alaska unemployment problems
Rachael Byrd, who was general manager of Juneau’s Salt restaurant, said she applied March 22 but ran into an issue. Several beneficiaries awaiting the supplement have reached out to the Daily News in recent weeks, expressing frustration with the lack of payments needed for rent, food and other expenses, after the COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread layoffs. TeachMeFinance.com presents the Alaska Unemployment Map, by county, not seasonally adjusted. But when they take care of their own child, they are not considered part … On Friday, the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development announced that the COVID-19 small business grants program was being expanded. He previously reported and edited for the Juneau Empire, Kodiak Daily Mirror and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Alex DeMarban is a longtime Alaska journalist who covers business, the oil and gas industries and general assignments. [More than 36,000 Alaskans file jobless claims in 3 weeks as coronavirus stifles the economy]. Beau Sylte of Sitka said that can’t come soon enough. It is going to take them one, to three to four weeks on the outside to get this running. “CARES program coverage for the self employed will be operational in the next 3 to 4 weeks,” Ledbetter wrote by email. Bob Allain, a heating systems installer from Palmer who has been laid off for seven months, said his $1,800 will be spent as soon as it arrives to catch up on recent months of unpaid heating, electric and other bills. “These issues will all be fought out in state legislatures,” he said. Mike Dunleavy said in a press conference on Wednesday that the state is working urgently to get the payments out. Gov. She got her first deposit Wednesday. Apply to Processor, Receptionist, Talent Bank Employee - Positions Available Are: Full Time -- Part Time -- On Call and more! Claims are effective Sunday of the week in which you open or reopen it. For example, if two stay-at-home parents tended to each other’s children and were paid equal wages, they would both be considered employed. “We are telling the state, keep your promise, do your job,” Patterson, 30, said of the rally. All rights reserved. “If I don’t get my unemployment, I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Moody said. It then began a slow but steady recovery that reached a low of 3.5% in February 2020. When he tried to update his application, the online process prompted him to call. FEMA approved the grant for Alaska on Aug. 23, ahead of many other states, according to FEMA’s website. Alaskans applying for unemployment say they’re feeling frustrated by clogged phone lines, uncertain regulations and a confusing application process. Meanwhile, the state agency in charge of unemployment has been scrambling to hire workers, upgrade equipment and implement a swath of rule changes ordered by elected state and federal officials. Search site Advanced Search. “Income verification, USDOL reporting agreements, staff training, and a new requirement to deduct federal withholding tax are currently in the works. If it tried, the money would not be reimbursed. Relief and retroactive payments are coming, they say, but many Alaskans worry whether it will come in time for them to pay bills. Once registered, you’ll be issued … “They’re so, so flooded with people.”. “If there is any tiny shred of silver lining to this pandemic, I think folks are beginning to recognize that Alaska’s UI benefits are significantly lagging behind and it needs to increase," Drygas said. On Thursday, for example, the Alaska Department of Labor said Alaskans can apply weekly for unemployment, instead of every two weeks, as had been the practice before now. A more generous unemployment insurance system may require bypassing states’ incentives. “Our hardware, software system to be able to distribute those checks, we’re having a problem with it,” he said. How We Determined The Cities In Alaska With The Lowest Unemployment Rates Before we could dive into what Alaska’s most employed cities were, we needed to know where to look in the first place. “It was a really frustrating call,” he said. See how other local areas compare by using our Unemployment Compare tool. Spohnholz said she was told the agency is also upgrading its phone and computer systems. Learn about … Once you find yourself in financial trouble getting yourself out of it is no easy task at all. We invite you to write a letter to the editor or reach out directly if you’d like to communicate with us about a particular article. “Right now, the phone system only allows 250 calls at a time,” Spohnholz said. Byrd, seen in … The department erred when it said the money would go out last week but did not deliver, she said. “I kept calling and calling, never getting through — days in a row,” she said. The unemployment rate peaked at around 10% following the 2008–09 financial crisis. “That’s just nowhere near enough.”. Meier said only South Dakota did not apply for the unique relief program. (James Brooks / ADN), The offices of the Alaska Department of Labor are seen Thursday, April 9, 2020 in Juneau. There are 18 Unemployment Offices in Alaska, serving a population of 738,565 people in an area of 570,488 square miles.There is 1 Unemployment Office per 41,031 people, and 1 Unemployment Office per 31,693 square miles.. Now, callers say they’re hearing a prerecorded message that disconnects the phone line at the end. Northwest Arctic Borough, AK unemployment … The state cannot pay people the extra money by using money from the unemployment insurance trust fund. A record number of people are applying for unemployment benefits as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic, and state systems are struggling to withstand the traffic. Money Problems: Housing: Seniors: Life Planning: Health Care & Public Benefits: Native American Issues: Victims' Rights : Using Tribal Court: Find Legal Help; Classrooms; Search. Gov. “It’s outdated, it’s outmoded, and in the manner that the feds want us to distribute the money, right now it’s not working with the system. Sen. Click Bishop, R-Fairbanks, was commissioner of the state Department of Labor in 2010, the last time unemployment applications peaked. Home>Get Legal Info>Coronavirus (COVID-19) Back to Coronavirus (COVID-19) Unemployment (COVID-19) Legal Information (1) Legal Help Directory; Filter By: Language. There are multiple reasons that many Alaska Natives have not gained meaningful entry into the cash economy. On March 27, President Donald Trump signed the CARES Act, which would boost the maximum unemployment payment by $600, cover self-employed workers normally ineligible and extend the period that Alaskans can claim unemployment. Professions in state government help support many aspects of life in the Last Frontier including healthcare, protection of citizens, and preserving natural resources, just to name a few. 36,211 people have filed for unemployment insurance benefits, Biden blocks drilling in ANWR, among his first acts as president, Bernie and his mittens travel Alaska, in meme form, Alaska development bank forecloses on oil field assets after $70 million investment, Alaska Gov. Thanks. You can file a claim online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But programming issues have been a problem in the past, and there would be challenges with standing up a new system for a service that’s heavily regulated by the federal government, she said. The current unemployment rate for Alaska is 6.4% for August 2020. A form to help you do so can be found on Alaska's unemployment website. From then until Spring of 2007, the Alaska unemployment rate went down to an all time low of 5.9% for that decade. Approval for a six-week program in Alaska came in early September, Ledbetter said in the statement. Amanda Filori, a Juneau artist, offered a handful of tips that she said worked for her: Call early (call centers open at 9 a.m.), wait on hold, be polite and read the unemployment pamphlet before calling. “When I get emails like that, that rings alarm bells.”. Dunleavy pitches Permanent Fund dividend change amid legislative splits, ExxonMobil becomes latest sponsor to sever Iditarod ties. Drygas, the former labor commissioner, said the pandemic has highlighted how the state’s unemployment benefits are “painfully low,” inadequate for rent and other high costs in Alaska, she said. A U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq, Patterson said his family, including three children, are scraping by on his veteran benefits and the small unemployment check his fiancee currently receives. Rachael Byrd of Juneau is one of more than 30,000 Alaskans who have applied for unemployment in the past few weeks. Also, Alaska often refers to Employment Security Tax (EST) rather than unemployment insurance tax. AK Highest Unemployment by County. That many in rural Alaska still rely on the subsistence economy for many of their needs is one of the most important reasons. In Kodiak, Moody first filed for partial aid because he was told that his hours were being reduced. Symaron George of Haines said her online application, filed March 30, went through “without a problem,” but she was disappointed that her payment did not include a promised federal stimulus or an extra payment approved by legislators. In Kodiak, Moody even tried the department’s fax number, without response so far. You must continue to file bi-weekly (every 2 weeks). … 3. “All applicants who previously received notification that their application was incomplete due to the actively seeking work requirement will be notified this week that their applications are approved,” she said. He managed to get through by phone but said that as a self-employed freelancer, the system wasn’t ready for him. To apply online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, go to my.alaska.gov and click on “Unemployment Insurance Benefits”. Reports of Fraud or suspicion can be reported by email at uifraud@alaska.gov; fax at (907) 269-4835; or phone at (907) 269-4880 or toll free at (877) 272-4635. The state of Alaska is ranked 2nd in Unemployment Offices per capita, and 41st in Unemployment Offices per square mile. Job at all of labor ( AKDOL ) issues facing the country as it becomes available Alaska was 6.1.! 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