WASHINGTON (WJZ) — Maryland’s legislature delegation connected Friday sent a missive pressing authorities labour officials astir issues with the transportation of unemployment benefits to those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When the COVID-19 pandemic began successful the United States, Congress acted rapidly to supply expanded unemployment benefits to workers and administrative backing to states charged with processing UI claims and implementing these caller assistance programs,” the members wrote. “However, galore of our constituents dealt with delays and were incapable to entree their benefits.”
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They said Maryland is 1 of the 10 slowest states to get benefits to claimants.
“The expanded national UI benefits person provided a lifeline to struggling families crossed Maryland arsenic they person dealt with an unprecedented situation and faced utmost hardships,” they wrote. But excessively galore Marylanders person to contend with the added hardship of struggling to entree the benefits they are owed.”
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The members asked the Maryland Department of Labor for information connected the presumption of benefits, including however galore claims person been paid retired and however galore stay pending.
Last week, authorities lawmakers took Labor Secretary Tiffany Robinson to task over delays successful payments to claimants.
“I’ve got teams of radical continuing to enactment from the oldest [claims] forward,” Robinson said. “I’ve got different teams of radical who are handling the claimants who contiguous themselves to america with the astir urgent issues.”