Illinois State House District 11 issued the following announcement on April 20.
Dear Friends and Neighbors:
As the COVID-19 crisis continues, our office has been receiving numerous inquiries regarding unemployment insurance, recent changes to the program on the federal and state levels, and the process to apply for benefits. In response, we have compiled some of the most frequently asked questions, outlined below. We hope that this information will help you and your family better navigate this process.
As always, please reach out to our office with any questions or should you need assistance accessing the program. You can email me directly at ann@repannwilliams.com or call our office (monitored remotely) at (773) 880-9082.
Thank you and be well.
Ann Williams
State Representative - 11th District
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Frequently Asked Questions
I lost my full-time job due to COVID-19.
What do I do?
Apply for unemployment benefits through the State of Illinois Unemployment website.
For anyone applying for regular unemployment benefits, the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) has been created by the federal government to provide an additional $600/week to individuals on top of the regular unemployment benefits. This additional benefit has already been implemented in Illinois and disbursement of these funds has begun.
I am an independent contractor, am self-employed, work in the “gig economy" or am not eligible for traditional unemployment benefits.
How do I access the unemployment benefits which were not previously available to me?
Under Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), you may be eligible for up to 39 weeks of federally-funded unemployment benefits. However, in Illinois, this program will not be implemented until the week of May 11th, as IDES awaits further direction from the federal government as to how benefits may be applied. The good news is that benefits will be back-dated to the time that you lost employment due to COVID-19. If you would like to be put on the list to receive more information about this application process as soon as it is available, please email ann@repannwilliams.com and request to be added to the PUA application email list.
As we wait for the application for these non-traditional workers to go live, IDES is now asking that these workers fill out the standard unemployment application form (see description of process here). Even if you wouldn’t normally qualify, the denial of benefits through the existing system will help prove that you qualify for the new program, which opens on the week of May 11th.
What if I was unemployed before COVID-19 and have exhausted all my benefits, or am getting close to exhausting them?
The Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program (PEUC) has been implemented to provide up to 13 additional weeks of federally-funded unemployment benefits. The State of Illinois received guidance on this program from the federal government and is working to get it implemented. This program should be up and running and extended benefits available in Illinois in the next week or so.
I already submitted my unemployment application but haven't heard back, or have further questions about my claim. What can I do?
Please call or email our office and we will work with you to try and get information as to the status of your claim and answer any specific questions you may have. Due to the extreme increase in unemployment applications, the IDES systems have been overwhelmed and understaffed. Over the past several weeks, the Governor’s office has prioritized addressing these issues, and as a result, claims are now moving through the process and benefits are being paid.
If you have a claimant ID number, please include that number in your message, along with the following information:
1. Name
2. Phone number
3. Home Address
4. Claimant ID number (if applicable)
5. A short description of the issue/problem
I have a general question that is not addressed in this email, or a specific question about my unemployment claim or personal situation.
What can I do?
Please call or email our office. We will answer your question, or do everything we can to get you an answer ASAP.
IN SUMMARY
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC)
$600 additional dollars to regular unemployment applications
Program already implemented
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC)
Up to 13 additional weeks of benefits to those who exhausted or are close to exhausting their unemployment
Benefits which they applied for pre-COVID-19
Program still being implemented, expected to be fully implemented by the week of April 20th 2020
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
Unemployment benefits for independent contractors, and self-employed/gig economy workers
Apply for regular unemployment benefits right now. Your rejection notice helps you qualify for the next step
Program expected to be implemented by the week of May 11th 2020
DOCUMENT EVERYTHING
We are recommending all applicants document every step you take in this process. Keep a log of all the people you reach out to, the claimant ID number you receive, the names of the people you talk to over the phone, the dates and times that you submit information, any questions you may have about the application, etc. A log like this will help our office advocate for you should you run into any obstacles in the process.
Original source can be found here.
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