Marylanders May See Delay In Getting Unemployment Benefits But Will Not See Gap In Eligibility, Labor Department Says
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- Marylanders relying on unemployment benefits amid the COVID-19 pandemic may see a delay in getting their money but will not see a gap in eligibility as the latest federal relief law takes effect, the state's labor department said Thursday.
President Donald Trump signed the latest COVID-19 relief bill into law on Sunday, a day after unemployment benefits lapsed for an estimated 12 million Americans, CBS News reported.
On Thursday, the labor department said it has reviewed the law and is working with its vendor to prepare for four new and extended programs included in the legislation, but until it gets guidance from the federal government it cannot proceed.
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"States cannot move forward without this critical guidance (from the U.S. Department of Labor) and it is likely that guidance will be issued early in the new year," the Maryland Department of Labor said. "As this guidance is received, Maryland will modify the BEACON system and implement each program as quickly as possible to bring much-needed relief to eligible claimants."
As for when Marylanders can expect to see the money, the answer remains unclear.
"Please note that while there will be no gap in benefit eligibility because the PUA, PEUC, FPUC and MEUC programs are retroactive to the week ending Saturday, January 2, 2021, for eligible claimants, there may be a delay in the receipt of payment," the state's labor department said. "However, rest assured that eligible claimants will receive ALL benefits they are owed backdated to their earliest date of eligibility within the extended and additional programs.
The department today provided claimants and employers with an update about the implementation of the federal COVID-19 relief package that extends the CARES Act programs and provides additional federal unemployment benefits. pic.twitter.com/pVih8Tb2iw
— MD Department of Labor (@MD_Labor) December 31, 2020
The Department of Labor reported 18,100 unemployment insurance claims were made the week ending on Dec. 26.
That's up from the previous week when 17,734 claims were made.
| MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF LABOR DIVISION OF UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE TOTAL CLAIMS FILED BY COUNTY Week Ending - December 26, 2020 |
||||||
| Claim Filed By: | Regular UI | PUA (New) | PUA (Reclassified)* | PEUC Claims** | ||
| Allegany | 151 | 30 | 90 | 32 | ||
| Anne Arundel | 786 | 223 | 803 | 176 | ||
| Baltimore City | 1,100 | 342 | 1,699 | 325 | ||
| Baltimore County | 1,708 | 457 | 1,835 | 361 | ||
| Calvert | 121 | 20 | 111 | 20 | ||
| Caroline | 78 | 10 | 47 | 8 | ||
| Carroll | 240 | 48 | 143 | 32 | ||
| Cecil | 199 | 42 | 112 | 17 | ||
| Charles | 283 | 98 | 234 | 56 | ||
| Dorchester | 73 | 23 | 62 | 9 | ||
| Frederick | 355 | 68 | 270 | 63 | ||
| Garrett | 71 | 12 | 27 | 8 | ||
| Harford | 377 | 80 | 372 | 75 | ||
| Howard | 421 | 160 | 315 | 92 | ||
| Kent | 82 | 11 | 29 | 7 | ||
| Montgomery | 1,444 | 329 | 1,084 | 248 | ||
| Non - Maryland | 1,597 | 425 | 784 | 158 | ||
| Prince George's | 1,651 | 673 | 1,553 | 275 | ||
| Queen Anne's | 73 | 10 | 61 | 15 | ||
| Somerset | 38 | 16 | 42 | 6 | ||
| St. Mary's | 98 | 29 | 88 | 27 | ||
| Talbot | 60 | 16 | 46 | 9 | ||
| Unknown | 1,041 | 5 | 14 | 5 | ||
| Washington | 316 | 52 | 181 | 45 | ||
| Wicomico | 182 | 70 | 166 | 26 | ||
| Worcester | 163 | 23 | 110 | 25 | ||
| Totals by Type: | 12,708 | 3,272 | 10,278 | 2,120 | ||
| Total Regular UI Claims: | 12,708 | |||||
| Total New PUA and PEUC Claims: | 5,392 | |||||
| Total New UI Claims: | 18,100 | |||||
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.