COVID-19 April 8 Update

Unemployment claims

• Please refer to our written update yesterday where we gave a brief overview of the unemployment claim process in Mississippi and the CARES Act.
• Yesterday’s video update pertained to the CARES Act.
• Today’s video update pertains to the general unemployment claims process in Mississippi.
• These updates summarize the high points, and hopefully will help you be more informed
• when you communicate with MDES.

Our efforts to help the unemployment claim process

• We realize the number one frustration in the unemployment claims process is having your call answered. We are very aware that people are having difficulty getting through.
• Our office has been brainstorming about ideas to help you get your call answered more quickly. Here are some of the ideas we are exploring:
  • We are looking at securing the help of private businesses to assist MDES in answering calls. If you know of a private business, like an accounting firm, that might be willing to help, let us know, and we will pass that information along to MDES. If we can get more people answering the calls, then it will definitely help alleviate wait times and expedite the claims process.
  • MDES asks that all House members funnel calls/concerns to Speaker’s office. We will gather and organize those questions and present them to MDES each day. MDES will route those questions to the appropriate person and give us an answer within a reasonable time. We will have a daily call with MDES to work through these issues.
  • MDES is implementing a mass layoff claim procedure whereby a large employer can report their employees being laid off in a group so each one doesn’t have to establish they are individually entitled to benefits. Nevertheless, each claimant will have to create an online account and do weekly certifications.
  • We are discussing with MDES lawyers whether waiving weekly certification is feasible.
  • We recommend that MDES adopt policies to clarify that when a person can meet any of the 11 categories of COVID-related job loss set forth in CARES Act section 2102, they be considered to have left their job “for good cause” such that they qualify for MS unemployment compensation.
  • We recommend that MDES adopt policies to clarify that when a business experiences a decline in demand due to COVID-19 such that they can no longer keep an employee or stay open, this be considered a “direct result” of COVID-19 to trigger federal unemployment benefits.
  • We recommended that MDES set up a help-desk style system with a computerized questionnaire so that will guide inexperienced personnel through rote questions and answers. This will dispense with the large volume of easy issues so that hard cases can be passed to more experienced examiners.
  • We recommend that MDES focus its automation efforts on developing cell phone apps. Most claimants don’t have access to a computer and don’t have a printer to print, or a scanner to scan, a PDF form.
• We want you to know that we hear your cries for help and are working to try to come up with ideas that will expedite the claims process. These are just some of the ideas we are working on and wanted you to know that we are working to help you.
• If you have an idea, please share it with us. We are all trying to come up with ideas to help you get your calls answered in an expeditious and timely manner.

Update on number of cases.

• 88 new cases reported yesterday.
• Total cases statewide now number 2003.
• Unfortunately, we now have 67 deaths.
• 41 outbreaks in long-term care facilities.

Call if you need help.

• We have had phone calls to our office forwarded to our staff. If you need any help at all, please call us at 601-359-3300.
• We have also set up an email address for you to ask questions or seek help. That address is [email protected].