|
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
My goal each time I write is to give you the straight facts on the latest statewide developments on the pandemic. Today, the news is just plain awful.
Oregon posted a record-shattering 1,122 new COVID-19 cases.
I really wish the news were different. Collectively, we continue to control our own fate. More people have to take this more seriously.
The Oregon Health Authority reported today that a portion of this week's rising cases can be attributed to at least five Halloween events, from small social gatherings to a party attended by more than 100 people.
On Tuesday, Governor Brown and a number of public health officials and hospital representatives across the state warned about the potential reduction or temporary shutdown of elective surgeries if we can’t flatten the curve. This is now our reality.
The Oregonian reported here last night that Legacy Health, Oregon Health & Science University and Kaiser Permanente Northwest are in fact placing new limits on elective surgeries as they prepare for a continued surge of patients infected with COVID-19. Jackson County hospitals in Southern Oregon are overwhelmed, as KDRV reports here, and the Mail Tribune reports here that local contact tracers are similarly overwhelmed.
Multnomah County Health Officer Dr. Jennifer Vines told KGW here that the two-week pause on social activities that nine counties are now undergoing is essentially like having everybody temporarily quarantine in order to stop the spread. The Oregonian has helpful reminders of what the two-week pause means for Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties.
Things are really challenging. Yet, the need to keep going and take care of each other has never been greater.
A friend of mine sent me this video called “The Keep Going Song.” It wonderfully captures what a lot of us are feeling. The world has changed around us faster than we could have ever imagined. But we need to keep going. We can do it together.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved the addition of Lincoln County to its Direct Temporary Housing Solutions program. Previously approved counties include Jackson, Linn, and Marion.
The FEMA housing mission in Oregon addresses the shortage of available housing in the designated four counties, providing a bridge to eligible applicants as they develop a long-term housing strategy. As a reminder, if you have been impacted by the September wildfires and have not already applied to FEMA, please do so now. The deadline is this coming Monday, November 16.
Assistance from FEMA may help take care of necessary expenses and serious needs that cannot be met through insurance or other forms of assistance. FEMA’s Individual Assistance (IA) program is available to people impacted by fires in Clackamas, Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, and Marion counties.
If you have already registered with FEMA, let them know of any changes to your contact or banking information. FEMA disaster assistance checks cannot be forwarded. If you cannot access your home address, you can request the postal service hold your mail.
Contact FEMA online at disasterassistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362.
As another important reminder during this surge in coronavirus cases, the state is still accepting applications for the COVID-19 Temporary Paid Leave Program. It’s essential to reduce community spread by managing workplace outbreaks. This means when you’re feeling sick and think you have the virus, you need to stay home and quarantine. We know this is really hard to ask people to do when they need the work hours for financial security, so this program is here to help.
The program supports workers who need to quarantine or isolate due to COVID-19 exposure but can't otherwise qualify for COVID-19-related paid sick leave or don’t have access to COVID-19-related paid time off. Qualified workers receive a $120 per-day payment for up to 10 working days ($1,200 total) for the time they need to quarantine or isolate.
Qualifications include confirmation that the applicant is:
- Working at a business or job site in Oregon at the time of application;
- Expected to earn less than $60,000 individually or $120,000 jointly in 2020;
- Not able to work (including telework) because of the need to quarantine or isolate;
- Not seeking or using benefits from similar COVID-19 quarantine relief programs, unemployment insurance, or workers’ compensation in Oregon or another state;
- Not seeking or using other forms of employer-provided paid for the same time period;
- Not laid off or furloughed at the time of application; and
- Has notified their employer of the need to quarantine or isolate.
For more information or to apply, go to oregon.gov/covidpaidleave or call 833-685-0850 (toll-free) or 503-947-0130 between 7:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The website also has an eligibility quiz (available in English, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, and Simplified Chinese) to help people who are not sure if they qualify.
The staff of the Oregon Employment Department (OED) are working hard to get benefits out to thousands of Oregonians in need, and I thank them for their commitment. Nonetheless, I also share the frustration of many when I see stories like this one from KATU. My team continues to work on behalf of Oregonians who have fallen through the cracks and need more support. Please continue to reach out if you are experiencing challenges.
Here are the latest updates on various forms of unemployment assistance:
Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) - Have you certified for LWA yet? Even if you’ve already received LWA payments, you must self-certify. The eligibility requirement for LWA is not as limited as many think. As long as you received unemployment benefits for a COVID-related reason anytime between July 26 and September. 5, 2020, you’re eligible for LWA.
- FEMA requires everyone receiving LWA to certify their eligibility. You only have to certify ONCE, and ONLY if you received regular unemployment insurance (UI) benefits, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), or Extended Benefits (EB). Here are the instructions for certifying using the Online Claim System.
- If you received LWA funds but don’t certify, you’ll have to pay back those funds to the Oregon Employment Department. (As with all benefit programs, federal law requires us to recover benefits paid to people who don’t meet legal eligibility requirements.) Here are instructions for paying back LWA.
- If you’ve already certified for LWA, you don’t need to do anything else. OED is working on issuing your payment(s) as soon as they can.
Restarting Your Claim - With a two-week “pause” on activities for several Oregon counties, some Oregonians may have their employment impacted by the pandemic once again. OED put together FAQs to help you restart your claim or find out which benefit program you should apply for.
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits expire December 26, 2020. Congress has not funded any other program to replace or continue those benefits.
If you need additional help accessing resources for food, housing, or utilities reach out to 211info.org or call 2-1-1 to see what support is available for you.
Extended Benefits - If your Extended Benefits have expired or will expire soon, you may be able to receive PUA benefits through December 26. If you qualify, OED will automatically enroll you. Read more about Extended Benefits.
Adjudication - OED recently launched Focus Adjudication to track their progress resolving the claims needing adjudication as of September 30, 2020. Their goal is to process all Focus Adjudication claims by the end of this year.
- If your claim is in adjudication, OED may reach out to you for more information by phone, email, or mailed letter.
- You may receive a call from 1-855-914-4676 or a number not identified as the Employment Department. If the adjudicator handling your claim cannot reach you, they will leave a message with their direct phone number so you can return their call.
- You will need to call the adjudicator back within 2 business days, so it is important that you turn off call blocking, answer all calls, have your voicemail set up with room for messages, and check your messages often.
Waiting Week - OED is on track to begin paying waiting week benefits by the end of November. Stay tuned for more information!
Upcoming Webinar - Sign up for OED’s next webinar, where they’ll talk about federal CARES Act unemployment benefits that will end soon and the Extended Benefits program. The webinar is scheduled for 1 p.m. next Thursday, November 19.
If you have questions about the state’s new metrics for school reopening (covered here), you might want to check out this video link to watch a Q&A on the topic with Dr. Tom Jeanne of the Oregon Health Authority and Colt Gill, the director of the Oregon Department of Education.
- Governor Brown and Attorney General Rosenblum announced their support for the Oregon Cares Fund against a legal challenge. The Legislative Emergency Board authorized funds back in July to support Black Oregonians, Black-owned businesses and Black-led nonprofits disproportionately effected by the pandemic. You can read their full statement here.
- The Oregon Symphony has canceled all in-person concerts for the foreseeable future, Willamette Week reports here.
- The Oregon Health Authority reported 1,122 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, bringing the statewide total of new and presumptive cases to 53,799. The OHA also reported four more deaths, meaning 746 Oregonians have died of the coronavirus. On Wednesday, OHA recorded 876 cases and five deaths. You can click the images below for links to interactive data tables about coronavirus in Oregon.
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
| 
