Can she claim unemployment? (rent, home, living)

[jtolpin]

Well, she <did> lose her job for work study at the hospital. So she lost her income, but if shes like all the other college kids that had that type of thing happen to them.... Its kind of like 'really?'

[Bridge781]

But what college kid makes $600 a week? Or should be entitled to $600 a week. So much fraud out there.

[simplexsimon]

You may have uncovered some weird loopholes.

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance is meant to cover people who would not qualify for UI traditionally and pays a minimum $267/week from the state and $600/week from the Fed.

Your other daughter sounds like she was W-2 and her state benefit was calculated the traditional way.

The sad truth may be that little distinguishes a college kids earnings and a very poorly paid seasonal worker’s earnings. Lawmakers felt it was more important the latter group gets the cash they need than making sure college kids supported by their parents aren’t overpaid. For all the state knows the student is trying to pay her way through college by participating in work study.

This is still very early and PUA applications just started getting processed this week. It’s not clear how the total benefit will be determined - I believe there will likely be some sort of cap for state benefits, limited to total earnings from the previous year since PUA applicants had to disclose Schedule C / 1099-MISC.

More to come...

[jtolpin]

Yikes. I dont want to think of it as a loophole, because that sounds illegal, kwim?

She <did> lose her job because of covid 19, and the write up explains it, to fill out the forms, and all... so we did.

Can it come back to haunt us? We filled out things honestly. Basically, it seems, anyone that lost their job is getting 600/wk minimum until end of July, right?

[simplexsimon]

Originally Posted by jtolpin

Yikes. I dont want to think of it as a loophole, because that sounds illegal, kwim?

She <did> lose her job because of covid 19, and the write up explains it, to fill out the forms, and all... so we did.

Can it come back to haunt us? We filled out things honestly. Basically, it seems, anyone that lost their job is getting 600/wk minimum until end of July, right?

The CARES Act was a shotgun approach not a precision airstrike. There are going to be people who qualify but don't need it (all those large-small businesses that gobbled up most of the initial PPP funding) and those who get screwed (self employed or independent contractors that quit their job in 2019 and started up in 2020).

[jtolpin]

So... I am on unemployment, and look for jobs, and I go into my account on DUA fill our the questions, enter the info for the places Im searching for work, etc... and i get my weekly claim.

For daughter #2, who is getting PUA (She was denied as above for UI, but accepted for PUA), what does she have to do weekly? She cannot go onto the DUA website, since she was denied on that one (not enough wages it said for the year).

(Since this was the first week PUA went live in Massachusetts, perhaps there isn't an answer for this yet?)

[simplexsimon]

Originally Posted by jtolpin

So... I am on unemployment, and look for jobs, and I go into my account on DUA fill our the questions, enter the info for the places Im searching for work, etc... and i get my weekly claim.

For daughter #2, who is getting PUA (She was denied as above for UI, but accepted for PUA), what does she have to do weekly? She cannot go onto the DUA website, since she was denied on that one (not enough wages it said for the year).

(Since this was the first week PUA went live in Massachusetts, perhaps there isn't an answer for this yet?)

How did she know she was accepted for PUA? I assumed she applied via the portal that launched on Monday. Part of the application was creating a login to the PUA system.

[jtolpin]

Yes, we did apply via the PUA portal. It seems like once you apply, and get approved, theres nothing else to do, an no way to shut it off, and you are set up to collect until the end date (july and December, respectively).

Fine for us, but really - for all of the people in Massachusetts as well, that sign up??

[simplexsimon]

One of the weekly questions asks if she worked full/part time and if yes, how much she earned. That will reduce the amount of benefit for that week.

To qualify for PUA you had to be self-employed, independent contractor/gig economy worker.

[jtolpin]

https://www.mass.gov/guides/pandemic...benefits-guide

Place of employment closed as a result of Covid-19 - is one reason to be able to apply for PUA. Also insufficient work history.


ANd for PUA, I dont think they ask questions weekly. This is different than the 'regular' unemployment. There doesnt seem to be any weekly things to do.