Applying for the unemployment aid? Prepare docs now

Those who want to apply for the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation and the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance programs should prepare their documents ahead of time, according to the CNMI Department of Labor.

Included in the list of documents that applicants would have to submit is a certification letter from their employer, a valid ID with photo, passport, copies of the latest paycheck stubs, and Social Security number.

“The certification letter must state the employee’s name, title, wages, and schedule of the regular working hours, and the number of reduced hours, before the layoff or termination,” said a statement from the Office of the Governor.

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres said Saturday that the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration just notified the Commonwealth that it is eligible for the FPUC, which would provide eligible individuals $600 per week, on top of the benefits under the PUA program. The notification from USDOL ETA Steve Malliaras, from the San Francisco Regional Office, was coursed through CNMI Labor Secretary Vicky Benavente.

“The notification from USDOL is one of the clarifications that we requested in order to move forward with the PUA program. There are still a few things we are coordinating with the US Department of Labor, and we are grateful for their continued technical assistance,” Benavente said.

Torres said the confirmation of territories being eligible for the FPUC is “much needed for the many employees in our economy that have been terminated, furloughed, or have had their hours reduced.

“We remain optimistic that we will be able to take care of our government and the many private sector employees who have been affected by no fault of their own. We ask the entire community to wait for official guidance from my office and CNMI DOL on these programs and to find out who is eligible,” the governor added.

This emergency assistance is made possible through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, recently enacted by President Donald J. Trump.

The CNMI government is working around the clock to facilitate the assistance, and as soon as the eligibility requirements, benefits, and other information applicable to the CNMI is provided by USDOL, CNMI Labor will specify the date, time, location, telephone numbers, and email addresses for the submission of a PUA and/or FPUC application.