Update on Louisiana Unemployment Insurance Benefits
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, American Rescue Plan Act. The law extended a $300 per week federal unemployment supplement until September 2021.
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ToggleWhat is the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021?
The House of Representatives is getting closer to passing the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
The plan includes:
- $1,400 stimulus checks for any adult making $75,000 or less per year
- $10 billion in funding for small businesses
- A $3,000 Child Tax Credit — $3,600 for children under six
- $350 billion for states, territories, and tribal governments to patch budget shortfalls during the pandemic
- $6 billion for indigenous health care
Under the Plan, Louisiana’s maximum unemployment insurance payment would be $547 per week ($300 federal supplement and the current Louisiana maximum rate of $247) through September 6th.
Many people have had trouble getting their regular unemployment payments started and may be able to expedite matters by following a paying attention to a few things in the application process.
What is Louisiana Unemployment Insurance?
Unemployment insurance is a program designed to provide benefits and temporary financial assistance to Louisiana workers unemployed through no fault of their own, who also meet Louisiana’s eligibility requirements. These are paid out based on past employment and not on need.
How Much are Louisiana Unemployment Benefits?
The minimum weekly benefit of Louisiana Unemployment Benefits is $10 and the maximum is $275. The weekly benefit amount will range between those numbers depending on the amount a worker was paid during the base period. The total amount of Louisiana Unemployment Insurance Benefits payable to a worker would be equal to 26 times the weekly benefit amount. This means an individual can obtain unemployment for a maximum of 26 weeks.
To calculate how much an individual may receive, the weekly benefit rate of 4% of an average quarterly earnings during the base period, multiplied by 1.21.
How to Minimize Delay in Your Unemployment Insurance Claim
For the unemployed who are currently having problems getting their Louisiana unemployment benefits, there are some common issues affecting many unemployment insurance applications, such as:
- If a claimant is filing for a different type of claim, they will need to verify their ID for each new type of claim.
- Claims filed under someone else’s email address, even a relative’s, could cause issues. For anyone without their own email, she recommends signing up for their own account. “It’s free,” she said.
- Some claimants may not realize if they received severance pay or pay for unused vacation, they don’t qualify for unemployment during the applicable time frame because that type of compensation is considered wages.
- “Separation mismatch” is a common issue that requires fact-finding and can slow down a claim payment. It occurs when an employer reports information about a claimant’s job loss or wages that are different from information the person filing the claim provides.
- Shared bank accounts, especially ones with several names, can slow down a claim because they may be flagged as potentially fraudulent.
The Louisiana Executive Director of the Workforce Commission Ava DeJoie explains the issues in this video.
For some basic Q&A information about COVID-19 Unemployment put out by the State of Louisiana Department of Labor, see http://www.laworks.net/FAQs/FAQ_COVID-19_QandA.asp
and for information about Appeals, see http://www.laworks.net/FAQs/FAQ_UI_ClaimantAppeals.asp
The www.laworks.net website says that if you have any questions about your unemployment insurance claim to contact 866-783-5567
Source:
“These common issues could hold back your Louisiana unemployment benefits” https://www.wdsu.com/amp/article/these-common-issues-could-hold-back-your-louisiana-unemployment-benefits/35484648