Rochelle urges residents to respond to census, shares lost wages assistance

 

Friends and Neighbors,

There are 12 days left before data collection for the 2020 Census wraps up, which means there is still time for you to respond to it online, by phone, or by mail.
An incomplete count could affect our community for a decade. 

Residents of Ansonia and Derby would miss out on vital funding for our schools, hospitals, nonprofits, roads and private job growth. 
You can learn more and fill out the Census here.

Lost Wages Assistance

This week, 250,000 unemployed workers in Connecticut became eligible to receive another $300 a week as part of the federal disaster aid program. Existing Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claimants have already self-certified and do not need to do anything to receive the additional benefit. New unemployment claimants and existing state and extended benefits claimants who are required to self-certify will be notified by letter or email that they are eligible and may self-certify when the program is open. To self-certify: Log into your unemployment account - the account main page offers a new option in the menu “Certify for Lost Wages Assistance.” Once you have clicked on the button, a new screen will ask you to certify your unemployment or underemployment is due to COVID-19. You may then then confirm submission and complete the process. Federal eligibility guidelines include: Recipients of at least $100 per week, including the dependency allowance, of any of the following benefits for the week they are seeking unemployment benefits; Claimants receiving unemployment compensation, including state and federal workers and former service members, as well as those receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, Extended Benefits, or High Extended Benefits;   Claimants who are part of the Shared Work Program; and Workers with a Trade Readjustment Allowance. A total of six weeks of Lost Wages Assistance will be paid in addition to regular unemployment benefits and will be retroactive to the claim week beginning July 26, 2020.  Claimants will receive the supplemental benefit in several payments.  The first payment of $300 will be disbursed to claimants beginning Sept. 17 with the remainder of retroactive payments following in two or three separate payments. The CT Department of Labor will continue to release updates as they become available on the CTDOL Federal Supplements webpage and send them directly to anyone who signs up for “Info to your Inbox” on the agency’s homepage. This is taken from a press release from Rochelle's office.