Nearly a million Ohioans - 964,556 people - have filed for unemployment in the last five weeks, more than the combined total in the last two years. But more are coming as thousands of Ohioans who are self-employed or independent contractors have been waiting to file for unemployment under new federal rules. Ohio Public Radio's Karen Kasler reports.
They get their chance Friday, as for the first time the state starts the process of paying out benefits to those known as 1099 workers and others who don't qualify for traditional jobless benefits.
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Director Kimberly Hall said the system to pay those workers is still being built, so those payments won’t be available for till next month.
But people who qualify for the new pandemic unemployment assistance program can start the process, at unemployment.ohio.gov.
“It will be a portal to pre-register, get your account set up, understand whether you’re actually in the right spot – kind of a pre-screening, versus whether you’re someone who really should be filing for regular unemployment," Hall said.
Hall estimated as many as 150,000 people could file for PUA benefits starting on Friday. Those workers will get benefits plus an additional $600 a week through July 25.
The state reports 109,369 people filed for unemployment benefits in the last week.
The state has paid more than 926 million dollars to 376,000 people.
And Hall said more than 400,000 Ohioans who are getting traditional jobless benefits have also started getting that extra weekly 600 dollars.
There are still complaints coming in about the ODJFS call center, which Hall said is averaging 650,000 calls on a weekday. She said the system is being scaled up, and she expects better results for people calling those phone lines by next week.
And Hall noted concerns that the unemployment compensation fund will be broke by June.
"There's a lot of discussion about that at the federal level. Ohio is not alone in that challenge," she said. "Right now Congress is examining how it will support states' solvency funds going forward."
Ohio’s unemployment rate hit 11.2% during the great recession. And Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted has said a record rate is a possibility in this pandemic as well.
