CONNECTICUT, USA — Q: When does unemployment deposit money in CT?
DOL: For a claim processed over the weekend (most people file Sundays which is the earliest day you can file for that week) and the $ will be in a person's bank account by Tuesday. But a person filing on Sundays can also see the activity on Monday (before the actual deposit) by going to the green button on filectui.com and looking at their online account. It shows the deposit(s) to be made and taxes taken out (all UI payments are taxable and most people opt to have taxes taken out when they file their application). So a person can know exactly how much will be deposited.
Q: Rob Sadwick, Jewett City: I filed my weekly claim yesterday but that one is also on hold like the previous 4 weeks. It's confusing that I'm allowed file every week but everything remains on hold waiting for determination.
Q: Chelsea Hinds, East Hampton: I have been on a hold for 7 weeks and officially having difficulty paying my bills. I’ve tried every day to get in contact with someone at DOL (email/calls to 211, job corps and DOL directly) I completely understand DOL being flooded with cases and that they are doing their best but just looking for some clarity on when people, like myself, in this situation can expect some sort of contact!
DOL: One of the very common errors that results in claims being placed on hold is the result of a claimant forgetting to file their weekly claim, or filing it incorrectly. As an integrity measure, the system is intentionally designed to hold a claim if there is no report of wages because it is interpreted as a change in the employment status of the individual. For instance, they didn’t file that week because they may have gone back to work. We are then obligated to put a hold on the payment until we are able to confirm (manual determination) that they missed filing, or made an alternate mistake, prior to producing an overpayment if they are no longer eligible for unemployment benefits.
Please remember to file weekly through the green button on www.filectui.com so as not to interrupt your continued payments.
Also, when the claimant responds to any of the weekly certification questions unfavorably, the automation will not allow payment for the week. This could include if the claimant replies they are not able or available to work, they quit or discharged (not previously disclosed), received vacation or severance, returned to work full-time, returned to work but did not report the wages on the certification, changed their address change, or reported they returned to work.
Q: Julie Robert, Hartford: My unemployment benefit ended on April 25th when and how will I be able to file for an extension?
You will be eligible for the federal 13-week extension (PEUC). The CTDOL is building this new system to provide these federal benefits. Letters notifying people of eligibility will be sent out mid-May; those eligible will have benefits paid retroactively from 3/29/2020. They will also include the $600 weekly federal stimulus check, which will be paid retroactively from March 29 and until July 25.
Q: Maria Johnson, Ansonia: My husband was initially told to stay home and then was asked to return back to work and was told to call Yale and tell them his symptoms. He had no symptoms. However, the doctor told him due to his age and high risk category, he felt it was best he not return to work. He hasn't received any payments for the last 5 weeks. Is he eligible to collect under federal funds?
DOL: Some people that have been called back to work, but have a legitimate pandemic-related reason for not being able to accept the offered position or a return-to-work offer may be eligible for PUA. The PUA program is for those that are self-employed, and also for those that meet the category just described. PUA eligible individuals must be found ineligible for state benefits to qualify for PUA. If they have been found eligible for state benefits due to a lack of work (employer laid them off) and receiving benefits, but now the employer offers their job back, and they are “able and available to work”, but turn it down, they will likely be disqualified and deemed ineligible for state benefits. The way we would know if the employer reports/protests/appeals to DOL.
However, during the appeal process, the employee does have the opportunity to due process as well, and if they have a legitimate pandemic-related reason for not being able to accept the offered position, they may be eligible for PUA.
PUA eligible individuals must be able and available to work unless they cannot work because of the specific circumstances that relate to COVID-19, including:
- The individual, household member, or one under their care has been diagnosed
- A child or other under the individual’s care is unable to attend school or another
facility due to closure - The individual is unable to reach the place of employment because of an official public quarantine, has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine, or their place of employment has been closed
- The individual was scheduled to start work and the job is no longer available
- The individual has become “the breadwinner” or major support for a household because the head of the household has died
- The individual has to quit his or her job as a direct result of COVID-19