DEW Continues to Add Resources as the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program Successfully Launches in South Carolina (April 27, 2020)
Summary
The S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) said in an April 27, 2020 news release that it had released more than $4.6 million in federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) since launching the self-service program on Friday. The agency extended call center hours to 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. on weekdays, with Saturday hours beginning May 2, 2020. It compared its COVID-19 peak of 87,686 initial claims in one week with 13,848 in the largest week of the Great Recession. It reported more than $378 million in state UI benefits paid in the last five weeks, including the CARES Act $600 contribution, and said Federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), adding 13 additional weeks after the 20 weeks under South Carolina law, would launch in the next few weeks.
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SC Department of Employment and Workforce
NEWS RELEASE
Media Contact:
Heather Biance
For Immediate Release:
April 27, 2020
DEW Continues to Add Resources as the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program
Successfully Launches in South Carolina
More than 4.6 Million in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) paid out over weekend
as the agency continues to support South Carolinians
Since launching the self-service Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program on Friday, the S.C.
Department of Employment and Workforce has released more than $4.6 million in federal PUA funding to
eligible claimants.
Today DEW is encouraging individuals who have not returned to their portal to file for PUA to do so, and the
agency is inviting those in the state who have yet to file a claim to begin the process.
To help with an additional anticipated spike in call volume, starting today, we will be extending hours for our
call center. Please take note of the new hours:
Monday-Friday: 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Beginning May 2, 2020, Saturday hours: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
“My promise to South Carolina is that our staff is working around the clock to serve, and we are committed to
these relief efforts until our communities can begin to reengage in employment and find a sense of normalcy.
We keep hearing the word unprecedented, but truthfully that word doesn’t truly paint a picture of what our
state is experiencing right now. Our agency and our dedicated staff is rising to the challenge, and we assure you
we will see this through,” said Jamie Suber, Department of Employment and Workforce Chief of Staff.
The agency ran a comparison of initial claims during the Great Recession
versus current volume with the COVID-19 Pandemic, and the results are
staggering. At the peak of the Great Recession, the largest week for
initial claims was in April of 2018, with 13,848 initial claims filed. The
peak experienced to date with the COVID-19 Pandemic is 87,686 claims
in a one-week period of time.
“We know due to the massive call volumes we’ve been experiencing
over the past weeks that not everyone is getting through to us on the
phones, and we know there are frustrations because of that,” Suber said.
“We continue to respond to that demand by training and adding staff to
the phones each week, but simultaneously, our agency has continued to
create resources designed to help you through this process. We would
encourage people to utilize those resources or log back into the claims
SC Department of Employment and Workforce
NEWS RELEASE
Media Contact:
Heather Biance
portal to check their status before calling. Allow individuals who have specific claim problems to talk with staff
to help them resolve issues that might delay their benefits.”
Additional Resources:
• If you visit our website you will find:
- Eligibility scenarios for PUA, you can visit this link.
- Step-by-step instructions on how to apply.
- Claims process overviews.
• Tools specific to the PUA application process, including:
- A video tutorial with step-by-step instructions for the PUA application process.
- A PDF Tutorial with step-by-step instructions for the PUA application process.
- Updates to our FAQ materials for this program.
• If you visit our SC DEW YouTube you will find videos, including:
- Step-by-step instructions on how to register, file a claim and how to certify each week.
- Recording of town halls for employers and the self-employed.
- Our executive leadership speaking about our current unemployment situation.
- Employer resources: employer filed claims, understanding your dashboard and wage audit notices.
• On social media we will be looking for trends of common questions and posting hints and tips regularly.
For instance, here are some hints and tips to help individuals with the PUA process:
- Once your PUA application is approved, you will need to certify each week in your MyBenefits portal.
- Once you begin seeing payment notices in your portal, it takes 24-72 hours to appear in your bank
account, per your bank’s rules.
- If you have not filed prior to today, you would need to fill out a regular UI claim, and within 24 hours
your regular UI eligibility will be determined. If found ineligible, you will then see an “Apply for
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance” link on the customer menu page of your MyBenefits portal.
Here’s how to file for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA):
1) If you have already filed in the MyBenefits portal: you will receive a notification with next steps. Please
log into your portal, click the link on your dashboard and answer the prompted questions.
2) If you have NOT already filed in the MyBenefits portal: Now is the time to apply. You can read more
about the program and the process here, https://dew.sc.gov/individuals/self-employed or you can visit
dew.sc.gov and click the MyBenefits portal in the top right corner.
To create a context for Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance:
The state’s UI benefits program is funded by South Carolina employer taxes and therefore available to eligible
employees of those businesses. The first program to be implemented under the CARES Act was the Federal
SC Department of Employment and Workforce
NEWS RELEASE
Media Contact:
Heather Biance
Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program which provided $600 in additional weekly benefits to
individuals who were eligible under the state UI program. In the last five weeks since the COVID-19 crisis began,
the agency has paid more than $378 million in state UI benefits, to include the CARES Act $600 contribution.
The next federal program from the CARES Act to be implemented by the Department of Employment and
Workforce is Federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC). This program will provide 13
additional weeks of state unemployment insurance benefits after the 20 weeks provided under South Carolina
law have exhausted. The agency is preparing this program to launch in the next few weeks as individuals
potentially begin to exhaust their benefits.
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About the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce
The S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce is putting South Carolinians to work. The agency has four missions: (1) workforce
development; (2) free job match employment services; (3) unemployment insurance; and (4) labor market information. All four missions
contribute to workforce development. The agency is dedicated to advancing South Carolina through services and programs that meet the
needs of our businesses, jobseekers and those looking to advance their careers.
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