Lucy Dathan

I hope you and your loved ones are keeping safe and healthy in this pandemic I know many of us are feeling “quarantine fatigue” and getting a bit restless with this situation, especially as we have had some lovely days recently.

Our work of this social distancing is paying off and we have had 8 days of reduction in number of hospitalizations, which is a strong metric that shows that we are getting on top of this situation. We need to keep this up, and you are doing a great job by doing your part in flattening (and now decreasing) this curve.

The Department of Labor has released unemployment assistance guidance for gig workers and the self-employed. Here is their announcement:

LABOR DEPARTMENT LAUNCHES NEW SYSTEM TODAY FOR SELF-EMPLOYED TO APPLY FOR FEDERAL UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

Today, the Connecticut Department of Labor began accepting claim applications for the self-employed, many who are eligible to collect unemployment insurance benefits under the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program.

Federal guidelines require that self-employed individuals, including independent contractors and “gig” workers, first apply through the Connecticut unemployment system located on www.filectui.com.

Applicants must receive a determination notice in the mail from the Connecticut Department of Labor before they can apply on the newly-designed Pandemic Unemployment Assistance online system that will also be located at www.filectui.com.

Self-employed individuals will follow this two-step application process:

Step 1). Beginning April 30:

• File a regular state claim application with the Connecticut Department of Labor at www.filectui.com, using the BLUE button to file.

NOTE: Self-employed individuals who already filed a claim application through this system SHOULD NOT file again. The agency has these original claims and a duplicate is not needed.

• After completing and submitting your application, look for an email from CTDOL: "Thank you for submitting your online application for unemployment compensation benefits with the Connecticut Department of Labor…Please look for a CONFIRMATION EMAIL notifying you that your claim has been processed. This email will include your NEXT STEPS information including instructions for when to start filing your weekly claims."
• Look for a second email from CTDOL: “Your claim for benefits has been processed! If this is a new claim then we are sending information regarding your claim via US mail.”
• Look for your eligibility determination (Form UC-58 Monetary Determination) that must be sent through the US mail service.
  • If the UC-58 Monetary Determination shows that you have a “zero” weekly benefit rate (which means you do not have wage earnings in the state system) you are not eligible for state benefits and are eligible to file in the ReEmployCT system for self-employed individuals.
  • If the UC-58 Monetary Determination shows a weekly benefit rate, you have wage earnings in the state system and are entitled to collect state unemployment benefits.

Step 2). Once You Receive Your UC-58 in the Mail:

• Go to CTDOL www.filectui.com for the link to PUA button (this button will be posted to the site next week).
• The PUA system will have a record of your state benefit ineligibility status.
• Complete the PUA application
  • Applicants will need 2019 IRS forms, 1099, 2019 W-2s, and Schedule C.
  • Applicants will be asked to provide earnings for 2019, broken down by quarters. Those without tax records for 2019 can self-attest their earnings, but will be subject to audit. ·Applicants will be asked the date when COVID-19 impacted their employment. Federal guidelines allow this to go back to Feb. 2, 2020. If an unemployed status goes back to retroactive weeks, the system asks the claimant for weekly earnings through the current week filing.
• Once the PUA application is completed, if applicants did not select a payment method when filing under the state unemployment system, they will select their method of payment (direct deposit or debit card –the agency recommends direct deposit for much faster payment). Payment selection is made by returning to www.filectui.com and selecting the “method of payment” green button

FAQs located on the agency’s homepage are being updated to include a section on the PUA application process, guidelines and additional details.