|
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I hope you had a good weekend and found some time to rest, reflect, or connect with family and friends – or all three. We’ve been at this for more than three months now, and even as some of this pandemic feels more normal, it’s still weird and stressful. We all have to stay strong and take care of each other.
Today, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) announced a record-high 184 new confirmed coronavirus cases in Oregon, with 99 of those cases coming from Union County in northeast Oregon. (The Oregonian has more details on the outbreak here, which is tied to a church in the county.) This number comes on top of a number of days last week where new daily case counts exceeded 100.
It’s a sobering reminder that no one is immune from this virus, and it’s still very much in our communities.
As you’ll note below in data provided by OHA, our test positivity rate has been increasing over the last three weeks as our overall testing has increased, with the most dramatic spike coming last week (2.0% to 3.3%).
For weeks now, my team has been sending information to the Oregon Employment Department to help people get their claims processed. We’ve handled more than 500 individual inquiries. When you share your claim information with us, we share it with them. And we stay on it.
While I’m glad there has been some progress in communication with claimants and clearing the backlog of claims, I still want to hear from you if you’ve had additional challenges in getting the unemployment benefits you are owed.
We’re getting more regular information from the agency about frequently asked questions. Here are some answers for you:
Is there anything I can do to help ensure that the Employment Department can reach me if they call?
OED is making hundreds of calls each day. Many of these calls are routed through a call center and may come through as an out of state phone call. Or they may even be marked as spam, depending on the spam filter on your phone. If you are waiting for a call back from OED, disable the spam filter on your phone, and answer all calls. Be aware that the caller ID likely won’t say “Employment Department” and might not even have an Oregon area code.
How do I know the status of my claim?
You can check the status of your claim on the Oregon Employment Department’s website. Go to the Online Claim System at Employment.Oregon.Gov/OCS. Go to the “Status of Your Claim and Weekly Reports” section. It will show you which weeks you have claimed and if any benefits have been paid.
How long after my claim has been processed should I get a check? What if I don’t get a check?
Seeing that your claim has been processed does not necessarily mean you are eligible for benefits. There could be issues holding up payment. The best way to check if your claim has been processed or if your payments were sent is to visit the Online Claim System at Employment.Oregon.Gov/OCS. If you can see that your claim was processed, check the next day to see if payments were sent. Before contacting OED, wait for a notice from OED that says more information is needed.
When will I get my money?
Once your claim is approved, here is what you can expect:
● After a weekly claim has been filed, benefits are issued on Tuesdays. Timing depends on the method of payment selected. Payments generally arrive within two to three business days. Payments may take longer to arrive if sent by mail.
● If some weeks have paid, but others have been held up, then typically once the issues holding up any weeks are resolved, payments are issued the following business day (after overnight processing) and follow the same time frame described in the bullet above.
I got a letter that there is something wrong with my claim, but it doesn’t say what. What do I do with my claim now? Do I keep filing weekly as if everything is okay?
Yes, you should continue to claim as if everything is okay. Some common reasons why you will receive these letters are:
● You reported that you either quit or were fired at the time you filed your initial claim.
● Your claim is not valid because OED doesn’t have a record of sufficient wages.
● You waited longer than a week to file a weekly claim and now must restart.
● When you filed a weekly claim, you reported that you did not meet one of the eligibility criteria.
If I am ineligible for regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits, but I think I am eligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits, does OED automatically move my claim to PUA or do I need to file for it?
No, OED doesn’t automatically move an initial UI claim to PUA. Federal law requires that you apply for PUA benefits, so you will need to file a separate PUA claim at https://govstatus.egov.com/PUA.
What is the best contact for work share issues?
www.OregonWorkShare.com
OED_WorkShare@Oregon.gov
503-947-1800 or 800-436-6191
I worked out of state or partially out of state, or split my work between Oregon and a bordering state. Which state do I file with?
If all of your wages in 2019 were generated in another state, you likely need to file in that state. If you worked in Oregon in 2019, but also in another state, you may have a combined wage claim.
Out of state claims vary a great deal. If you worked out of state any time in the last 18 months, my office will flag your case as a potential out of state claim when we submit your information to the Employment Department and these claims may take a little longer to process. Not reporting when you have worked in another state can cause even bigger delays.
I was furloughed. Can I get unemployment if I was required to take a week off with no pay?
Yes, in general, people are potentially eligible for benefits for a one week furlough. If it is the first week on their claim, they will only receive credit for their waiting week at this time.
But I thought Oregon was eliminating the waiting week. Will they pay my claim retroactively if the waiting week is eliminated later?
Yes, any weeks claimed which serve as a waiting week on a claim OED anticipates paying retroactively after the programming is in place to eliminate the waiting week (unless the person has already received the maximum amount of benefits on their claim).
Do I qualify for the $600 federal benefit if I have two, non consecutive 1 week furloughs?
Yes, if you file weekly claims for both weeks and meet the weekly eligibility requirements, you should be eligible to receive one $600 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) for the second week only (assuming the first week serves as a waiting week).
If an applicant is found ineligible for benefits and needs to appeal, how long does it typically take to process that appeal?
I am hearing about some claims that seem to be incorrect denials (like they didn’t include information from the claimant’s latest employer who was the one that laid them off for COVID-related reasons) and people are concerned that they will be facing long waits to appeal these incorrect denials since it has been so hard for them to call in and discuss and resolve these issues in a timely manner.
It is taking, on average, about three to four weeks from when OED receives a hearing request to when the hearing is held. OED is bringing on additional staff to assist with the review and processing of these requests and anticipate that they will soon be able to reduce that average wait time by a week. When a hearing request is submitted, they encourage the person to submit any information they have that may show that OED’s decision was not correct. OED reviews that information and can make needed corrections without the person having to wait for the appeal hearing to take place.
How can I be prepared for an appeal hearing?
When a hearing request is submitted, you are encouraged to submit any available information that may show the OED decision was not correct. The information is reviewed, and needed corrections can be made without the person having to wait for the appeal hearing to take place. The Office of Administrative Hearings has independent administrative law judges who conduct these hearings, and it has comprehensive resources specific to unemployment appeals hearings at https://www.oregon.gov/oah/Pages/UI_Publications2.aspx.
How is OED assisting non-native English claimants?
The department has partnered with a number of organizations to assist claimants. Examples include Catholic Charities, Lutheran Community Services NW, SOAR/Ecumenical Ministries, IRCO, Legal Aid Service of Oregon, and the Oregon Law Center. The department is also working with the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission’s (HECC) Office of Workforce Investments on a proposal to fund a hotline through our nonprofit workforce partner Worksystems, Inc. The goal for this hotline is to assist callers with limited English proficiency in filing unemployment insurance, PUA, and PEUC claims over the phone. The partnership with the HECC Office of Workforce Investment has also helped with video production in nine languages to date, with many more in progress.
OED also has taken other actions such as creating resource pages in 15 languages other than English, and the option for people to call any WorkSource center to file a claim over the telephone where we have many bilingual employees and telephone translators available to help. To receive a callback in a language other than English, any customer or advocate can send the customer’s name, phone number, and requested language to us at OED_LanguageAccess@oregon.gov.
The Oregonian published some helpful data yesterday showing that disparities experienced by Black Oregonians is not just about the police. It’s also about the economy. The article can be found here. The piece includes this important data point:
“The median household income for African Americans in Oregon was about $46,000 in 2018, according to the latest U.S. Census Data. The median income median income for all Oregon households was $63,000.
"So African Americans are collectively earning 73 cents for every dollar the median Oregon household earns.”
- The Legislature is working toward solutions to make sure people don’t lose their housing when the Governor’s eviction moratorium ends at the end of June. The Statesman Journal has more information on what’s being discussed here.
- Multnomah County Libraries are opening more pick-up and drop-off sites, as well as other programs. The Oregonian has more details here.
- A group of lawmakers pressed Governor Brown for the immediate release of certain adults in custody who are at particular risk of getting ill from coronavirus while in state prisons. The Oregonian has more information here.
- The Department of Environmental Quality announced the reopening of some vehicle inspection stations in the Portland metro area and the Medford area. The agency also announced that deadlines to renew driver's licenses, vehicle registrations, and trip permits have been extended to October 1. DEQ has more information here.
- The Oregon Health Authority reported 443 more confirmed cases of coronavirus from Saturday through Monday, bringing the statewide total to 5,625 confirmed cases. There are 5,820 confirmed and presumptive cases combined. Sadly, there have been seven more deaths in that timeframe, meaning there have been 180 confirmed deaths in Oregon from coronavirus.
To read past newsletters, you can go to this link. For up to date information, please check this link to the Oregon Health Authority where regular updates are posted: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ERD/Pages/News-Releases.aspx
Please email me at Rep.TinaKotek@oregonlegislature.gov if you have specific concerns that have not been addressed by the OHA. Our office will do all we can to help and protect all Oregonians.
Thank you for reading! We will get through this together.
Best,
Tina Kotek
State Representative
House District 44
Speaker of the House
email: Rep.TinaKotek@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1200
address: 900 Court St NE, H-269, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/kotek
| 
