Trouble receiving unemployment? Officials address a common issue

ATLANTA - Leaders with the Georgia Department of Labor warn some receiving unemployment benefits they might need to re-apply.

This comes after several people complained of suddenly not receiving benefits anymore.

"It’s been challenging. People that have never been on unemployment before have had to reach out and start that process. People didn’t understand how that worked," Georgia Department of Labor Spokesperson Kersha Cartwright said.

While people are slowly starting to get back to work there are many who still depend on unemployment benefits.

Many have complained their benefits suddenly disappeared.

"We are reaching the 12-month period after the pandemic began last March where people are starting to see their benefits ending. Unemployment insurance claims last 52 weeks and once that ends that claim is closed," Cartwright said.

Cartwright said if your benefits suddenly stopped then you need to check when your benefit year ends.

"After the benefit year ends you need to file a new claim. We reopen the claim and we take a look at that and then you are either placed on the program before or if you have enough work history at that point to establish a  regular UI claim. We then establish a UI claim and establish payments on that side," Cartwright said.

An issue Cartwright said is slowing down many claims is that many people are not correctly reporting their employment history.

"Claimants are not including all of their employment history and that’s a problem for us. We ask an unemployment claim you list all of the employment you had in the last 18 months," Cartwright said.

While some work to get money there are others who say they are trying to return it.

Some have gotten benefits because their part-time employer filed on their behalf and are trying to figure out how they can return the money.

"There’s a spot where you can say, 'request to return payment,' and (they) can say, 'Hey, this is me and I’m giving you permission to take money off the Way2Go card,'" Cartwright said.

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