Have you applied for jobless benefits in the past several weeks and been denied? You still might get some help, according to the Arizona Department of Economic Security.

The state is re-evaluating what likely are thousands of applications from the past two months to see if they should qualify under more generous federal guidelines passed by Congress, which include an additional $600 a week in benefits on top of the $240 maximum offered by the state for some people.

Congress passed, and President Trump signed, the CARES Act on March 27. It expands jobless benefits to nearly everyone put out of work, including part-time workers, contractors and the self-employed. Gov. Doug Ducey also expanded eligibility benefits by waiving the usual one-week waiting period and requirement that people getting jobless benefits continue to look for work.

Many people who have lost their jobs or had their hours reduced because of the national effort to prevent spreading coronavirus, were rejected by the Arizona Department of Economic Security.

Many people are denied because they don't have sufficient earnings history to qualify for state benefits.

But the changes from Congress allow people in that situation, including contractors, part-timers and the self-employed, to get paid.

"DES will review all applications that have been determined 'monetarily ineligible,' since Feb. 2 to determine eligibility for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance," said Brett Bezio, deputy press secretary for DES.

He could not say how many applications needed to be reviewed, but the department has seen a historic number of first-time applications in the past four weeks, with 345,800 people seeking benefits.

As of Saturday, DES had added about 147,000 people to the jobless rolls.

People who already were receiving state benefits and filed a weekly certification on Sunday indicating they still were out of work had the $600 in additional federal benefits added to their account starting Monday.

Everyone who qualifies for state benefits and who is owed the additional $600 for prior weeks dating back to March 29 could see the money this week, he said.

"Our target is to make all retroactive payments to eligible claimants by the end of this week," Bezio said.

DES still updating application system

Some people still will not qualify for state benefits but will qualify for the federal money and DES is putting the computer system in place to get those people their money, Bezio said.

DES can't act fast enough for people like Richard Diefenderfer, 57, of Cave Creek, who has been out of work a month because of the pandemic.

"My god, why can’t they get it together?" said the gig worker who is paid as a marketing contractor hired by pharmaceutical companies. All of his jobs were canceled March 12, and he applied about March 23 but was sent a letter seeking more information.

He called, but couldn't get through to DES. He went to their downtown Phoenix office but was told that workers could not help him in person, and he would have to call.

"I must have dialed 100 times," he said. But once he got through, he was told DES was awaiting guidance from the Department of Labor regarding how to review applications that might qualify for expanded federal benefits.

"To the people who are not able to work out there, it is killing people," he said of the delays.

He still hasn't been told what additional information DES will need to validate his status as a gig worker who has been displaced by the pandemic and how to get that information to them.

"You just don't know when this is ever going to happen," he said. "Is it next week, or four or five weeks?"

Re-applying weekly is critical

Applicants should not need to reapply for benefits for DES to review their application, but they do need to file a weekly claim for benefits for each successive week they are out of work, or they will not be paid for those weeks.

DES says it will contact people who previously were rejected but now qualify under the federal guidelines. Applicants might be asked for additional information.

The continuing claims applications also can be filled out online, and should be done on Sunday after each successive week of missed work, according to DES.

DES says people should apply for continuing benefits even if they have been told they don't qualify through a "determination of ineligibility or disqualification" and have appealed that decision.

So, if a person applies for jobless benefits, regardless if they are accepted, they need to file a continuing claim the following week and each successive week to stay in the program. People can file continuing claims while waiting for a determination or if they were rejected and appealed the decision.

If their initial rejection is reversed, applicants will only get paid for weeks that they have filed for continuing benefits.

If someone misses a week, they can apply the following week for the one they missed. But missing two consecutive weeks means the state system no longer will recognize the applicant, according to DES.

These people will get a message that there is no record of their Social Security number, and they will have to reactivate their claims using the same online system they initially used to apply.

Reach reporter Ryan Randazzo at ryan.randazzo@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4331. Follow him on Twitter @UtilityReporter.

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