CLEVELAND — Bartender Taylor Day was ecstatic when she learned Ohio would allow many workers who couldn’t go to work because of the novel coronavirus pandemic to collect unemployment insurance.

She applied for benefits online, but was puzzled when she learned what her benefit would be.

“It just said a bunch of zeros,” Day said. “I called to follow up, and they said, ‘No, you don't qualify.’ ”

Many are finding themselves in a similar situation. These include the restaurant workers, preschool teachers, fitness center employees and others whose workplaces either closed or limited operations in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.

The Labor Department last week allowed states to relax unemployment insurance, or UI, rules so that these often low-wage workers would qualify for benefits. Gov. Mike DeWine issued an executive order Sunday instituting much of the federal guidance, but it wasn’t enough to help many workers. They include those in the gig economy, independent contractors and those who hadn’t worked enough weeks or earned enough to qualify for benefits.

Day’s claim was rejected because she hadn’t worked at least 20 weeks. She took off several weeks after having her son four months ago. In order to be eligible for benefits in Ohio, a worker must average $269 a week over at least 20 weeks. With nearly 80,000 people working in food services and drinking establishments in Greater Cleveland, according to federal data, there could be potentially thousands who don’t meet both requirements.

“It wasn't OK to me to give this impression that we would all be helped, and we’re not all being helped,” she said of Sunday’s announcement about extended UI. “This is completely heartbreaking because I did everything I was supposed to do. I never called off. I claimed my tips. Now, I don’t know how I’m going to pay my car payment and other bills.”

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services doesn’t yet know how many of the extended benefits claims have been rejected.

“All of our energy has been devoted to ramping up to handle the crush of claims,” wrote Communications Director Bret Crow in an email.

He said workers filed more than 111,000 claims the first three days of the program. For the same period last week, before extended benefits were announced, ODJFS received fewer than 3,900 claims.

Zach Schiller, research director at the liberal Policy Matters Ohio, who studies Ohio’s UI program, said the coronavirus pandemic has amplified deficiencies in the program.

“Beyond the question of contract and gig economy workers, even many employees are not going to be able to take advantage of this because of Ohio's overly stringent earnings requirements, which are among the toughest in the country,” he said. “If you make the $8.70 an hour, which is Ohio’s minimum wage, and you work 30 hours a week, you don’t meet this overly strict earnings test. That’s why in the fourth quarter of last year just 21% of Ohio's unemployed were getting unemployment benefits.

“We applaud the governor's action,” Schiller said. “We're glad to see that it will mean that many more people will be able to get benefits, but we need to go further to ensure more people are eligible.”

Some experts, including those at the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research in Kalamazoo, Michigan, believe restrictive eligibility requirements should be waived during the pandemic. In a policy brief, Stephen A. Wandner, a research fellow, and Christopher J. O’Leary, a senior economist at the institute, say this is necessary because “the COVID-19 virus is likely to cause major disruptions in U.S. labor markets for at least 18 months — until a vaccine is developed and widely administered.” Making gig workers eligible and waiving the requirement that those receiving benefits actively look for work are among their recommendations.

In Ohio, only quarantined recipients don’t have to look for work. Schiller said this should be waived for all recipients, as neighboring Pennsylvania has done. He said parents and others who can’t work because they are caring for children, whose schools have been shut down to prevent the spread of COVID-19, should also be eligible to receive benefits.

This is how the department responded to questions about expanding UI to even more workers and waiving the work requirement for all recipients receiving benefits for coronavirus-related reasons.

“As to your other questions, the intent of the executive order was to broaden state unemployment policy to help as many Ohioans as possible throughout this unprecedented time,” Crow wrote.

Preschool teacher Tanya Goff Davis successfully applied for UI. Still, it’s not an adequate substitute for a paycheck.

“For God's sake, I only make $15 an hour,” she said. “Receiving 55% of that [in benefits] isn’t enough. I’m worried about how I am going to pay my mortgage.”

She has a few sick days, but that won’t cover being out of work for at least three weeks.

Many Ohioans may find themselves in Goff Davis’ position. Only 48% of Ohio workers have paid time off, according to federal data compiled by the Associated Press. That ranks Ohio 45th out of the 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Federal emergency coronavirus legislation approved this week grants 14 days of paid sick leave, and is designed to help workers such as Goff Davis and Day. In general, workers at companies with fewer than 500 employees will be eligible.

Schiller said the pandemic has shown how workers in Ohio, and often the United States, are vulnerable because of the rise of low-paying jobs that often lack adequate benefits. He said the economic fallout from COVID-19 should serve as impetus for long-term solutions

But at ODJFS, the concerns are more immediate. In a matter of hours, after DeWine issued the executive order, the department was faced with handling a volume of inquiries akin to those seen during the Great Recession. Complaints about people being unable to get through with questions about their claims are scattered throughout social media. Crow said the department has responded by extending call center hours by three hours, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. It is now open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.

“To handle the onslaught of calls, we are taking an all-hands-on-deck approach and have shifted a number of employers from other areas — and adding more each day — in our agency to help answer questions and process applications on the phone,“ he wrote.

To file a claim: unemployment.ohio.gov or 1-877-644-6562 (OHIO-JOB).

For frequently asked questions: jfs.ohio.gov/unemp_comp_faq/index.stm and an unemployment-related coronavirus Q&A: fs.ohio.gov/ouio/CoronavirusAndUI.stm.

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