Workers set to get unemployment benefits this week, others still waiting

COLUMBIA - The Missouri Department of Labor announced some people who applied for unemployment will receive their $600 federal pandemic unemployment payment this week.

The $600 dollars is a federal supplement to unemployment benefits from the state for the next four months. It's a part of the CARES Act, which was a federal stimulus package to provide economic relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CARES Act also expanded unemployment insurance to cover those who aren't able to work because of the virus. This includes independent contractors, gig workers and people who are sick or caring for a loved one.

One independent contractor, Pam Woolfolk, said she's tried to apply for unemployment for weeks, but said the process is a "nightmare". Woolfolk owns Pam's Beauty Shop in Mexico, Mo.

She said she closed her salon a week earlier than it was mandated because she has a lot of senior citizens as clients, but has had trouble filing for unemployment because the system for independent contractors wasn't set-up yet.

"I tried calling multiple times, couldn't get through to anybody," she said. "So, I ended up e-mailing after the governor said the system was set up for everything and it denied me again."

Missouri's Department of Labor hasn't given an estimation on when independent contractors, like Woolfolk, would see their benefits.

On its website, the department said they received guidance from the Federal Department of Labor on those who were not eligible for regular unemployment on April 5 and will need more time to effectively set-up programming to implement the new federal law.

Over 200,000 Missourians have applied for unemployment benefits since the middle of March 2020. 91,000 claims were filed the week of March 29 alone. Missouri's Department of Labor said more than 84% of those claims were related to COVID-19.

Nationally, over 10 million Americans have filed for unemployment since the middle of March. Missouri's entire population, according to the United States Census Bureau, is 6.1 million people.