. The independent worker is providing care to that family member.
They can also qualify if they cannot work because of caregiving responsibility to a child who cannot attend school due to Pandemic or cannot go to the workplace because of quarantine restrictions.
State provides unemployment benefits if the independent contractor becomes the breadwinner after the household head is affected with Covid-19. They can qualify for the benefits program if they had to quit their work as a result of Coronavirus or their work location was sealed as a direct result of Coronavirus health public emergency.
Self-employed persons can claim their benefits by visiting their state unemployment office or their official unemployment benefits website. If they qualify, they will get benefits that vary from state to state.
Why Did Benefits End Early In So Many States
Citing labor shortages in the spring, 26 state governors claimed pandemic-related unemployment benefits were producing limited incentives for workers to take jobs.;Many economists and analysts disagreed, highlighting several factors that prevented people from finding suitable work, including low wages, lack of health care, inadequate child care and fear of contracting COVID-19.;
With unemployment claims still fluctuating as the economy struggles to return to pre-pandemic “normalcy,” reports are showing that the early cancellation of the federal programs had;little impact on labor markets. A recent;JP Morgan Chase Institute study; confirmed that states that ended supplemental unemployment insurance programs during the summer saw a limited impact on job growth.
According to an August report by the Century Foundation’s Andrew Stettner, “Politics, not economics, drove the attack on unemployment insurance.” The states that cut off the enhanced benefits before the federal expiration were mostly Republican-led.;
Arkansas, Indiana and Maryland were slated to cut off benefits early, but successful lawsuits forced those states to preserve the federal coverage, at least temporarily. In issuing their rulings, judges noted that the ending of benefits made it harder for the unemployed to afford basic needs. Lawsuits were also filed against state governors elsewhere, which were either denied by judges or are still held up in the courts.;
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What You Need To Know
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Update 12/29/20: The federal government has extended the federal unemployment benefit programs available through the CARES Act for an additional 11 weeks. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation will be available through March 14, 2021, with qualified claimants benefits fully phasing out by April 5, 2021. Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation benefits will resume with $300 weekly payments until March 14, 2021.
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To receive these extended federal benefits, continue to certify weekly while unemployed. To allow your fellow New Yorkers to reach NYS DOL representatives about regular matters, please do not call to inquire about the federal program extensions at this time. As we receive additional guidance on the federal programs from US DOL, we will provide updates on our website, social media platforms, and directly via emails and texts.
- Waiting weeks for unemployment benefits have been waived during this crisis. If youve seen the term waiting week on your payment history, it is a relic of our existing system and does NOT impact your benefits.
- To collect regular unemployment insurance benefits, you must be ready, willing, and able to work. We understand that many of you are unable to work due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of NYS on PAUSE. If you would otherwise be able to work, you should answer ‘YES’ in order to receive your benefits.
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Harry Reid: Tax The Rich And Invest In American Families
Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid backs President Bidens plan to invest in American families and urges his fellow Democrats to ignore the corporate lobbyists and do the same. Part of the American Families plan Biden has proposed would expand healthcare coverage under Medicare providing dental care to seniors.
He shares a personal story of just how important providing dental coverage to his mother was in arguing to make the wealthy pay their fair share to help pay for Democrats proposals to expand the social safety net.
Still time to claim 2021 Child Tax Credit advance payments
Americans were automatically enrolled for the 2021 Child Tax Credit monthly advance payments. That is if they filed a tax return in the last two years or used the IRS Non-filer tool to claim a stimulus check or sign up for the Child Tax Credit payments.
It’s estimated that;between 2.3 to 4 million children may miss out on the credit since they live in households that earn too little to be required to do a tax filing and might not know about the changes to the enhanced Child Tax Credit which they now qualify to receive.
The advance payments will continue until the end of the year when the changes expire unless Congress acts to extend the provisions. Even if parents miss out on the advance payments they can still claim the amount of the credit due to them next year by filing a tax return.
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Update On $600 Fpuc Retroactive Back Payments
All states and territories have now updated their unemployment systems to account for the extra $600 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation payment to those eligible for regular unemployment insurance . While the roll-out and payment of these benefits has been plagued by challenges with some states struggling a lot more than others, millions of Americans have now received their entire extra/stimulus unemployment benefits. As a reminder, the additional $600 weekly payment, including retroactive benefits should occur automatically for anybody eligible for any amount of state unemployment benefits even as little as $1. The payments, including retroactive or backdated payments for eligible weeks a claimant has certified, will continue through the end of year, even the program ended for new claimants at the end of July.
The good news is that even though payments have started later the planned, they will be retroactive to when states signed up to receive the federal boost for their unemployment programs. This is generally for the week ending 4/3 in most states. So if you were eligible to receive unemployment compensation from that week then you would be eligible to receive payments from that date. The table below shows when states started making the $600 FPUC payment and when the payments were retroactive to.
How We Calculate Benefits
If you qualify for Unemployment Insurance benefits, the amount of money you’ll get each week is called your . This amount will depend on how much you earned in the;before you applied for Unemployment Insurance benefits.;
There are other factors that may reduce your WBR,;like whether you are working part-time or collecting a pension.
Note: To be eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits in 2021, you must have earned at least $220 per week during 20 or more weeks in covered employment during the base year period, or you must have earned at least $11,000 in total covered employment during the base year period. For more information, .
Weekly Benefit Rate
The weekly benefit rate is capped at a maximum amount based on the state minimum wage. For 2021, the maximum weekly benefit rate is $731. We will calculate your weekly benefit rate at 60% of the; you earned during the , up to that maximum. We determine the average weekly wage based on wage information your employer report.
If you are not entitled to the weekly , you may be able to increase your entitlement with .
If after we calculate your weekly benefit rate, you realize that we did not include wages because they were not reported by your employer, contact us for a . You will need to provide pay stubs as proof of your earnings.
Dependency benefits
If your;weekly benefit rate;is;less;than the;maxium weekly benefit rate and you have;dependents, you may qualify for .;
Maximum benefit amount
Benefit calculator
Part-time work
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