ATLANTA — “Last week, the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) processed more claims in seven days than were processed during the entire year of 2019.”
That’s a how a release from Governor Kemp began as the department works to process a flood of unemployment claims from people who’ve lost their jobs because of the coronavirus. On Thursday afternoon, the department said they processed 390,132 claims during the week of March 29 – April 4. That’s “more than three times what was processed the week before,” the release read.
Most claims were from people in the “accommodation and food service industries,” the release said. Nationwide, more than 6.6 million claims were processed in one week.
“Commissioner Butler and his team have drastically reduced red tape and significantly streamlined their processes to ensure that we get funds to hurting Georgians as quickly as possible. As we work with our federal partners to administer these programs, we will leave no stone unturned to assist Georgians in need and ultimately get them back to work,” Kemp said.
Here is a quick look at numbers from last week:
- 390,132 claims processed
- $41,786,386 in unemployment payments
- 6.6 million claims processed nationwide
As soon as next week, some Georgians could begin seeing that additional $600 supplement from the federal stimulus bill. This will be in addition to the regular weekly state unemployment benefits.
The Georgia Department of Labor posted a tutorial for employers filing claims on behalf of employees, here.
The DOL website also includes specific information for individuals and employers:
How to file an unemployment claim - This form details exactly how individuals would need to file for an unemployment insurance claim with the Georgia Department of Labor under the current conditions, utilizing their online system.
How employers file partial claims - Employers are required to file partial claims on behalf of their employees whenever it is necessary to temporarily reduce work hours or there is no work available for a short period. This page explains the process in order for employers to file those partial claims online.
Contact points for reemployment service - This page includes contact telephone numbers and email addresses to contact appropriate offices within the Department of Labor for various Labor Exchange Reemployment services.
Certification of administrative rules filed with the Secretary of State 03-16-20 - This is the formal certification of the emergency administrative rules as signed by Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler on Monday, March 16, 2020.
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