With many workers being laid off the Louisiana Workforce Commission is expediting results on COVID-19 related unemployment insurance claims and loosening requirements for those collecting benefits.
LWC Commissioner Ava Dejoie says understand if you do qualify, you can collect for a maximum of 26 weeks in a year, and just know it’s not much.
“Louisiana, our unemployment insurance benefits are the second-lowest in the nation, second only to Mississippi at our weekly payment of 247 dollars,” says Dejoie.
LWC is waiving the requirement that workers wait a week from their last paycheck to file a claim.
Dejoie says they are seeing claim volumes multiple times higher than during the same time last year which is causing much longer than usual waits. They’re adjusting to that by moving workers into departments dedicated to claims processing, and expanding hours.
“We have extended our call center hours. We open at 8 AM and run the call center until 7 PM at night and we will have weekend hours where we have folks working the call center as well,” says Dejoie.
The number to file a claim is 866-783-5567, and you can also apply online at www.louisianaworks.net/hire.
Not everyone will qualify. Dejoie says keep in mind that if you’re a 10-99 employee, “and do not have any wages paid into the unemployment insurance system for you from an employer during four of the past five quarters you will not be eligible for unemployment insurance,” says Dejoie.
LWC is also waiving the requirement that those receiving benefits prove they are actively searching for work.
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