IDES Processes Over 750,000
Unemployment Claims Since March, Pays Out More Than $700 Million in
Benefits
Thirteen Week Extension of Benefits
Through Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation Now Live
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[August 13, 2020]
The Illinois Department of Employment Security
(IDES) today released new statewide data showing the department
processed 102,937 new initial unemployment claims for the week
ending April 18 and has now processed more than 755,000 initial
unemployment claims from March 1 through April 18. This is 12 times
the number of claims the department processed over the same period
last year, when IDES processed just 61,000 initial unemployment
claims.
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From March 1 through April 16, the department paid
out more than $700 million in benefits. In the first two weeks of
April alone, IDES paid more than $500 million in unemployment
benefits to claimants. Statewide unemployment claims data, which
reflects activity for the week prior, will be available on the IDES
website every Thursday afternoon.
This week, IDES rolled out the Federal Pandemic Emergency
Unemployment Compensation (FPEUC) program, which provides up to 13
weeks’ worth of federally funded benefits to individuals who have
exhausted their regular state unemployment benefits.
To date, IDES has overhauled its website infrastructure, expanded
web and call center capacity, and secured third party vendor
partnerships to further implement and streamline new programs that
enhance filing capabilities. The department is also standing up a
virtual call center, that will nearly double current call center
capacity with Illinois-based call center representatives.
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IDES waived the waiting week for claimants and
implemented the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC),
which provides an additional $600 each week in federally funded
benefits to eligible Illinoisans. The CARES Act also created Federal
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (FPUA), a new program for people
who are not typically covered by the state’s unemployment system and
the department is contracting with Deloitte to launch this system in
May.
Those with questions or in need of assistance with unemployment
benefits at this time are encouraged to visit IDES.Illinois.gov.
[Illinois Office of Communication and
Information] |