The Montana Department of Labor
& Industry today announced Montana's self-employed, independent
contractors, gig workers, and others not eligible for regular Unemployment
Insurance (UI) benefits can begin filing claims for Pandemic Unemployment
Assistance (PUA) benefits expanded under the recently passed CARES Act starting
tomorrow.
“Help
is now on the way for many Montanans who previously were not eligible for
regular UI benefits. As Montana has such a high rate of entrepreneurialism,
this will help a wide array of self-employed folks across our state,”
DLI Commissioner Brenda Nordlund
said.
“We know many Montanans are still facing an uncertain future, and the
Montana Department of Labor & Industry is working as quickly as possible to
serve our customers.”
Those who are self-employed, independent
contractors, gig workers, and others impacted by the coronavirus will be able
to file online at mtpua.mt.gov. DLI had previously directed those that are
self-employed to start a claim at MontanaWorks.gov. Those individuals will
receive correspondence directing them to the new PUA web system. With this new
application, Montanans will now be able to simply fill out their claim, request
payment and follow their claim status in one place.
Under the
CARES Act legislation, those eligible for PUA benefits, are also eligible for
an additional $600 per week Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC)
stimulus payment. The payment is added to the recipient’s state weekly benefit
amount. The payments will be made for eligible weeks beginning the UI week
ending April 4 through July 25, 2020.
DLI
expects to start issuing payments under this program to approved claimants
within the next 10 days. Eligible claimants may receive payments backdated to
the week of March 15, consistent with the onset of local and state social
distancing directives, school closures and Governor Bullock’s “Stay at Home”
directive.
In
conjunction with the web portal roll-out, a new phone line will be available
for individuals without internet access to file their PUA claim, or for those
with claim-specific questions starting tomorrow. A new email address will also
be available to those with questions. A resource guide with answers to
frequently asked questions, details on the new PUA filing process and other
resources is available at
dli.mt.gov/self-employed-contractors.
In addition to the expansion of UI
benefits under the CARES Act,
Governor Bullock has issued
directives to waive the one-week waiting period
to minimize the time Montanans
await UI benefits and temporarily waived the requirement that UI claimants
search for a job.
DLI is providing daily updates for
Montana employers and individuals impacted by COVID-19 at
dli.mt.gov/covid-19. Montanans can also follow DLI on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn
for timely updates.