More than 16 million U.S. workers have lost their jobs in the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, forcing many to scramble after losing a job. Here are things you need to know about getting help in Minnesota.
April 17, 2020 at 1:59PMA man passes a store that closed as part of efforts to combat the spread of the new coronavirus. About one in 10 U.S. workers lost jobs in the past three weeks as the country struggles with fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. (Colleen Kelly — Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
More than 16 million U.S. workers have lost their jobs in the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, forcing many to scramble after losing a job. Here are things you need to know about getting help in Minnesota.
How do I apply for unemployment?
The state of Minnesota's website for unemployment insurance answers questions about applying, payments, eligibility, and individual accounts. To talk to a representative, call 651-296-3644 in the metro or 1-877-898-9090 in greater Minnesota. (Callers have had difficulty getting through, and hold times can be long).
Because of the volume of applications, the state is asking people to apply for benefits by following the schedule online, based on the last digit in a person's Social Security Number. You can apply from this link.
Will people whose unemployment recently ran out automatically be eligible for a 13-week extension?
Yes. As of April 15, the 13-week extension is now up and running. We think this will immediately help about 8,000 people who have recently exhausted their benefits or will soon.
Who is eligible for an additional $600 per week from the federal CARES Act?
Anyone who is eligible for the unemployment benefit program will receive the $600 per week authorized by the CARES Act in addition to their regular unemployment benefit. You do not need to do anything to get the additional $600. Minnesota's Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) will automatically add it to your payment after you request benefits for the week of March 29th (and every week after that you are eligible). Those who requested benefits for the week of March 29 will start seeing the additional $600 this week.
Self-employed people and independent contractors are eligible under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). Information about eligibility can be found here. PUA payments have not begun because the state doesn't yet have guidance from the federal government yet. If you are a small business owner looking for information on the CARES Act, you can find it here.
State officials say that the U.S. Department of Labor will not allow them to begin paying PUA benefits until they issue additional instructions. Self-employed people and contractors who think they are eligible should apply now. Even if they are denied initially, they will be in the system and be in place for benefits once they get the guidance from the federal government.
When will assistance for the self-employed start going out?
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This is a complex and completely new program that the federal government created a few weeks ago and just provided us with final direction last week. We're working hard to get our system set up so we can pay these people.
We're encouraging self-employed people or independent contractors to apply now so we can pay them quickly when Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which covers the self-employed and many other categories, is operational.
How long does it take for unemployment applications to process and payments to be made?
