In the wake of the Coronavirus/COVID-19, the Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Labor (Secretary) announced today the availability of additional unemployment benefits in Puerto Rico for eligible employees, as well as self-employed workers and independent contractors, due to the enactment of the federal statute known as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security During the last two weeks, the police recovered $153,000 from 29 individuals, and formally opened investigations against two of the students of the private school, whose own mothers turned them to the authorities. Newsroom, The Weekly Journal. The number of unemployment insurance claims rose to 11,270 last week, 9,445 more than the previous week, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Documentation from a prospective employer that includes start date, hours, and pay of a job offer that was cancelled or delayed. Know your rights. On March 27, 2020, the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020, which includes the Relief for Workers Affected by Coronavirus Act set out in Title II, Subtitle A. newsroom. It’s estimated that Puerto Rico’s Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program has lost millions to various fraud schemes. Section 2102 of the CARES Act creates the new temporary Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. Benefit payments under PUA are retroactive, for weeks of unemployment, partial employment, or inability to work due to Covid-19 reasons starting on or after January 27, 2020. Puerto Rico Labor Secretary Briseida Torres announced on Thursday that, after the integration of the digital registry of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program and the SABEN system, her agency disbursed more than $165 million for 55,000 people who requested this new federal unemployment benefit. The unemployment insurance program is available to all employees, whether full-time or part-time, who work for insured employers that are registered with the Puerto Rico Labor & Human Resources Department. Guide to Puerto Rico Unemployment Benefits If you lose your job in Puerto Rico through no fault of your own, you may be eligible to receive PR unemployment benefits. Once you apply for regular UI you cannot apply for PUA. Key Point: PUA is helping states pay for unemployment insurance.However, this cannot go on forever. Extended Benefits (EB) have triggered on in 48 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. In Puerto Rico, the minimum PUA amount is $66. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Who is eligible. The Puerto Rico Department of Labor announced the launch of a new online Pandemic Unemployment Assistance platform — known as FastPUA — to expedite claims, by working in tandem with the Puerto Rico Treasury Department, which will share taxpayer information.. PUA provides benefits for up to 39 weeks for weeks of unemployment beginning on or after February 2, 2020. If you are looking to have the effective date of your claim earlier than the week in which you opened your claim, you can call the PUA Call Center at 855-284-8545 OR you can send an email request to UCpua@pa.gov. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) PUA provides up to 39 weeks of benefits to qualifying individuals who are otherwise able to work and available for work within the meaning of applicable state law, except that they are unemployed, partially unemployed, or unable or unavailable to work due to COVID-19 related reasons, as defined in the CARES Act. ​Acceptable documentation of proof of employment or self-employment can include, but is not limited to: billing notices provided to your customers; recent advertisements for your business or services; current business licenses, ledgers, contracts, invoices; and/or. In general, PUA provides up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals not eligible for regular unemployment compensation or extended benefits, including those who have exhausted all … The COVID-19 pandemic has affected nearly every country and territory on Earth, upending life as we know it all across the planet. You are unable to reach your place of employment because of a quarantine or stay-at-home order due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I went to re-file online and the website stated that I couldn't do it online and I had to contact a claims specialist, so I did that and they couldn't even claim the weeks I … Persons not eligible for state claims can file for the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. This federally funded program kicks in during periods of high unemployment within a state. The Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) is legislation intended to help address the fiscal crisis in Puerto Rico. All individuals collecting PUA will also receive $600 per week from Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), in addition to weekly benefits as calculated above. SAN JUAN—The head of Puerto Rico’s Department of Labor and Human Resources, Carlos Rivera Santiago, said the agency is waiting for an authorization from the U.S. Department of Labor to go ahead with payments under the next round of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. To that amount, the government will add another $600 a week for four months, applied retroactively to April 4, Torres said. ​You may be eligible for PUA if you are self-employed, do not have sufficient work history to qualify for regular UC, or have exhausted your rights to regular UC benefits or extended benefits. The last week that FPUC will be payable, is the week ending July 25, 2020. The FAQs were issued only in … Unemployment Rate in Puerto Rico decreased to 8.40 percent in October from 9.30 percent in September of 2020. Welcome to our Online Application for Claiming Unemployment Benefits! If you are able to telework with pay or declined an option to telework for the same number of hours, you are not eligible for PUA. To learn the requirements and details regarding the PUA program please review our "Learn about PUA" website section which goes into details regarding the application process and potential benefits you may receive if found eligible for the program. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) PUA provides up to 39 weeks of benefits to qualifying individuals who are otherwise able to work and available for work within the meaning of applicable state law, except that they are unemployed, partially unemployed, or unable or unavailable to work due to COVID-19 related reasons, as defined in the CARES Act. Request for PUA Claim Backdating. ​Federal guidelines for PUA define "self-employed individuals" as those whose primary reliance for income is on the performance of services in the individual's own business or on the individual's own farm. In Puerto Rico, the minimum PUA amount is $66. The $600 per week additional payment will be automatically added to your PUA benefit. In the wake of the Coronavirus/COVID-19, the Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Labor (Secretary) announced today the availability of additional unemployment benefits in Puerto Rico for eligible employees, as well as self-employed workers and independent contractors, due to the enactment of the federal statute known as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security You should file for PUA if you are ineligible for regular UC because you have lost income due to COVID-19 and: have exhausted all rights to regular UC or extended benefits. A denial from regular UC will not affect your eligibility for PUA, which was created specifically for individuals who are not eligible for regular UC. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) - How to Apply, If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to. Your place of employment is closed as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of May 12, 37 states have started paying out Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), the program designed to aid workers who don’t qualify for traditional unemployment benefits, according to a Department of Labor spokesperson (*As of June 12, that number has grown to 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico). For the purposes of PUA, "self-employed" includes independent contractors, gig economy workers, and workers for certain religious entities. That's the way it is written. Here is the contact information, including websites and phone numbers, for filing unemployment claims in every state plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. During the week ending Oct. 3, these benefits were available in 42 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, according to the U.S. Labor Department. 16-20.PUA applies to self-employed persons, gig economy workers, and independent contractors. You had to quit your job due to being diagnosed with COVID-19 and are unable to perform your work duties. 379 de 15 de mayo de 1948, según enmendada, conocida como “Ley para establecer la jornada de trabajo en Puerto Rico” To read about the most Frequently Asked Questions, refer to our previous post by following the link below: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance - Frequently Asked Questions. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) FAQs The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act creates a new temporary federal program called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). Unemployment Rate in Puerto Rico averaged 14.74 percent from 1976 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 25.30 percent in January of 1983 and a record low of 7 percent in August of 2019. $23 Million to Be Disbursed for Puerto Rico PUA Claimants Direct deposits to roll out on Nov. 23. People in Puerto Rico have until June 24 to apply FOR Disaster Unemployment Assistance and receive up to 52 weeks in payable benefit, even though they normally last 26 weeks. To read about the most Frequently Asked Questions, refer to our previous post by following the link below: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance - Frequently Asked Questions Para preguntas en español, presione aq Puerto Rico PUA beneficiaries will receive between $66 and $190 a week. The CARES Act grants qualifying citizens a $1,200 stipend and provides funds for hospitals, doctors, laboratories and medical providers. FBI: Almost 100,000 cases of PUA Fraud in Puerto Rico September 15, 2020 The PR Secretary of Justice, Inés Carrau, said that there are so many cases of fraud to the PUA to investigate, that the filings of charges could take place after the end of this year. Over $300 million approved for Unemployment, PUA in PR. The amount of PUA benefits you will receive is based on your previous income reported. What is Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)? 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