WHO:              David Gerstenfeld, Acting Director, Oregon Employment Department

WHEN:            Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021, at 2 p.m. PT

WHAT:            Oregon Employment Department Acting Director David Gerstenfeld will hold a video conference media briefing to share updates on the federal Continued Assistance Act (CAA) that extends and provides additional federal unemployment benefits, economic and workforce-related trends and more on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 2 p.m. PT.

WHERE:         Via Zoom video conference: Members of the media must RSVP for call information by emailing OED_Communications@oregon.gov by 12 p.m. PT on Wednesday, Feb. 24. Video conference information will be provided to all reporters who RSVP.

OTHER:          The Oregon Employment Department is updating a claims processing progress data dashboard daily. Visit this link for weekday updates. A recording of the video conference will be emailed to reporters attending the briefing after the briefing concludes.

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Equal Opportunity program — auxiliary aids and services available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Contact: (503) 947-1794. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, call 711 Telecommunications Relay Services.

WHO:              David Gerstenfeld, Acting Director, Oregon Employment Department

WHEN:            Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, at 1 p.m. PT

WHAT:            Oregon Employment Department Acting Director David Gerstenfeld will hold a video conference media briefing to share updates on the federal Continued Assistance Act (CAA) that extends and provides additional federal unemployment benefits, weather-related updates and more on Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 1 p.m. PT.

WHERE:         Via Zoom video conference: Members of the media must RSVP for call information by emailing OED_Communications@oregon.gov by 12 p.m. PT on Wednesday, Feb. 17.
Video conference information will be provided to all reporters who RSVP.

OTHER:          The Oregon Employment Department is updating a claims processing progress data dashboard daily. Visit this link for weekday updates. A recording of the video conference will be emailed to reporters attending the briefing after the briefing concludes.

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Equal Opportunity program — auxiliary aids and services available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Contact: (503) 947-1794. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, call 711 Telecommunications Relay Services

WHO:              David Gerstenfeld, Acting Director, Oregon Employment Department

WHEN:            Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, at 1 p.m. PT

WHAT:            Oregon Employment Department Acting Director David Gerstenfeld will hold a video conference media briefing to share updates on the federal Continued Assistance Act (CAA) that extends and provides additional federal unemployment benefits, and more on Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 1 p.m. PT.

WHERE:         Via Zoom video conference: Members of the media must RSVP for call information by emailing OED_Communications@oregon.gov by 12 p.m. PT on Wednesday, Feb. 10. Video conference information will be provided to all reporters who RSVP.

OTHER:          The Oregon Employment Department is updating a claims processing progress data dashboard daily. Visit this link for weekday updates. A recording of the video conference will be emailed to reporters attending the briefing after the briefing concludes.

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Equal Opportunity program — auxiliary aids and services available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Contact: (503) 947-1794. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, call 711 Telecommunications Relay Services.

3 de febrero de 2021 (Salem, OR)-- Hoy, el Departamento de Empleo de Oregon y el Centro de Leyes de Oregon anunciaron que han presentado una propuesta de acuerdo en una demanda colectiva. La demanda, presentada por catorce habitantes de Oregón que esperaron semanas o meses por los beneficios de desempleo, buscaba resolver problemas relacionados con los desafíos de puntualidad y las barreras del idioma que enfrentan los residentes de Oregón que solicitan beneficios de desempleo a través del Departamento de Empleo.

Ambas partes desean evitar litigios innecesarios y, en cambio, trabajar juntos para mejorar la puntualidad del Departamento de Empleo en la prestación de servicios a los habitantes de Oregon que se encuentren desempleados.

“Me complace que estemos a un paso más cerca de finalizar este acuerdo”, dijo el director interino del Departamento de Empleo de Oregon, David Gerstenfeld. “Nuestra prioridad siempre ha sido servir a los residentes de Oregón necesitados y pagar a todos los beneficios para los que son elegibles lo más rápido posible. Hemos logrado avances significativos desde el inicio de la pandemia, mejorando nuestra comunicación con los reclamantes, ofreciendo más servicios y recursos en otros idiomas además del inglés, procesando reclamos más rápidamente y reduciendo nuestro atraso. Estamos comprometidos a hacer lo correcto por los habitantes de Oregón que confían en nosotros, alcanzar las metas establecidas en el acuerdo propuesto y ser transparentes sobre nuestro avance a lo largo del camino.”

Lisa Exterovich, una madre soltera que perdió el trabajo debido a la pandemia, es uno de los demandantes nombrados. "Después de perder mi trabajo, solicité el desempleo. Esperé meses para que comenzaran los beneficios sin saber lo que estaba pasando. No podía pagar la renta y realmente me preocupaba cómo afectaría a mi hija y a mí. Me uní a la demanda para defenderme a mí y a otras personas con historias similares ". La Sra. Exterovich apoya el acuerdo porque "el Departamento de Empleo se compromete a pagar los beneficios a las personas más rápidamente, trabajar para mejorar las comunicaciones con quienes buscan beneficios y brindar asistencia a las personas que no hablan inglés".

Como parte del acuerdo, el Departamento de Empleo se ha comprometido a cumplir con ciertos objetivos de puntualidad y brindar servicios a los residentes de Oregon con dominio limitado del inglés (LEP por sus siglas en inglés). Además de aumentar el número de personal y la capacitación para procesar reclamos de desempleo, PUA y otros reclamos más rápidamente, y ampliar las opciones de servicio para las personas LEP, el Departamento de Empleo ha acordado:

• Cumplir con los objetivos federales de puntualidad para el pago de beneficios, antes del 1 de marzo de 2021, y adjudicar reclamos, antes del 1 de abril de 2021.;
• Resolver todos los reclamos en adjudicación a partir de mediados de enero, antes del 1 de marzo de 2021;
• Abordar los largos tiempos de espera para las personas que han tenido que reiniciar sus reclamos;
• Mejorar el acceso telefónico y el acceso a solicitudes de beneficios para personas LEP, y;
• Permitir a las personas LEP elegibles que no pudieron solicitar los beneficios de desempleo debido a las barreras del idioma antedatar sus reclamos en la medida en que la ley lo permita y crear un plan de acción para abordar este problema.

Además, el acuerdo permite más tiempo en determinadas circunstancias (por ejemplo, cuando hay problemas para verificar la identidad de un reclamante).

El texto completo del acuerdo propuesto y las respuestas a las preguntas frecuentes se pueden encontrar en oregonlawcenter.org/oed-class-action-lawsuit/.

Para mayor información acerca de beneficios de desempleo, visite unemployment.oregon.gov.

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Programa de igualdad de oportunidades: ayudas y servicios auxiliares disponibles a pedido para personas con discapacidades. Contacto: (503) 947-1794. Para las personas sordas o con problemas de audición, llame al 711 Telecommunications Relay Services.

The press release date for Oregon statewide was moved to March 9 to ensure that all employment survey data would be available in time.

The targeted dates for national, state, and local-area releases of the employment survey and unemployment rate data have been set for 2021. The release of these data for the U.S. will be available at 5:30 a.m. Pacific Time, while data for Oregon and the local areas will be available at 10:00 a.m. on the following dates.

– end –

Despite our goal to pay all PUA benefits today, some Oregonians’ PUA payments will be delayed. Below is the message we are sending them today.

____________________________________________________________________________

We have five things we want to update you on. But before we do, we want to sincerely apologize for any confusion and delays in PUA benefit payments. We know you need and are counting on your benefits and we are dedicated to getting them to you.

1. If your PUA claim shows a positive balance and has not expired, you will be paid this week. To figure out your claim expiration date and if you have a positive balance, click “Time and Money” in the Online Claim System, and you will see how many weeks you have been paid and your benefit balance. 
2. If your PUA claim is exhausted (zero balance), you will not be paid until PUA extensions are programmed. We will let you know when that date is as soon as we can. All benefits will be paid retroactively.
3. If your PUA claim has expired, here is what you need to know:
   1. Scenario 1 - PUA Claim expired Jan. 30, 2021, or earlier - Claim benefits every week, however, you will not be paid until the PUA extensions are programmed. You will be paid retroactively for all benefits due to you.
   2. Scenario 2 - PUA Claim expires Feb. 6, 2021 - Claim the week ending Feb. 6 and you will be paid on time but you will not be paid future weeks until PUA extensions are programmed. You will be paid retroactively for all benefits due to you.
   3. Scenario 3 - PUA Claim expires Feb. 13, 2021 - Keep claiming every week and you will be paid benefits for the weeks ending Feb. 6 and Feb. 13.
4. Once the PUA extension is fully implemented it will take at least one week for retroactive benefits to show as paid in the Online Claim System.
5. We will send an update at the end of today with any new information we have on when we will be able to pay PUA benefits to people with exhausted or expired claims.

In all of the above exhausted and expired PUA claim scenarios, you need to keep claiming weekly NO MATTER WHAT. You will receive your retro-payments quicker if there is no break in claiming.

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Equal Opportunity program — auxiliary aids and services available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Contact: (503) 947-1794. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, call 711 Telecommunications Relay Services.

4 de febrero de 2021 (Salem, OR)-- Hoy, el Departamento de Trabajo de los EE. UU. informó al Departamento de Empleo de Oregon que está desactivando el programa de Beneficios Extendidos (EB) de Oregón debido a la disminución de la tasa de desempleo de Oregón. Con esta decisión federal, hasta 13 semanas de EB ya no estarán disponibles después del 20 de febrero de 2021.

“Los Beneficios Extendidos han sido una importante red de seguridad que ha ayudado a muchos habitantes de Oregón a llegar a fin de mes. Afortunadamente, la Ley de Asistencia Continua está proporcionando otra red de seguridad, y los solicitantes del EB podrán pasar al programa de Compensación de Desempleo de Emergencia por la Pandemia por 11 semanas más ”, dijo David Gerstenfeld, director interino del Departamento de Empleo de Oregon.

Los Beneficios Extendidos (EB) es un programa que extiende los beneficios regulares del desempleo cuando un estado tiene un alto nivel de desempleo. La tasa de desempleo promedio se revisa a nivel federal durante un período de tres meses para determinar si el estado entra en esta extensión. Si la tasa de desempleo promedio es inferior al 8% pero igual o superior al 6,5%, entonces están disponibles hasta 13 semanas de beneficios adicionales bajo el EB.

El vencimiento del EB no ocurrirá de inmediato. Los reclamantes pueden seguir recibiendo beneficios del EB durante tres semanas y deben seguir presentando reclamos del EB hasta el 20 de febrero de 2021. Después de esta fecha, el Departamento de Empleo cambiará a los reclamantes al PEUC para que no tengan que reiniciar sus reclamos. Este cambio del EB al PEUC puede requerir cambios manuales, lo que retrasa algunos pagos del PEUC. Todos los pagos se harán retroactivamente y los reclamantes no perderán ninguna semana de beneficios para los que son elegibles.

En el caso de que esta mejora en la tasa de desempleo sea temporal y la tasa de desempleo de Oregon aumente al 6,5% o más, el Departamento de Empleo no necesitará cumplir con el período de plazo legal de 13 semanas para reiniciar el EB, según una autorización reciente de la Gobernadora Brown.

Para mayor información, consulte las preguntas frecuentes del EB del Departamento de Empleo.

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Programa de igualdad de oportunidades: ayudas y servicios auxiliares disponibles a pedido para personas con discapacidades. Contacto: (503) 947-1794. Para las personas sordas o con problemas de audición, llame al 711 Telecommunica

Feb. 3, 2021 (Salem, OR)--Today the Oregon Employment Department and the Oregon Law Center announced they have submitted a proposed settlement in a class action lawsuit. The suit, filed by fourteen Oregonians who waited weeks or months for unemployment benefits, sought to resolve issues related to timeliness challenges and language barriers faced by Oregonians filing for unemployment benefits through the Employment Department.

Both parties wish to avoid unnecessary litigation and instead work together to improve the Employment Department’s timeliness in serving unemployed Oregonians.

“I am pleased that we are one step closer to finalizing this settlement,” said Oregon Employment Department Acting Director David Gerstenfeld. “Our priority has always been to serve Oregonians in need, and to pay everyone the benefits they are eligible for as quickly as we can. We have made significant headway since the onset of the pandemic, improving our communication with claimants, offering more services and resources in languages other than English, processing claims more quickly, and closing in on our backlog. We are committed to doing right by the Oregonians relying on us, reaching the goals set forth in the proposed settlement, and being transparent about our progress along the way.”

Lisa Exterovich, a single mother who lost work because of the pandemic, is one of the named petitioners. "After I lost my job, I applied for unemployment. I waited months for benefits to begin without knowing what was happening -- I couldn't pay rent, and I really worried about how it would affect my daughter and I. I decided to join the lawsuit to be an advocate for myself and other people with similar stories.” Ms. Exterovich supports the settlement because "the Employment Department is committing to paying people benefits more quickly, working to improve communications with those seeking benefits, and providing assistance to people who don’t speak English."

As part of the settlement, the Employment Department has committed to meeting certain timeliness targets and providing services to Oregonians with limited English proficiency (LEP). In addition to increasing staffing and training so as to process UI, PUA, and other claims more quickly, and expanding service options for LEP individuals, the Employment Department has agreed to:

• Meet federal timeliness targets for paying benefits, by March 1, 2021, and for adjudicating claims, by April 1, 2021;
• Completely work through all claims in adjudication as of mid-January, by March 1, 2021;
• Address long wait times for people who have had to restart their claims;
• Improve phone access and access to benefit applications for LEP individuals, and;
• Allow eligible LEP individual who were unable to apply for unemployment benefits due to language barriers to backdate their claims to the extent the law allows and create an action plan to address this issue.

In addition, the agreement makes allowances for more time in certain circumstances (for example, when there are issues verifying a claimant’s identity).

The full text of the proposed settlement and answers to Frequently Asked Questions can be found at oregonlawcenter.org/oed-class-action-lawsuit/.

For more information about unemployment benefits, visit unemployment.oregon.gov.

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Equal Opportunity program — auxiliary aids and services available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Contact: (503) 947-1794. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, call 711 Telecommunications Relay Services.