HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — As health care workers face the peak of COVID-19 cases in Arkansas, the Department of Workforce Services is trying to plow through the crush of newly unemployed seeking the expanded amounts of aid available.
"It's frustrating. We get that," said Mike Preston, the state's secretary of commerce. "There are people's concerns and fears right now."
Preston is the man trying to push out the cash through a very tight bottleneck in Arkansas right now. It helps to know the basics of what unemployment insurance offers most out-of-work employees.
"Expect to get anywhere from about $80 up to about $451 dollars, depending on their level of income and how much was paid into the U.I. pool," Preston said of the standard unemployment program managed by the state.
In addition to that money, the federal government has added another $600 a week as part of the $2-trillion stimulus program called the CARES Act.
Preston said those checks go out sometime this week.
Also in the CARES Act are provisions to allow the self-employed and contractors and gig workers to get compensation. That's huge, but also a huge new thing and it has taken state governments time to figure it out.
"We're looking at a couple weeks turnaround time for us to actually stand up and build this new system," said Preston. "I don't want anyone to panic and worry saying, 'A couple weeks - what's going to happen if I'm not gonna get paid?' We will be able to backdate those payments."
The secretary asks Form 1099 employees not to call the state's hotline numbers. They contribute to the long wait times and often are curtly told they are not eligible because the system is not set up yet. Preston promises to make an announcement when that group of workers can put in their claims.
Technically, contractors are also small business people. That opens up a door to $350-billion in aid from the Small Business Administration.
But again, be patient.
"Keep in mind the SBA is overwhelmed right now," Preston said, four days after many of the loan programs kicked off. "They have requests from banks and small businesses from all around the country."
So prepare to wait, but try to trust that the aid will be there. You certainly are not alone.
"I can't think of a single industry that's not impacted in some way by COVID-19," Preston said.