Secretary of the Department of Labor and Human Resources Briseida Torres Reyes announced today that her agency will begin receiving applications for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program (PUA) starting Tuesday, April 28.
The official explained that the programming process for handling claims related to this benefit, included in the federal CARES Law, has already been completed, and that It has first aid for own-account workers, independent contractors, and self-employed people whose incomes have been affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
“We have worked tirelessly to make this procedure available as soon as possible. The guidelines and guidelines for this program have not been previously worked on, and have caused problems in all jurisdictions for its implementation. It is important that our workers can access the available benefits, but we must guarantee that the regulations are complied with and avoid future problems in the management of these federal funds, ”explained Torres Reyes.
In addition to self-employed workers, the PUA program will also be available to those employees who have been ineligible for the local unemployment insurance benefit, and those who have exhausted their benefits under the state benefit, among others.
The weekly benefit amount will be determined by previous reported income, so Torres Reyes urged claimants to make available any evidence of income or work performed during the past few months. “The weekly PUA benefit is a maximum of $ 190 and a minimum of $ 66, and beneficiaries may also receive the supplemental aid of $ 600 weekly for four months, contained in the CARES Act. It will be retroactive to April 4“, he pointed.
To make their claim for benefits under the PUA program, people can enter, from Tuesday, April 28, the website www.trabajo.pr.gov. They may also use the support “call center” to make their claim by calling 787-665-0001.
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