Q&A with Denise Beckwith of the Georgia Department of Labor
On Monday, April 27, The Georgia Society of CPAs (GSCPA) hosted an exclusive member event with Denise Beckwith from the Georgia Department of Labor (GA DOL) to give an overview of the Department’s response to COVID-19 and answer questions sent in by GSCPA members.
As of last week, Georgians submitted 1.1 million unemployment applications to the GA Department of Labor. To put this number in perspective: the total unemployment filings of the past three years added together still do not make one million claims. The unprecedented number of applications is primarily first-time appliers who have never previously received unemployment.
The emergency rule mandates Georgia employers temporarily laying off or reducing hours must enroll their employees under “partial claims” designation. Employers enter workers on a template, upload to the website, and at night a spreadsheet downloads to the system. Claims are processed in 72 hours once the application has been established. A majority, 75 percent, of the current claims received are processed this way.
Many Georgians have expressed frustration in attempting to contact the Department. With the statewide rise of claims due to COVID-19, the GA DOL has been inundated daily with approximately 60-80,0000 calls and thousands of emails. Employees of the DOL have been working tirelessly to respond to these various points of contact as fast as they can, working seven days a week to answer questions or troubleshoot issues.
In addition to state unemployment, the DOL is also administering the CARES act unemployment initiative giving Georgians the actional pandemic payment of $600. All Georgians eligible to receive at least one dollar of state unemployment are entitled to this additional payment, valid for any weekending date beginning April 4, 2020, and after. Anything filed before that date will only receive state payments.
Pandemic Assistance is available for Georgians who don’t qualify for state unemployment, such as those who were working in the gig economy sector and not paying into unemployment on their taxes. The first payments of the program were issued on April 27.
The following questions are a selection from the inquiries GSCPA members submitted before the call.
When an individual applies for PPP through an SBA loan, but they haven’t received any money, can that individual still file unemployment, not knowing they are getting the PPP or not?
Anyone technically not working has the right to file an unemployment claim. The GA DOL is not checking if they have also applied for PPP through the SBA loans, but the Department of Treasury might. Because the Department of Treasury is over the SBA loans and PPP, they may be checking in their process.
In a situation where someone may be unintentionally collecting unemployment, what do you do to stop receiving benefits?
Say someone has a full-time job and part-time job as well, and the part-time employer submits the “partial claims” template, they sign an affidavit stating those employees haven’t worked or received any payment for work during the week claimed. The DOL has been asking employers to email employees asking them to report what their gross income is. Employees receiving unnecessary benefits should notify the employer to stop submitting the claim.
Employers needing to fix or report previous errors may send an email to the unemployment insurance integrity department UI_Integrity@gdol.ga.gov
If an individual has received an acceptance note on unemployment but not received the money in an extended period, how can they check?
There are two determinations made when accessing unemployment claims. The first one details what the payments will be, and the second determination lets you know if benefits are allowed or denied. Once both decisions are finalized, the payment will go out the next day. If for some reason, the payment didn’t go out, there is an issue. Contact Don Cook for direct help with Denise Beckwith.
Individuals can monitor the status of their claim with a new application in the online service, Check My UI Status. This application allows you to monitor eligibility determinations, any pending claims and shows payment status.
What is the difference between lay off and furlough to The DOL? How do those designations affect filing and claims?
The DOL is treating the designations furlough or temp laid off the same. The employer may file partial claims on an employee’s behalf. Even if they have the possibility of coming back, you can still file for unemployment.
When an employer recalls someone, when do the benefits stop?
Employees need to work with employers on this. You may continue to claim benefits if you’re still under full time, just report gross earnings. If the business is resuming full-time hours, then employees are no longer eligible and must be reported in the week in which you EARN money, not when you were paid it.
What is the best way to correct employee info?
When determining a claim, the DOL sends information to the Social Security Office, who then checks it and automatically puts an integrity stop on applications requesting verification if the information is incorrect. Things such as wrong address are not an issue; they are only looking at first name, last name, date of birth and the applicant’s Social Security Number. Many employers have been inputting information into the incorrect columns, such as last names as first names.
If there is an issue preventing payments, contact the Integrity Issues Department through email (UI_Integrity@gdol.ga.gov) and then resubmit the employer file claim under the correct Social Security Number to allow them to process the claim and later remove the nonvalid record.
If a restaurant is opening back up, but employees are too scared of transmission to go back, can they still collect?
The DOL encourages employers to make choices with employees. Employers have the right to stop submitting partial claims once work is offered, but the employee may file unemployment. This claim will not be a partial claim and be up for new eligibility determination. There are changes to the law regarding pandemic unemployment. If employees don’t elect to come back out of fear of exposure, the DOL is looking at possibly allowing benefits in the categories of 60 or older, and those with a compromised immune system.
How do unemployment benefits work for self-employed?
Self-employed filers should base unemployment claim on income earned during last year’s tax year, 2019. Not everyone has filed, but some forms of proof such as 1099s, W2s or pay stub invoices may be submitted as proof. GA DOL is partnering with the Department of Revenue, and once the system is in place, the two will be easily able to verify info or wages so they may confirm it matches. This system is not in place yet; individuals applying receive emailed information on providing self-employment proof and where to send.