PROUDLY SERVING ANOKA, RAMSEY, and WASHINGTON COUNTIES
DAILY UPDATE FROM ST. PAUL
April 6, 2020
Dear Friends, I hope you are healthy and at home.
We face uncertain times with the COVID-19 outbreak. I have heard from many of you asking – what’s next? The Governor has ordered our schools, bars and restaurants and many businesses closed. He has asked us to shelter at home. The impact on our lives is palpable. The impact on our economy is devastating. I don’t have all the answers, but Minnesotans are resilient, and we will recover from this. We are focused on caring for people and finding the road back to economic recovery.
My office is open to you and I am happy to visit on the phone. You can reach me by phone (651.296.1253) or email.
GUIDE TO NAVIGATING UNEMPLOYMENT
Due to unprecedented call volumes, please refer to the table below to find the best time
to call.
Customer Service Phone Schedule
| I F YOU NEED HELP: | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY |
| complete an application |
not available | not available | not available | not available | 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
| request a payment |
not available | SSNs ending in: 1, 3 or 5 (6 a.m.-noon) 7 or 9 (noon-6 p.m.) |
SSNs ending in: 0, 2 or 4 (6 a.m.-noon) 6 or 8 (noon-6 p.m.) |
SSNs ending in: Any number (6 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) |
SSNs ending in: Any number (6 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) |
| with your password |
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
| help with questions about your account |
8 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. | 8 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. | 8 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. | 8 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. | not available |
Twin Cities area: 651-296-3644
Greater Minnesota: 1-877-898-9090
TTY – users: 1-866-814-1252
Self-employed and Independent Contractors – People who are not eligible for the regular UI program are covered by the new PUA program within the program’s guidelines. This is an entirely federally funded temporary program. The PUA includes the self-employed and independent contractors as well as employees at religious schools and other organizations not included in covered employment. If a constituent has been laid off or is unable to work because of COVID we are advising folks to apply for UI benefits. The new PUA program is not up and running yet but applying for UI benefits will get them into our system and we will contact them when the PUA program is up and running and we are able to start providing benefits.
How else can you get help?
Most people can get answers to their questions by visiting www.uimn.org. We also know that some people really need to talk directly to a contact to get their issues resolved. I encourage you to apply and request benefits on the web. For folks requesting benefit payment it usually takes 2-3 days for the payment to arrive in their bank account. If you want to know if you qualify for unemployment insurance please visit the website and apply- the agency will figure it out.
There is a lot of new information posted to help Minnesotans apply and access benefits on their own.
· A step-by-step guides on how to apply for benefits for employees, how to apply for benefits for self-employed people, and how to request payment
· A new webpage describing what new benefits are available to applicants under the federal CARES Act. There is also information for employers about changes to benefit charges.
· Information for applicants available in Spanish, Hmoob, and Somali. They are working to create information in additional languages.
Senate Covid-19 Working Group
The Senate Covid-19 Working Group held a hearing today that focused on our next state budget. We heard from Laura Kalambokidis, MN State Economist Economic Analysis and Myron Frans, Commissioner of MN Management and Budget. They gave a high- level overview and assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on our economy and what it means moving forward.
THIS WEEK AGENDA FOR SENATE COVID-19 WORKING GROUP:
Tuesday: Long Term Care.
Wednesday: Transportation regulatory issues and services.
You can watch the Senate Covid-19 Working Group at either of these links:
You can subscribe to receive notices/agendas for the Senate Working Covid-19meetings (Senate Rules Committee page – scroll to bottom for subscribe button)
Working Groups last week:
Senate COVID-19 Response Working Group speak with Minnesota Hospital Association and determine future needs
Senate COVID-19 Response Working Group receive updates from DEED on closures and unemployment benefits
COVID-19 INFORMATION RESOURCES
MN Dept. of Revenue- Individuals
MN Dept. of Revenue – Business
MN Dept. of Emp./Econ. Dev (DEED)