CNMI Department of Labor Secretary Vicky I. Benavente on Friday said she had informally requested that the U.S. DOL consider expanding the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program for the Commonwealth.
She said based on a business activity report, her department has seen a steady uptick in the number of CNMI employers closing down businesses and not planning to reopen as a result of the economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.
CNMI DOL will make a formal request to USDOL in the coming days.
This September, the PUA program, by law, will end.
“What happens after that is going to be, hopefully, a more positive scenario with our travel industry opening up, and of course, we have gone from one color to the next as far as the Covid-19 safety and risk factor is concerned,” she said, referring to the CNMI’s Community Vulnerability Level which has moved from Blue to Green.
“We are very blessed in the CNMI. We are able to welcome visitors soon and hopefully our travel markets will come back to us as well. We are looking forward to more businesses opening up, but as of this time, we are still seeing a great number of people who are affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic impact it has had on businesses, and so the CNMI Department of Labor will continue to assist people who want to apply for PUA benefits as long as it is lawfully mandated.”
Benavente said over $200 million in PUA benefits have been released, adding that CNMI DOL received more than 39,000 PUA claims of which 26,000 were disqualified for not meeting certain eligibility requirements outlined by law.
She said 2,509 applications are currently pending review and adjudication.
Disqualified
Regarding the PUA protest staged at the Civic Center on Thursday, Benavente said many of the protesters were applicants who were probably disqualified and deemed ineligible because of their employment status.
“Some of the protesters, I know, are under a lot of stress. They have lost their jobs completely or have been furloughed or have a significant reduction in hours. We’d like to help everyone,” she said.
“We’d like to allow everyone to avail themselves of these benefits, but this is federal law that we must follow. It is not a law that was created by the CNMI Department of Labor. It is a law created by the U.S. Congress and mandated by the U.S. Department of Labor to guide CNMI DOL,” she added.
“We have attempted to amend the law with regards to who is qualified and eligible. We have tried to expand qualified aliens and policy interpretations. We are working with USDOL as much as possible. We understand the frustration with some of the delay. We understand that the law requires documents that may not have been required last year in June 2020. With that being said, I understand their frustration. They are free to protest. They are free to speak as they wish,” she said.
Benavente noted that under U.S. law, she is mandated to keep the claimants’ information confidential.
“Information is only relayed to the PUA applicant and not the general public,” she added.
“But I want to reiterate that we are trying to resolve every issue with every applicant in our PUA division.”
More than $27 million in fraudulent claims were intercepted by CNMI DOL, Benavente said.
“We have stopped that from going out and being wasted so that this program can benefit the people who are actually eligible for this program,” she said.
Benavente added that CNMI DOL meets with USDOL every week.
“They have reviewed our implementation procedures, plans, and SOPs,” she said.
June 17, 2021 marked the one-year anniversary of the PUA program in the CNMI.
“This year, we have a bit of a smoother process where we can meet in person and we can assist online and via telephone,” Benavente said.
Over $30 million in overpayments that were mistakenly or fraudulently claimed by applicants were collected by CNMI DOL, she added.
CNMI DOL continues to accept applications and supporting documents for round two of the PUA program under the Continued Assistance Act or CAA, Benavente said.
