Department of Employment and Workforce Begins

Paying Millions in Federal $600 Stimulus Benefit

$53 million paid Sunday, first day in claim week

Department of Employment and Workforce is happy to report that $53 million dollars in federal stimulus money was paid out yesterday, Sunday, April 12, 2020. 64,000 South Carolinians received payment notices in their portal yesterday, and the money will be available for them to use within 24-72 hours, depending on their bank’s procedures. This figure includes some of the retroactive weeks in claimants’ accounts.

In addition to the $53 million dollars authorized through Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) funding, the agency also payed $10 million dollars in regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits yesterday. This is in addition to the $19 million dollars paid out in regular UI benefits last week, between Sunday, April 5 and Saturday, April 11.

“The four weeks prior to COVID-19, our agency has processed approximately 7,000 initial claims. In the four weeks since COVID-19, we have processed 266,000 initial claims. I am beyond proud of the work of our agency staff for rising to the challenge and assisting individuals who are relying on state and federal funding to help them keep food on their tables and their bills paid,” says agency executive director, Dan Ellzey. “There’s still a lot of work to be done, but please know our staff is dedicated to helping everyone. We encourage you to continue to check our website and COVID-19 Resource hub, as well as our social media channels as updates to resources are being made daily.”

Implementation timelines of federal programs released Friday on Facebook & Twitter:

Since receiving the guidance from the Department of Labor only a week ago, we have been working tirelessly with our vendor partner to expedite the massive system upgrades and changes that are required to accept the following temporary federal programs. We’re rolling out the programs in phases.

Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) will provide an additional $600 per week, in addition to regular unemployment insurance benefits, to eligible claimants. We began payouts on Sunday, April 12 and will continue making payments throughout this claim week. This temporary federal funding is approved from the claim week ending April 4, 2020 through the claim week ending July 25, 2020.

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) provides compensation for individuals who weren’t previously found eligible for unemployment insurance benefits. We anticipate being able to accept claims for PUA no later than the claim week ending April 25. This temporary federal funding is approved from the claim week ending April 4, 2020 through the claim week ending December 26, 2020.

Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) will provide up to 13 additional weeks of benefits to those who have already exhausted their standard state UI benefits of 20 weeks. We anticipate being able to accept and process PEUC claims in the coming weeks. This temporary federal funding is effective for the claim week ending February 8, 2020 through the through the claim week ending December 26, 2020.

Please continue to monitor our Facebook page and Twitter account for updates. We are also updating our COVID-19 Resource Hub (linked from homepage) and our dew.sc.gov website.

About the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce

The S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce is putting South Carolinians to work. The agency has four missions: (1) workforce development; (2) free job match employment services; (3) unemployment insurance; and (4) labor market information. All four missions contribute to workforce development. The agency is dedicated to advancing South Carolina through services and programs that meet the needs of our businesses, jobseekers and those looking to advance their careers.