In a separate interview, CNMI DOL Secretary Vicky I. Benavente noted that this number is from the PUA online portal and could include applications from Palau and Guam.
Tebuteb has reported that 28,000 of these claims have yet to be adjudicated, and of this number, roughly 14,000 are from the CNMI.
Benavente said a single claimant could have multiple issues, which could explain why the figures are high.
CNMI DOL temporarily suspended in-person appointments from Oct. 15 through Nov. 30 to adjudicate claims.
CNMI DOL said it wants to address applications that have not been processed due to errors or incomplete information, as well as to allow for the auditing of overpayments, conducting appeals, and detecting fraudulent claims.
Asked if the department will be able to adjudicate all claims before reopening on Dec. 1, Tebuteb said this is unlikely, but CNMI DOL will be able to adjudicate the majority of the claims, he added.
Secretary Benavente also believes that the department can adjudicate the majority of the claims by Dec. 1.
She said the department has become more familiar with the common issues that applicants face with their claims, such as misunderstanding questions about employment status and inaccurate bank account information.
But every single claim must be thoroughly vetted, Secretary Benavente said. “And we’re talking about thousands of applications with…half a dozen issues….”
Staffing
She said CNMI DOL has close to 100 personnel working on the PUA program.
“I’m [also] looking at the limitations of our budget — our administrative costs [are based on funds provided] by the U.S. Department of Labor. We’re allowed to hire this much with this amount of money,” she added.
Benavente at the same time expressed her gratitude to the local departments and agencies that are lending a hand to the CNMI DOL.
“I’m really grateful that we’ve come together as a community, as a government, to help our people, those without jobs, and those without any source of income. Those are tough cases,” she said.
Since the program opened in June to date, more than $72 million in PUA funds and more than $86 million in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation have been obligated, Benavente said.
“These funds, for the most part, have been disbursed to the eligible claimants,” Director Tebuteb said.
Benavente said that all eligible PUA applicants will receive their claims. “I’m very confident that many of our PUA applicants who are still eligible will still qualify and will still receive PUA benefits for the next month or so,” she added.
If an application or applicant is denied, it is usually because of their eligibility status, she said, adding that only qualified U.S. citizens and qualified aliens are eligible for these unemployment benefits.
Call center
As for the call center operations, CNMI DOL is still receiving a lot of incoming calls from PUA/FPUC applicants, said PUA call center supervisor Agatha Camacho.
On average, CNMI DOL receives about 300 to 400 calls daily and has 15 PUA coordinators assisting with incoming calls.
“As much as possible, we try to assist all [of] the claimants [on a] daily [basis]. We ask the community for [their] patience,” Camacho said. “We are doing our best to give everyone their unemployment assistance.”
All individuals with PUA claim inquiries are encouraged to email info@puamarianas.com or call 322-8870/8871/8872/8873/8874/8876/8877/8878/8879/8890 or 989-9190/9192/9193/9194.
Additional CNMI DOL telephone lines are:
- Administrative Services: 664-3196/322-9947
- Division of Employment Services: 323-9994/9995
- Enforcement: 322-9940/9941
- Benefits Payments Control Unit: 322-9943/9944
- PUA Fraud Hotline: 989-9095
- Administrative Hearing Office: 664-3290/3291
- OSHA: 664-3156/3157
- WIA 664-1708/1709
