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<DIV>Greetings to all!</DIV>
<DIV>Please read and share with others.</DIV>
<DIV>Joe </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>---</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV
style='FONT-SIZE: small; TEXT-DECORATION: none; FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri";
FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #000000; FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY:
inline'>From:
<A title=Pamela.Gaston@dhs.nj.gov
href="mailto:Pamela.Gaston@dhs.nj.gov">Pamela
Gaston</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt tahoma">
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #f5f5f5">
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Monday, April 20, 2020 7:01 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Unemployment, SSI/SSDI Fact Sheet</DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV>
<DIV
style='FONT-SIZE: small; TEXT-DECORATION: none; FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri";
FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #000000; FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline'>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;
COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif"></P>
<P
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri, sans-serif; BACKGROUND: white;
MARGIN: 0in 0in 8pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;
mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1"><U><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 14pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; FONT-FAMILY:
"Arial",sans-serif; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext
1pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-TOP: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; BORDER-LEFT:
windowtext 1pt; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;
mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext
0in'>The
following information is being forwarded by the NJ Commission for the Blind
and
Visually Impaired as a courtesy, in accordance with our continued efforts to
share information that may be of interest or of benefit to individuals who
are
blind, visually impaired and deafblind.</SPAN></U><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 24pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman",serif;
mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New
Roman"'></SPAN></B></P>Unemployment
Insurance, Social Security Retirement or Disability, Supplemental Security
Income and the Coronavirus Emergency: </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif">A Fact
Sheet
for Blind People</SPAN>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica,
sans-serif"><BR></SPAN></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica,
sans-serif">Unemployment
Insurance (UI) is a state/federal program that usually provides temporary,
partial replacement of wages for employees who have lost their jobs through
no
fault of their own. They must usually be ready, willing, able and looking
for
work in order to receive UI. UI is supported in part by employer
contributions
and has not in general covered people who are self-employed. The Coronavirus
Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed in late March 2020 has
made
a number of changes to UI law that may benefit blind people:</SPAN></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica,
sans-serif"><BR></SPAN></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif">1 The
CARES
Act gives states flexibility to expand eligibility for UI to many workers
otherwise not eligible to receive UI benefits. This includes many
self-employed
workers such as gig workers, independent contractors and freelancers,
part-time
workers, and workers without enough work history to ordinarily qualify for
UI.
The worker must be “unemployed, partially unemployed, or unable or
unavailable
to work” for reasons related to COVID-19. These reasons may include
</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif">workplace
shutdowns; quarantines; a new job was canceled or the worker can’t reach the
job
due to COVID-19; the worker or a household member has been diagnosed with
COVID-19; the worker must care for someone with COVID-19 or for a child or
other
person who can’t attend school, daycare or another facility due to COVID-19;
the
worker has become the breadwinner for a household because the head of
household
has died from COVID-19; or the worker had to quit a job due to COVID-19 (but
not
simply as a precaution to limit exposure). A worker is NOT eligible for UI
if
able to telework for pay or if receiving paid sick leave or other paid
leave.
Expanded eligibility may last until December 31, 2020.</SPAN></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica,
sans-serif"><BR></SPAN></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif">2 The Act
adds $600 per week to the amount of UI payable by states through the end of
July
2020. The regular UI amount states will pay is about half of the worker’s
after-tax earnings, up to a limit set state-by-state, not counting the
additional $600 per week federal payment. Therefore, someone who receives UI
for
ten weeks during May, June, and July, for example, can receive at least
$6,000
above the amount provided by the state.</SPAN></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica,
sans-serif"><BR></SPAN></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif">3 The Act
increases the number of weeks of UI eligibility. In most states, a worker
can
receive UI for up to 26 weeks (6 months). The Act adds an </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif">extra 13
weeks, for a total of up to 39 weeks of UI (9 months).</SPAN></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica,
sans-serif"><BR></SPAN></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Can
Workers
Who Receive Social Security Retirement or Disability (SSDI) Also Receive
UI?</SPAN></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Yes. UI
payments are NOT counted as earnings. UI payments do not affect a person’s
eligibility for Social Security Retirement or SSDI or the amount of Social
Security Retirement or SSDI you can receive.</SPAN></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica,
sans-serif"><BR></SPAN></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Is the
weekly
UI amount reduced due to receipt of Social Security Retirement or
SSDI?</SPAN></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Not
necessarily, but it depends on the state in which you live. Only a handful
of
states will offset your UI payments by the amount of Social Security
received,
but this is not dollar for dollar when they do.</SPAN></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif">On
occasion,
a UI eligibility worker may misinterpret the rules and tell you that an
applicant receiving SSDI is not eligible for UI, because the applicant is
not
able to work. This is patently false. Anyone denied UI due to receipt of
SSDI
should appeal the UI determination within the state. This is not a Social
Security appeal.</SPAN></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica,
sans-serif"><BR></SPAN></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif">What
happens
if a UI applicant has been receiving SSI while working?</SPAN></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif">SSI
recipients who may be eligible for UI are required to apply for and receive
UI
benefits if approved. UI</SPAN></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif">benefits
reduce SSI almost dollar for dollar, so the SSI benefit will most likely be
reduced to $0. However, the amount of the UI benefits payable, especially
the
additional $600 weekly amount paid through July 2020, will definitely be
better
than just receiving SSI. But anyone who receives SSI and then starts
receiving
UI must report this to Social Security immediately since failure to report
can
result in an overpayment. </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif">If SSI
stops
due to UI, eligibility for Medicaid would usually stop within several
months.
However, the CARES Act extends eligibility for Medicaid through the end of
the
COVID-19 emergency. When UI stops, SSI can start up again, but you need to
contact Social Security for this to happen. When you do, be sure to ask if
you
might be eligible to receive SSDI instead. People who may eventually lose
Medicaid eligibility due to working enough to lose SSI may still participate
in
the “Medicaid Buy-In” program which provides Medicaid to working people with
disabilities.</SPAN></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica,
sans-serif"><BR></SPAN></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif">How Can
You
Apply for UI?</SPAN></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'></P>
<P style='FONT-SIZE: medium; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"'><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif">The only
way
to file an application for UI is through the UI agency in your state,
normally
part of the state department of labor or workforce development. You can find
this agency by visiting the national Career One stop webpage and following
the
link to file for unemployment from which you can find your
state.</SPAN></P><BR></DIV>
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