Official: VEC only responding to ‘small portion’ of calls
Workers at the beleaguered Virginia Employment Commission are still responding to only a "small portion" of calls for help related to unemployment benefits, a state official told lawmakers Tuesday, presenting troubling preliminary findings from an ongoing agency audit.
Weekly jobless claims decline, but unemployment remains high
Weekly jobless claims decline, but unemployment remains high The Labor Department reports 730,000 Americans filed new unemployment claims for the week ending February 20. That's down 111,000 from the previous week's numbers. David Bahnsen, chief investment officer at the Bahnsen Group, joins CBSN to discuss what the latest numbers mean for the state of the economy.
cbsnews.com3 ways to handle unemployment benefits when it comes to income taxes
For those who turned to unemployment benefits last year, with tax season upon us, you might be wondering how it’s all going to shake out when it comes to filing your income taxes. But here’s the thing: You still have to pay federal taxes on said unemployment benefits. It ensures you won’t have that burden later, giving you a head start when tax season approaches. Pay quarterlyIf you didn’t have your taxes withheld, another option is to send quarterly estimated taxes on that money to the IRS. When quarterly taxes are due:When you get paid Tax due date Jan. 1–March 31 April 15 April 1–May 31 June 15 June 1–Aug.
National unemployment rate dips as Roanoke tries to bridge gap
ROANOKE, Va. – The nationwide unemployment rate finally saw a decline this October. But recent new numbers show jobless claims back up this week to nearly 750,000 as coronavirus stimulus talks remain stalled. With resumes in hand, a few people passed by the Roanoke Job Fair seeking employment on Thursday. In September, the unemployment rate in Virginia rose to 6.2% but now it’s slowly taking a downward turn. With a mini fair like this, Roanoke wants to help reduce those numbers even more.
Virginia unemployment agency getting outside PR help
A Virginia state agency that has faced criticism for its handling of an unprecedented flood of claims for unemployment benefits has hired a well-connected lobbying and communications firm to help with public relations, according to a purchase order. Dozens of Democratic Virginia lawmakers called for reforms at the agency last week, saying in a letter that they were worried about its ability to "adequately address" the high volume of claims sparked by the COVID-19 crisis. Republican state lawmakers and Democratic U.S. Rep. A. Donald McEachin have also separately raised concerns. The legislators say their offices have been flooded with calls and emails from constituents having trouble accessing unemployment benefits or reaching anyone at the commission for help. A persistent complaint from laid-off workers has been with getting in touch with the commission by phone.
This is the last week of $600 unemployment benefits
Jobless Americans will still get state unemployment benefits, but the sunset of the Congress' $600 enhancement -- part of the $2 trillion economic aid package passed in March -- will leave more than 25 million people thousands of dollars poorer each month. And it will expose more of the real pain of mass unemployment, just as many states are reimposing shutdowns. “These emergency unemployment benefits have been propping up families and propping up the economy now for several months, said Kali Grant, senior policy analyst at the Georgetown Center on Poverty & Inequality. The provision was controversial from the start, mainly because the $600 boost, when added to state benefits, is more than what two-thirds of workers made on the job, according to an estimate from University of Chicago researchers. “The right thing to do for families and the economy is extend supercharged unemployment benefits,” said Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat.
‘I beg them’: Still-unemployed workers plead for Congress to extend federal $600 benefit
CNN – Just thinking about the end of July fills Cathy Munzer with terror. That's when the extra $600 in weekly federal unemployment benefits is set to expire, with no sign of agreement in Congress on an extension. Munzer, a yoga and fitness instructor in New York City, lost her jobs at several sports clubs in mid-March amid the coronavirus pandemic. She depends on the enhanced payment to cover her rent and health insurance and buy food for herself and her daughter, Olivia. She doesn't think she'll be able to find another job before the $600 federal boost runs out in three weeks and hopes lawmakers take action.
WATCH: President Trump speaks on latest job figures
Copyright 2020 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved. President Donald Trump is speaking right now on the latest unemployment figures. WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump spoke on the latest unemployment figures. (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)Published: June 5, 2020, 9:45 am Updated: June 5, 2020, 11:26 amPublished: June 5, 2020, 9:45 am Updated: June 5, 2020, 11:26 amIf you need help with the Public File, call 540-512-1554.
Del. Sam Rasoul calling for federal government to replenish state, federal unemployment funds
ROANOKE, Va. – A state delegate is calling on the federal government to take action ahead of the federal and state unemployment funds running out of money. Sam Rasoul, who represents Virginia’s 11th District, which covers part of the city of Roanoke, believes the federal government should put hundreds of billions of dollars into the funds. Otherwise, businesses will see a huge increase in their unemployment tax in order to replenish them. He said the state is paying about $90 million in unemployment claims a week as of Monday because of the coronavirus. On Monday, 10 News also reached out to Congressman Ben Cline for comment but he was unavailable.
Weekly unemployment claims in Virginia top 100,000
RICHMOND, Va. – More than 100,000 Virginians filed unemployment claims in the past week, new data released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor shows. Overall there have been more than 415,000 claims filed in the last month, which is about 9% of the state's workforce. The new figures come amid growing unhappiness from Republican lawmakers and others with Democratic Gov. Others said many Virginia businesses will not survive an indefinite closure. We need people to be working," said Thessen, a 42-year-old from Rockville who brought her four young children.
More than 110,000 Virginians filed for unemployment last week
The number of applications submitted in Virginia during the week ending on March 28th rose to 114,104, an increase of 146.6% from the number of applications submitted the previous week and an increase of 5401.6% from the number of applications submitted the same week last year. Since March 14th, the state has processed 160,381 claims for unemployment. That represents 4.3% of the total workforce of Virginia that is eligible for the unemployment insurance program. Virginia contributed to a national increase in the seasonally-adjusted number of claims of 3069% over the same week last year. As of March 21st, 42,200 total people in Virginia were receiving unemployment benefits.