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Unemployment: More money coming, gig workers qualified; Get application info here

3 years 11 months 2 weeks ago Wednesday, April 08 2020 Apr 8, 2020 April 08, 2020 2:45 PM April 08, 2020 in News
Source: WBRZ TV

BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Workforce Commission has made information available for people who are out of work amid business closures because of COVID-19.

New details released Wednesday, April 8th

Federal money earmarked to add $600 to unemployment funds has been provided by the U.S. government.  The additional $600 will begin to be deposited to people Monday (April 13).

Also on Wednesday (April 8), the governor said new federal funds also earmark unemployment benefits for "gig workers.  People should continue to apply and update application information. 

Click HERE for an overall explanation by the state.

Click HERE to begin the application for employment assistance.

Click HERE to sign up to be contacted by the state.

Click HERE for a memo from the Workforce Commission to workers about assistance. 

Click HERE for for details about the Bartender Emergency Assistance Program

The Claim Center hotline is: 866-783-5567. Hours were extended from 8 a.m.- 7 p.m.

The state said it has more than $1 billion in its trust fund and may have benefits on-hand for every employee for more than a year.

A stay at home order that began on Monday, March 23, at 5 p.m. significantly increased the number of people out of work. 

When wide-spread closures were announced amid the growing virus situation, area business associations reported there were more than 1,600 restaurants and bars in the Baton Rouge area with about 29,800 employees. The businesses reported $583 million in earnings in 2019 and paid nearly $110 million in taxes.

If you have trouble filing claims

Some people have found difficulty in resetting a previous password for the state's unemployment setup online.  The state asked for anyone experiencing trouble with a reset to send an email to hire@lwc.la.gov.  The subject line should be Password Reset.  The email must contain the person's name, phone number, and last four digits of their social security number. 

Get the latest information about COVID-19 cases in Louisiana HERE.

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