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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Every day I hear from constituents who haven’t received unemployment insurance benefits, communication, or any clarity from the Oregon Employment Department (OED) about the status of their claim or when they can expect to receive their checks. I am beyond angry and frustrated that we cannot adequately serve the people of Oregon at their time of greatest need.
New leadership promised to make changes to process the backlog of claims but that is not happening soon enough and I am told that complex cases are taking up the lion’s share of OED’s human capital. Oregonians cannot afford to continue to wait for unemployment checks that they have every right to expect in a timely manner.
It is important that you have as much information as I have so below you will find the latest on timelines OED has given for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), regular unemployment applications, and adjudication, as well as guidance on when to call the Employment Department and the latest information on emergency relief checks.
That said, please contact my office if you are experiencing delays, need further assistance with your claim, or need help accessing additional resources. Due to the pandemic my staff and I are working from home but if you leave a message, we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
 Representative Andrea Salinas
Emergency Relief Checks
Last week, Speaker Kotek and President Courtney proposed the immediate distribution of $500 emergency relief checks per person for Oregonians who have applied for unemployment insurance but have not yet received payment from the Oregon Employment Department.
The Department of Administrative Services will develop a simple process where Oregonians waiting for unemployment payments from the Oregon Department of Employment can apply. Payments will then be distributed to individuals as soon as possible and will not be attached to future benefits. Those who have filed for benefits from the Unemployment Insurance and the Pandemic Assistance Unemployment program but have not received payment will be eligible.
This will be taken up during tomorrow’s meeting of the Emergency Board.
I will provide updates as more information becomes available about how to access this $500 direct payment.
Timelines, Guidelines, and the Latest Info From OED
During a media briefing last week, Director of the Employment Department, David Gerstenfeld provided new information about timelines; guidelines for those who have applied for benefits to phone the department; and some of the ways that OED is working to speed up claims processing. Summarized below are some of the main takeaways:
Regular Unemployment
If you file an initial claim for regular unemployment, OED estimates it will take at least four weeks to process the claim.
Adjudication
If an issue with the claim arises that requires adjudication, a delay of 12-14 weeks is possible once the Employment Department identifies that issue. The Department says that this is because of the volume of claims that require further review and the burdensome federal laws that require OED to verify if an applicant is eligible for benefits.
Here are some of the common issues that require adjudication:
- If the UI applicant quits or is fired from their job, OED must determine if the circumstances disqualify them from receiving benefits.
- If the UI applicant does not accept work that is offered, or is not available for work, OED must find out if the circumstances disqualify them from receiving benefits.
- And if the UI applicant works for educational institutions, OED must adjudicate whether they are likely to do the same type of work after the break between the school-year or term, as they did before, to determine if they can receive benefits during the break.
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
If your PUA claim has not yet been processed, you should not expect to receive any PUA benefits until at least August 8. If you have filed your claim and received confirmation, you can check the status of your claim online as call volumes on the PUA hotline remain high.
If your initial PUA claim was processed and you have already received some benefits, you can expect to see some starts and stops in benefits over the next few weeks because of the delays associated with manually processing PUA applications and weekly certifications. OED asks that you do not call if this is the only problem with your claim.
OED has added phone lines and continues to hire and train new employees, but they still expect call volumes to remain high for the next several months.
When To Call
The Employment Department lists the following as situations when you should call OED:
- If you receive a notification that there is an issue with your claim.
- If it has been 4 weeks or more since you’ve filed a claim (for regular benefits) and haven’t received payment or heard from OED.
- If you are unable file online.
- If you receive a letter of concern and need to provide OED with additional information.
- To confirm/accept a combined wage claim (CWC) work-up (wages from other states).
OED lists the following as situations when you should not call the Employment Department:
- To check the status of a claim. Please do this online if you are able.
- To verify that your claim was received. You will receive an email confirmation or a notice in the mail.
- To restart a claim or file a weekly claim. This can be done online. If you are unable to do this online, then a call is warranted.
- To verify that your claim is being adjudicated. If it is, an adjudicator will reach out. Please note that calls from OED are not identified as a call from the Employment Department on caller I.D. The call may identify as an “unknown caller.”
- To seek assistance with a ReliaCard, call the number on the back of your ReliaCard or visit usbankreliacard.com.
- To apply for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation—you can apply online.
Work Share
If you are an employer and signed up for the Work Share Program, you can expect to receive benefits about 8 weeks after submitting your initial application.
Employment Department Informational Website
In an effort to provide more information to Oregonians as they navigate the unemployment insurance process, the Employment Department has launched a new website with information on the new programs created by the CARES Act, on whether or not you qualify for benefits, how to apply, and a collection of FAQ sheets.
You can find this website here.
New Guidance: Face Coverings and Social Gatherings
Over the last several weeks Oregon has seen an alarming rise in coronavirus cases and without intervention the situation in Oregon is at risk of becoming out of control. In response, Governor Brown announced two new orders to slow the spread of COVID-19 that go into effect on July 15.
Beginning Wednesday, Oregon’s face covering requirement will expand to apply to outdoor public spaces when six feet of distance cannot be maintained. In addition, indoor social gatherings of more than 10 will be prohibited.
The 10 person gathering limit only applies to indoor social get-togethers. This new rule does not affect the current guidelines for operations of businesses or churches.
 If we do not comply with the new requirements, we are going to see an increase in cases, greater strain on our healthcare system, and more restrictive closures that will have a greater impact on our economy and our communities moving forward. It’s important that we keep our gatherings small, wear a face covering, and look out for our family, friends, and neighbors.
In my last newsletter, I included information on appropriate face coverings, which you can find here.
Emergency Board Meeting
The Oregon Legislature’s Emergency Board will be meeting tomorrow morning at 10:00am to discuss the next round of COVID relief funding. You can watch the meeting live here.
These are the proposals that are up for consideration:
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COVID-19 Emergency Business Assistance: $25.6M in small business supports, which includes $2.5M in relief for the fishing industry.
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Statewide Business and Cultural Support: $50M in supports for music, culture, and community venues that have closed or have cancelled or postponed public or cultural programming due to COVID-19 and the Governor’s Executive Orders.
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Oregon Cares Fund for Black Relief and Resiliency: $62M to the Black United Fund and The Contingent for grants to Black-owned businesses, Black relief, and resiliency.
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COVID-19 Leave Fund for Quarantined Workers: $30M to span the gap left by the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act for those workers who did not qualify for the federal program’s 80 hours of paid sick leave or were otherwise excluded from employer sick leave and are required to quarantine due to contracting or having been exposed to COVID-19.
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Emergency Relief Checks: $35M for $500 relief checks for Oregonians who are waiting for unemployment benefits.
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Election Security: $2.5M for enhanced election security in county election offices and to install and operate intrusion detection technology in each of the 36 counties.
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Warm Springs Emergency Water Infrastructure: $3.58M for infrastructure and improvements to the Warm Springs Indian Reservation water and wastewater systems.
email: Rep.AndreaSalinas@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1438
address: 900 Court St NE, H-485, Salem, OR, 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/salinas
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