8
QUEENS WEEKLY, MARCH 22, 2020
New York state waiving waiting period
for unemployment insurance benefi ts
BY BETH DEDMAN
The House of Representatives passed
an economic relief bill for the coronavirus
March 14, which would direct billions of
dollars to cover needs of Americans affected
by the crisis including paid sick leave,
unemployment insurance and free testing.
As part of meeting the criteria for the
bill, New York state is waiving the sevenday
waiting period for unemployment
insurance benefits for people who are out
of work due to closures or quarantines related
to the Coronavirus, according to the
Department of Labor.
The Secretary of Labor will divert
money from the Federal unemployment
account to the Unemployment Trust Fund.
From that point, they will determine the
amount each state is qualified to receive
and will send at least half of that money to
each state account within 30 days, according
to the Families First Coronavirus Response
Act.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on
Twitter March 15 that he was going to sign
an executive order limiting restaurants,
bars and cafes to food take-out and delivery,
and also order nightclubs, movie theaters,
small theater houses and concert
venues to close.
The order will go into effect at 9 a.m.
March 17.
“This is not a decision I make lightly,”
de Blasio said on Twitter. “These places
are part of the heart and soul of our city.
They are part of what it means to be a New
Yorker. But our city is facing an unprecedented
threat, and we must respond with
a wartime mentality.”
Nearly a quarter of U.S. workers do not
earn a paycheck if they miss work because
of illness, according to Pew Research. Most
of those workers are hourly employees at
lower income levels, who would be directly
affected by the mandated closures.
With the relief bill in place, employers
must provide 14 days of paid sick leave if
employees have the coronavirus or have
to care for an infected family member
with it and therefore get placed in quarantine.
They must be paid at least twothirds
of their wages they would make on
the job.
“We will come through this, but until
we do, we must make whatever sacrifices
necessary to help our fellow New Yorkers,”
de Blasio said.
The forms for filing an unemployment
insurance claim are available at https://
labor.ny.gov/unemploymentassistance.
shtm.
Unemployment insurance concept written on a paper. Photo via Getty Images
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link
/unemploymentassistance
/unemploymentassistance
/unemploymentassistance
link
