Do Your Employees Need Assistance with Unemployment Benefits?
We’ve Got You Covered!
TRP Sumner has recognized that many of our clients and others have questions about helping their employees during the COVID-19 virus outbreak. If you are a business owner and need some answers for your employees concerning them securing their unemployment benefits, here are some Frequently Asked Questions from the North Carolina Department of Commerce Employment Security Division and their corresponding website link. We have also have supplied some FAQ’s for you, the business owner as well.

Employees
Q. What if I am temporarily laid off work because business has slowed down as a result of COVID-19?
A. If you are laid off work temporarily or if your hours are reduced due to a business slowdown or a lack of demand as a result of COVID-19, you may be able to receive unemployment benefits. In order to determine eligibility, you must first apply for unemployment. If you’re temporarily out of work or working reduced hours due to COVID-19, select one of those two separation reasons when filing your claim.

Q. I am a part-time employee. Am I eligible for unemployment?
A. Anyone can file for unemployment insurance. In order to determine eligibility, you must first apply for unemployment. If you’re temporarily out of work or working reduced hours due to COVID-19, please select one of those two separation reasons when filing your claim.

Q. How do I file for unemployment insurance?
A. The fastest and most efficient way to file a new claim is to file online at des.nc.gov. If you don’t have access to a computer, you may file over the phone by calling 888-737-0259.

Q. How long will it take to receive my benefits?
A. At this point, the only real advice the DES could give was to have everyone that needs assistance to apply for unemployment, either online, or on the phone. It will take 5-10 business days to receive the determination letter. After that, they are unsure how long it will take for employees to receive the funds.

Business Owners
Q. Will I receive relief of benefit charges for claims related to COVID-19?
A. Yes. The Department of Commerce Division of Employment Security has been directed to not allocate charges to employers’ accounts for individuals who are paid benefits for reasons related to COVID-19. Employers responding to requests for separation information should indicate that the separation was due to COVID-19.

Additional Information:
The DES indicated there are two other programs that may become available to help provide unemployment benefits. They are the Emergency Fund and the DUA (Disaster Unemployment Assistance) Fund. DES said these programs are normally used when there is a natural disaster, like a hurricane. The directive to use these programs is mandated by the federal government, so these programs will not be available unless DES receives a directive from the federal government.

In the Governor’s news conference today, it was stated that the DES is set up to handle 3,000 claims per week. They have had 18,000 claims in the past 2 days. They are expanding server capacity and adding employees. They are asking for patience during this time.

For more information from the North Carolina Employment Security Division, please click on the link below to assist you and your employees.
https://des.nc.gov/need-help/covid-19-information
As more information becomes available, we will be updating posts to our TRP Sumner social media sites. Feel free to call one of our three locations in Fayetteville and Dunn, North Carolina for any questions or concerns regarding this or other tax questions for your business.

Providing quality service even during challenging times is a priority for us at TRP Sumner.