Self-employed waiting to apply for jobless benefits
Self-employed workers in Pennsylvania are in a waiting mode on unemployment benefits.
“The frustration is growing,” said Scott Cavinee, broker of record for SWC Realty in Washington and Waynesburg.
Cavinee is an independent contractor, who, along with most self-employed individuals in the Keystone State – and nationwide – is not eligible for unemployment benefits under normal circumstances. The coronavirus pandemic, however, is not normal in any sense, so a process is underway to provide an opportunity for these dislocated workers to receive financial support.
Independent contractors, gig workers and other self-employed Pennsylvanians are awaiting instructions on how and when to file for these benefits. And they should not file yet, according to the state’s unemployment compensation website.
Federal funding is available to provide relief to the self-employed through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, an offshoot of the recently enacted CARES Act. Funding then is disbursed through state governments, which have to restructure their unemployment systems to deal with various labor situations.
The application delay irks Cavinee, whose business has not been declared “essential” by Gov. Tom Wolf, preventing him from showing properties to would-be buyers.
“Our system is not ready to accept applications,” he said. “Gov. Wolf said special forms for independent contractors would be available starting last Friday.
“I feel badly for people who have been shut down, who can’t see light at the end of tunnel. I appreciate what the governor is trying to do, but he needs to take care of his people.”
The state Department of Labor & Industry did not return two phone calls from the Observer-Reporter.
State Rep. Ryan Warner, R-Fayette/Westmoreland, has been pushing Wolf to make this money available. He said in a letter to the governor, posted on his Facebook page and dated Tuesday, that reads in part:
“Governor Wolf, there are thousands of small business owners in my district and across this commonwealth that have gone three weeks with little to no source of income. While many have applied for various (Small Business Association) loans, they have yet to receive a single dime in their bank accounts.
“(Neither) Your office, nor the Department of Labor and Industry, have provided any information on when the applications for self-employed unemployment compensation will be available. I understand the task of creating a brand-new system in order to administer these funds, and while I do not wish to dismiss the difficulty of this undertaking, I’m concerned by the lack of communication that has been provided to these Pennsylvanians that are in dire need.”