Nearly $2 billion in unemployment benefits issued in South Carolina, officials say
With more than half a million people in South Carolina filing initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits since testing began for the coronavirus pandemic, the state reported it has issued close to $2 billion in payments.
About 19,000 people made initial claims about being jobless from May 24-30, the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce reported Thursday.
Of those claims, 1,634 were issued in Richland County. That’s the second-most in the state over the past week, trailing Greenville (1,880) according to DEW.
In Lexington County, DEW reported 830 initial unemployment claims were issued.
The 18,986 unemployment claims is actually a reduction in the number of cases filed from the previous week, DEW said in a news release.
From May 17-23, 29,446 people filed for unemployment, making this week the seventh recorded decrease since mid March, according to the release.
In spite of that downward trend, in the past nine weeks 559,531 initial unemployment claims have been filed in South Carolina, DEW said.
In that time, the agency reports paying more than $1.8 billion in a combination of state unemployment benefits, along with CARES Acts funds, Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, Pandemic Unemployment, and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation.
“As the number of initial claims continues to decrease week over week, we hope to see more opportunities for South Carolina to return to stable employment and financial stability,” DEW Executive Director Dan Ellzey said in a news release. “However, we know not everyone is in a position to immediately return to work. For those who are still looking for employment, our agency and the SC Works system offer resources to help you with this process.”
The FPUC program, funded by the federal CARES Act, gives $600 extra per week to South Carolinians who previously qualified for unemployment in the state, on top of the state benefits they already receive. The PUA program expands unemployment benefits to cover workers who otherwise wouldn’t qualify, or who were deeply affected financially by the COVID-19 outbreak. The Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation provides 13 additional weeks of state unemployment insurance benefits after the 20 weeks provided by South Carolina law have expired.
DEW’s call center number is 866-831-1724, and it’s open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
“As more individuals return to work, many have asked what they need to do to stop receiving unemployment benefits. The answer is simple; just stop certifying. The self-reported certification each week tells us if you’re still unemployed,” Ellzey said. “Once you stop certifying for 14 days, your claim will become inactive. There’s no need to call us or notify us within the portal that you’ve returned to work or started a new position.”
The state labor agency said it is handling an unprecedented number of new claims. It’s a historic unemployment crisis that is expected to drain the state’s unemployment trust fund and require South Carolina to seek a federal loan, officials previously said.
