“WE have to start thinking about how we’re going to mitigate the effects once this program ends,” said Eugene Tebuteb, CNMI Department of Labor-Employment Services Director, on Friday regarding the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program.
By this August, he said, individuals in the CNMI will be required to start looking for work as the local PUA program closes out.
“We will offer any assistance we can to do that because we do have employment services here. We have the [Workforce Investment Agency] program here, and so we’ll be able to assist, as always,” said Tebuteb, noting that the department assists both employees and employers.
As of June 28, the CNMI DOL received over 39,000 applications for PUA and adjudicated and processed over 36,000.
More than 26,000 applications were deemed ineligible as they did not meet the requirements of the program as provided by the USDOL, or they were determined fraudulent.
Roughly 18,000 of these estimated 26,000 applications were determined to have been claims made outside of the CNMI.
Over $27 million in fraudulent claims were intercepted by the CNMI DOL.
“This has been a massive undertaking, but we are getting there,” Tebuteb said.
“We have to keep two things in mind: We have to maintain — because we are the responsible agency for this program — program integrity and, at the same time, we’re also aware that we have to be speedy when we process the payments for these claims.”
“We’re always appreciative of our claimants who are patient with us. We are working fast, we are working hard, and we will continue to do that until the program ends… We are taking care of everybody, complainers included,” he said.
In mid-June, CNMI DOL Secretary Vicky I. Benavente said she had formally requested that the U.S. Department of Labor consider expanding the PUA program for the Commonwealth, noting that there had been 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.
Tebuteb on Friday noted that 27 states have already closed out their respective PUA programs.
The CNMI DOL meets with the USDOL on a weekly basis to undergo a federal review of its implementation procedures and plans.
June 17, 2021 marked the first anniversary of the PUA program in the CNMI.
As of July 9, 2021, over $200 million in PUA and FPUC benefits were disbursed to eligible applicants. More than 10,000 claims had been approved for payouts.
The CNMI DOL estimates that by the end of the program, approximately $350 million in benefits will have been disbursed.
All PUA claims received during the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act or CARES pandemic assistance period, from Feb. 2, 2020 through Dec. 27, 2020, have been adjudicated and paid out, with the exception of claims that are in the reconsideration or appeals process.
According to the CNMI DOL, more than 8,000 claims — roughly a quarter of which were brand-new claims — were received during the Continued Assistance Act pandemic assistance period, or from Dec. 28, 2020 through March 13, 2021. More than 40% of these claims have been inspected.
The CNMI PUA program is currently accepting initial and weekly paper and online claims submissions for the American Rescue Plan Act pandemic assistance period, which runs from March 14, 2021 through Sept. 6, 2021.
“We want to make sure that everyone out there is aware that if you think that you qualify for the program to submit your claims before then,” Tebuteb said.
Individuals who are determined eligible for PUA must file weekly claim certifications either in person or online to demonstrate their continued eligibility.
Continued eligibility is determined on a week-by-week basis.
Applicants are encouraged to consult the “PUA/FPUC Benefits Rights Information Handbook” found on http://www.marianaslabor.net under “Forms and Publications” for details.
Individuals who willfully conceal material facts or knowingly make false statement(s) to obtain PUA to which they are not entitled will be required to repay all benefits fraudulently collected and may be subject to prosecution under 18 U.S.C. 1001.
Individuals are encouraged to call 989-9095 to report any perceived instances of wrongdoing or fraud pertaining to the PUA/FPUC programs.
The CNMI DOL continues to make itself available for inquiries and urges individuals to email info@puamarianas.com or call 322-8870/71/72/73/74.
