Get unemployment benefits? SC claimants must file documents or be prepared to pay.
For the hundreds of people who’ve filed for unemployment each week in York, Lancaster and Chester counties, a deadline is fast approaching. Anyone who doesn’t meet it could have to pay back those benefits.
Anyone who receives benefits through the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program has to provide documentation of employment, self-employment or planned employment impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Documentation is required by May 5, and the state workforce department says thousands of claimants haven’t provided it yet.
“The agency does not want to turn off someone’s unemployment benefits, but if we do not receive that document by the May 5 deadline we are actually federally required to stop payment on that individual’s claim,” employment and workforce department spokesperson Heather Biance said in a video Friday.
The workforce department also would have to collect any money received this year by the claimant. The funds could be taken from future paychecks or tax refunds.
“For some people, that could be more than $10,000 that they would have to pay back...,” Biance said.
Federal legislation gives 90 days to file the unemployment documents. It can be a W-2 form, business license, tax return or letter from a company offering a job. The workforce department has been in weekly contact with claimants about the requirement. Files can be uploaded online.
“Claimants really need to get us these documents as soon as possible,” Biance said.
Impact of the Pandemic
In March 2020 statewide initial unemployment claims spiked as the pandemic shuttered many businesses. Fewer than 2,000 claims in the week prior to social distancing measures jumped to more than 31,000. By its mid-April peak, the state saw more than 87,000 claims in a single week.
Since August 2020 statewide claims have hovered between 2,600 and 9,300 claims per week.
York, Lancaster and Chester counties have been on a similar trajectory. This year in York County, there have been between 93 and 320 claims each week. Lancaster County has had between 28 and 168 weekly claims. Chester County added between 18 and 86 weekly claims.
There have been 4,463 total tri-county claims this year. York County accounts for 2,761 of them, followed by Lancaster County at 1,123 and Chester County at 579 claims.
The workforce department didn’t provide a specific number Friday for how many tri-state claimants still need to submit their documentation. Documents can be uploaded to the state workforce department at dew.sc.gov.
If claimants are disqualified from benefits for failure to submit documents, Biance said, the workforce department won’t be able to reestablish their eligibility.
“It is absolutely critical that claimants get this done now,” she said.
This story was originally published April 23, 2021 at 11:05 AM.
