CARES ACT CALL-A-THON: FULL CIRCLE

Kick-off scheduled for July 16, 2020

 

USVI-July 13, 2020- The VI Department of Labor announced the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) implementation started July 6, 2020. With the administration of four programs, the Department has encountered communication barriers that have arisen due to the increasing calls and complex resolutions required on a case by case basis. To help alleviate this issue, the Department has gathered teams from throughout the Department to host a Call-A-Thon. This interactive outreach will be held by phone, to contact as many residents as possible to follow-up with requests, give updates, and receive feedback. The Call-A-Thon will kick-off on July 16, 2020. Weekly the Department will continue to do this phone outreach to maximize the efforts to close cases and avoid issues with payments.

“I thank all of those who have shown the Department patience in this critical time. We assure the community that we will be making our rounds to ensure we get all those calls we have missed. We are casting our net as wide as possible to make sure claimants do not go unheard. As the Department moves towards reinforcing capabilities, we also work to correct any issues with our resource and services we provide to the public. This means we are constantly relying on your feedback to improve; this is how we say thank you. We are all ears, on July 16, 2020, as we kick-off our CARES Act UI Call-A-Thon,” stated VIDOL Commissioner Molloy.

Program expansion includes the following programs in addition to two programs administered previously. To apply for unemployment insurance visit www.vidol.gov , or to apply by phone call the 24/7 hotline at 1-877-374-0356.

The PUA program provides unemployment assistance to those not ordinarily eligible for them. This includes self-employed individuals, gig workers, 1099 independent contractors, taxi drivers, employees of churches, employees of non-profits, or those with limited work history who do not qualify for our regular unemployment benefits program.

The Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) will provide an additional 13 weeks of UI benefits, to individuals who have exhausted or ended regular unemployment compensation back to July 1, 2019, are potentially eligible. Therefore, if you have exhausted your benefits from July 1, 2019, forward you should submit an on-line application. Individuals who have already filed a claim are going to receive a determination letter to communicate which program they may qualify for.                                

 

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