SC’s federal unemployment benefits program launched. When will people get paid?
After more than three weeks of waiting, unemployed South Carolinians eligible to receive $300 per week in federal unemployment insurance may soon see relief as the state’s Department of Employment and Workforce begins to roll out the Lost Wages Assistance program.
But there have been reports of problems with the portal on which claimants sign up.
A DEW spokesperson said the agency began a “soft launch” of the program Wednesday. The initiative is funded by a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant, with payments retroactive to the weeks ending between Aug. 1 and Sept. 5. Only those who have lost work due to the COVID-19 crisis qualify.
Claimants should now be able to complete an identity verification process on DEW’s website. Once they certify that they were unemployed during the weeks they are requesting benefits for, and receive approval, they should start receiving payments within seven to 14 days, DEW spokesperson Heather Biance said.
In recent days, amid growing pressure from the public to get the ball rolling, DEW has stressed the susceptibility of the program to fraud. On Sept. 18, the agency added security measures including the identification verification questions to the enrollment portal.
“For security reasons we did not make the launch public as to avoid additional attention from potential fraudsters,” Biance said Wednesday. “One thing we know is criminals are looking at websites for agencies like DEW and social media for any information they can use to their advantage and find a loop hole, which is why we are communicating directly with claimants through the portal.”
But the increased security measures have also led to technical problems.
DEW suspended its Lexis Nexis identity-proofing feature Thursday after claimants reported receiving unusual responses while filling out security questions.
Social media is the primary way DEW makes announcements regarding the technical difficulties, and DEW’s Facebook comment sections have become a hub for claimants airing frustrations and sharing updates.
Within hours of DEW’s announcement that it would suspend the identity check, there were more than a thousand Facebook comments.
“How in the world is this taking so long? GA and NC use the exact same website and have already sent out money. There is absolutely no reason this should be sitting when people literally can’t pay their bills or feed their children,” one commenter said.
Several hours later, a different commenter advised: “Y’all go to the website right now!!! It’s up and I got through and answered the questions!! Hurry!!”
The LWA program, which has been established in all 50 states and D.C., will continue until late December, unless money from the FEMA grant runs out before then.
Information has not been released on how many have so far applied for LWA benefits.
Data released Thursday by DEW indicated that the total number of initial unemployment claims filed in the state between the start of the pandemic and Saturday was 744,576.
The average weekly benefit the week of Sept. 13 through 19 was $261.04.
This story was originally published September 24, 2020 at 5:34 PM with the headline "SC’s federal unemployment benefits program launched. When will people get paid?."
