Bill Poehler covers Marion County for the Statesman Journal. Then in March, all three of her employers closed  due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “To the point where I was looking through my house to have a yard sale,” Mink said. Without an extension of PUA or PEUC, approximately 70,000 Oregonians would have lost a vital safety net after Dec. 26. ", Unemployment:Lawsuit against employment department alleges the state is farther behind than it reports. PUA recipients face a hard cutoff but the employment department said many Oregon workers on the 13-week extension may qualify for 20 weeks from a … The PUA program was created as part of the federal CARES Act in March which provided financial assistance to workers who lost work because of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the self-employed and independent contractors. “But these are jobs we can bring back if our workers can continue to receive unemployment benefits after the end of 2020 until the vaccine and our state’s leadership allows us to go back to work,” said Dwayne Thomas, President of Live Events Industry of Oregon. The OED is encouraging applicants to continue filing their weekly claims in the meantime as normal, Rosales said. "How are we supposed to live like this?". It makes it so more people can get unemployment benefits than ever before. Now her $188 weekly unemployment benefits are about to run out. Unemployment: Some of the thousands stuck in Oregon's unemployment adjudication may not know it But Oregon's unemployment rate dropped to 6.9% in October from a … She tested negative for COVID-19, but missed more weeks of work and went back on unemployment. New risk levels will be assigned on January 15. She'd already spent her $2,000 savings and was desperate to figure out how to pay the rent. But there isn’t enough left over to buy Christmas presents for her daughter. The Oregon Employment Department had just over 61,000 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims left to process by Wednesday. Typical PUA payments range as high as $600 a week. “Unfortunately, I don’t think there is any realistic chance that could be done without some gap in payments,” said David Gerstenfeld, acting director of the Oregon Employment Department. Congress has argued along partisan lines for six months over the details of economic stimulus packages, pointing fingers and blaming each other for who is responsible for the perilous situations of people like Mink. ... Lincoln County had Oregon's highest unemployment rate last month, at 17%. Unemployment filers sue Oregon as wait for benefits drags Coronavirus There are still more than 55,000 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims waiting to be processed Contact him at, Oregon becomes final state to pay waiting week to hundreds of thousands of unemployed, Lawsuit against employment department alleges the state is farther behind than it reports, Some of the thousands stuck in Oregon's unemployment adjudication may not know it, Compromise bill would extend eviction moratorium if special session called in December, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Tim Gruver is a politics and public policy reporter. In March, Congress quickly passed the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, which – among other things – expanded unemployment benefits to the self-employed for the first time, offered an additional $600 weekly unemployment benefit through July and extended benefits beyond the regular 26 weeks. She receives $670 a month. But Oregon's unemployment rate dropped to 6.9% in October from a high of 14.2% in April. All rights reserved. Mink was again out of work and onto unemployment for another week. You have permission to edit this article. … Skip to the main content of the page; Employment Department / Unemployment. Counties which remain in extreme risk include the state's most populous: Marion, Multnomah, Lane, Washington, and Clackamas. Rosales said the agency is in communication with the U.S. Department of Labor, which has not yet issued guidance on how to begin issuing PUA payments at the time of this writing. "Claimants do not need to call with questions about the federal benefit programs at this time. Oregon's statewide unemployment rate sat at 6% in November after adding 4,200 jobs to such sectors as transportation, health care, and manufacturing, the OED reports. Evictions:Compromise bill would extend eviction moratorium if special session called in December. Contact him at bpoehler@statesmanjournal.com or Twitter.com/bpoehler. Tuesday's new risk tiers moved five counties—Coos, Clatsop, Lincoln, Douglas, and Morrow—from Extreme to High Risk. Mink was out of work for so much of this year, she burned through the 26 weeks of regular unemployment and now is onto Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation,a CARES Act program that provides 13 additional weeks of benefits to  people who  have exhausted regular unemployment. The $188 weekly unemployment checks Mink is now receiving won’t cover her $1,200 monthly rent. Kate Brown lifted mandatory restrictions on religious gatherings following a U.S. Supreme Court verdict in November barring New York state from enforcing attendance limits in places of worship. Typical PUA payments range as high as $600 a week. A trade group that represents live event venues in Oregon estimates 78% of the 35,000 workers in its segment – 27,500 people – have been unable to work since March due to COVID-19 shutdowns are on the verge of losing their unemployment benefits. "I honestly don’t even know how I’m going to pay my car insurance this month," Mink said. Oregon Employment Department – 11/25/20 2:34 PM Nov. 25, 2020 (Salem, OR)–Today the Oregon Employment Department announced a reduction in extended benefits as a result of Oregon’s falling unemployment rate. Extended Benefits (EB) allowed an additional 10 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits. Unemployment Insurance "The Senate Republican leadership has put out a proposal that barely touched unemployment insurance, full of corporate giveaways, and the Trump administration’s actually worse," said Oregon Democratic Senator Ron Wyden. There was a problem saving your notification. Neufeldt's reopened in May and Mink was glad to return to work. “Federal law requires us to turn on and turn off based on the unemployment rate,” Gerstenfeld said. In November, leisure and hospitality added 300 new jobs compared to 3,300 in October. Here are some basic steps anyone awaiting benefits can do. Here's who … “We’ve been getting as much work done to minimize that gap. "We know Oregonians have many questions and want to know what the new relief package means for them," Rosales said. She’s like, ‘Mom, can I have a happy meal?’ I can’t even spend the $4 for a Happy Meal. She picked up a second job as a night bartender at Sugar Shack Gentlemen’s Club in Salem on the weekends and took on a third job as a bartender at Stars Cabaret. Denied regular unemployment insurance in June, because he was a freelancer not usually eligible for jobless benefits, he reapplied under the new PUA program for self-employed workers. And she is receiving the maximum food stamp benefits of $300 per month. All three workplaces were forced to close multiple times or modify operations when they were open. If you were laid off, the state unemployment office would calculate whether you'd receive benefits for the $30,000 via PUA or $20,000 via unemployment insurance but not a … PUA provides unemployment assistance to workers who are not eligible for regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) compensation. The backlog in unemployment claims is for self-employed and contract workers who applied for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA. Oregon's statewide unemployment rate sat at 6% in November after adding 4,200 jobs to such sectors as transportation, health care, and manufacturing, the OED reports. She returned to work for a couple months, but Neufeldt’s was forced to close again as of Nov. 18 due to an executive order from Brown. “I literally dumped every single change jar. Unemployment insurance is supposed to be a safety net, paying a percentage of what workers usually earn  while trying to find another job. Last month, Oregon launched a $35 million relief check program that was created to issue a one-time payment of $500 to 70,000 Oregonians still waiting for unemployment benefits. The CARES Act is a new federal law, signed March 27, 2020. Self-employed people and others who are not eligible for regular unemployment benefits—and who are out of work due to COVID-19—can now get … That number of people unemployed was more than the population of any city in Oregon, except Portland. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA, covered workers who usually don’t qualify for jobless benefits because they’re considered independent contractors, not employees. PUA provides unemployment assistance to workers who are not eligible for regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) compensation. Oregonians will still get PUA benefits, but state employment department unclear when payments will go out, Oregon National Guard deployed to state Capitol ahead of potential mass unrest, Trump frees Salem retirement home mogul convicted of multi-million dollar fraud, Oregon lawmaker facing questions about ties to group outing safety inspectors over COVID-19 fines, Oregon leaders blame feds for derailing Oregon's vaccine rollout as state reshuffles plans, Brown expands priority COVID-19 vaccinations for seniors, teachers, Biden administration orders halt to new oil and gas drilling on federal lands for 60 days, Analysis: COVID-19 vaccine ad void leaves states with millions of doses, Critics: Biden’s Keystone XL cancellation to cost jobs, won't help climate, Biden signs mask mandate as first executive order, says Trump left 'generous' note, Trump issues pardon, waves to Florida supporters in last presidential motorcade. “If our employment rates drops below 6.5%, the three-month average unemployment rate, then, unfortunately, the extended benefit program goes away completely.”. However, the OED still has no hard timeline for when payments will go out. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) is a program under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020. Oregon rolled out its Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, or PUA, on April 28, roughly in the middle of the pack. Support local journalism by subscribing to the Statesman Journal. A year after her daughter was born, Mink says she put aside her ambitions of getting a culinary arts degree to go to work as a waitress at Neufeldt’s Restaurant in Aumsville. The state takes part in a program that provides an additional 13 or 20 weeks of benefits in times of high unemployment. Even if something is signed into law before Congress adjourns for Christmas, many Oregonians receiving unemployment benefits will experience a disruption. The $100 supplement would be available to individuals who make at least $5,000 a year in self-employment income but are disqualified from PUA because they receive state unemployment … Filing a Weekly Claim for PUA in Oregon Posted on by PUA is a program under the pandemic aid relief and Economic Security or Cares Act of 2020, that provides unemployment assistance to workers who are not eligible for regular unemployment insurance or UI compensation. She considers herself fortunate to have recently been approved for a $670 monthly pandemic daycare assistance program that will help her pay most of the cost for her daughter. This new law did three main things: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). But most of the programs authorized by the CARES Act expire Dec. 26. Initial unemployment claims in the state climbed to a record 62,788 in a week for regular unemployment the week of March 29 through April 4, and continued claims – the total number of people on regular unemployment – peaked at 309,543 the week of May 3 through 9, according to statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Following a federal determination, Extended Benefits (EB) will be reduced from up to 20 weeks of benefits to up to 13 weeks, beginning Dec. 13, 2020. Both the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and … His work has appeared in Politico, the Kitsap Daily News, and the Northwest Asian Weekly. Oregon’s unemployment system never saw anything like the spike in claims it had in the first weeks of the pandemic; now it's on its second spike. EB Overview. Hundreds of thousands of workers won't be eligible to receive a $300 weekly boost to unemployment benefits provided by the Lost Wages Assistance program. "What they wanted to do was a one-time $600 payment and the rest of the time the workers should figure, just try to figure out how to make dollars stretch through some very tough days. (The Center Square) — Oregonians on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance will still get their regular weekly benefits despite the program’s late extension, but there is still no telling when they might pocket the money. “They pretty much tied a weight to everyone’s ankles and threw me in a river,” Mink said. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregonians depending on federal unemployment benefits will not have a gap in coverage as some feared. Businesses in 24 out of 36 Oregon counties identified for being at "Extreme Risk" for COVID-19 transmissions are enduring tight health restrictions as indoor dining remains banned and retailers are limited to 50% capacity. The agency must deem them likely to be eligible for PUA in the event their regular claim is denied. Normally people in Oregon would receive a maximum of 26 weeks of unemployment benefits. Jay Inslee on Sunday. UPDATE (3:11 p.m. PT) — The Oregon Employment Department said Wednesday it is continuing to hire more employees, open more phone lines and work on addressing its … “I was on my way to work and my boss called me and told me, ‘You don’t have to come in anymore. This is after a claimant has exhausted both their regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits of 20 weeks and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) benefits of 13 weeks. Yet. The industry still lost around 110,500 jobs between March and April. The 23-year-old from Aumsville was working three jobs to support herself and her daughter but is now unemployed and on the edge of a financial cliff. Oregon … The EB program expired December 12, 2020. Even after a divorce about a year ago, she had managed to build up a small savings. It took about a month until she received her first unemployment benefits checks. Oregon's COVID-19 case total reached 109,725 on Sunday while the death toll stands at 1,427 people, the Oregon Health Authority reported. She looked into rental assistance programs but says she doesn't qualify because she hasn't fallen behind in rent. […] Corrections & Clarifications: A prior version of this story incorrectly reported the amount Ashton Mink receives in pandemic childcare assistance. In the past three weeks, however, initial unemployment claims have spiked again with 40,001 new claims for regular unemployment in the period and 32,965 initial claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, the federal program to give aid to the self-employed and gig workers. As businesses reopened and rehired employees, the number of weekly claims in Oregon fell to a low of 4,408 initial claims the week of Sept. 27 through Oct. 3 and continued claims – those still drawing unemployment benefits – fell to 78,759 the week of Nov. 15 to 21. PUA provides temporary benefits to eligible individuals: The day after Christmas, about 70,000 Oregonians and 12 million people in the United States will lose unemployment benefits that have kept them barely financially solvent. The Oregon Employment Department is pleased that Congress has passed an extension of federal benefit programs, including Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC). On Tuesday, Oregon Employment Department (OED) Communications Director Melanni Rosales said that Oregonians should expect to receive their next weekly PUA benefits as planned despite widespread fears of lapsed payouts. Mink again returned to work in July, but during the Labor Day Wildfires in September, Aumsville was placed under a “Be Set” evacuation order, forcing Neufeldt's to close again. Thonis said managers limited workers to only a small handful of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) applications for about two weeks after the program launched in Oregon … Filing a New Application for PUA in Oregon PUA is a program under the pandemic ais relief and Economic Security or Cares Act of 2020 that provides unemployment assistance to workers who are not eligible for regular unemployment insurance compensation. “I didn’t really get to do anything for my daughter’s birthday even,” Mink said. Ashton Mink has a hard time following the latest bickering in Congress over versions of a COVID-19 relief package. As many as 70,000 Oregonians are collecting PUA benefits, according to the OED. He is a University of Washington alum and the recipient of the 2017 Pioneer News Award for Reporting. Oregon restaurants are fighting the governor's health restrictions in court on the grounds they will bring "economic devastation" on the industry. It was extended through March 2021 late Sunday following President Trump's signature of a pandemic relief bill hours after the program expired on Saturday. “Fortunately, some of the proposals that we’ve seen recently do not have the most complex aspects. Unemployment:Some of the thousands stuck in Oregon's unemployment adjudication may not know it. We’re not seeing those most complicated versions being talked about now, but it certainly would take several weeks at a minimum if it’s not straightforward.”. In November, leisure and hospitality added 300 new jobs compared to 3,300 in October. Dec 22, 2020. We’re closing,’” Mink said. But her bartending jobs didn't come back because bars in Oregon were forced to close at 10 p.m. Then in late June she got sick with coronavirus-type symptoms. “My daughter wants to do things and I can’t. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. The Oregon Employment Department said it's processed the backlog of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims as of Wednesday. Mink said she was determined to give her daughter a better life than she had while growing up. If Congress, which is scheduled to begin its winter break Dec. 18, doesn't find a solution in the next few weeks, Mink and the millions of unemployed Americans like her will no longer receive benefits. We will share new information about the benefits as soon as it emerges.". The state dropped extended benefits to 13 weeks as of Dec. 12, so some people have already run out of unemployment. I have no savings left, whatsoever.”, Bill Poehler covers Marion County for the Statesman Journal. © 2021 www.statesmanjournal.com. Counties' placement in each tier are based on the two-week rate of cases per 100,000 residents. Especially people affected by COVID-19. Before Christmas, Gov. Gerstenfeld said about 34,000 people like Mink who received unemployment payments earlier in the year have reapplied for benefits since the shutdowns. • Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) – 5/23/2020 or before • Regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) – 05/30/2020 or before • Extensions – 06/20/2020 or before Unemployment:Oregon becomes final state to pay waiting week to hundreds of thousands of unemployed. Unemployment was something Mink didn't think about until 2020. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) is a program under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020. The reasons Oregon unemployment claims get held up vary considerably based on individual circumstances. Up north in Washington, out of work residents are slated to receive $550 one-time payments to make up for any lost or delayed PUA payments as part of a relief package announced by Gov. Programs authorized by the CARES Act expire Dec. 26, whatsoever. ”, bill Poehler covers County. 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