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Parson Relaxes Jobless-Claims Processes

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has announced a series of steps to assist businesses and workers impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, including an adjustments to the state’s unemployment insurance program that will allow displaced workers to quickly access assistance, and reduce compliance requirements for companies paying into that fund.

The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and the Missouri Department of Economic Development are taking point executing  the state’s COVID-19 response, Parson said this week. Among the flexibility measures being temporarily implemented, the state will:

  • Relax the work search requirement for COVID-19 related claims.
  • Waive the waiting week for unemployment insurance claims filed due to COVID-19, decreasing processing time.
  • Waive charging COVID-19 related claims on employers’ unemployment insurance accounts, helping employers avoid negative impact on their payroll tax rate.

Those measures, Parson said, will reduce the process time of claims while still maintaining the due-proess requirements for both employers and workers. Employers are still notified that a claim has been filed, and they have the opportunity to protest the reason for the claim.

Workers and businesses can find more information and file a claim at www.labor.mo.gov.

In addition to Missouri’s approval for assistance through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, DED has been contacting business leaders across the state to see how they can assist. The department is also exploring whether it can re-purpose Community Development Block Grant funds to provide relief for health-care providers.

Already, the state has designated $2.8 million in CDBG funds to buy and distribute ventilators for hospitals and first-responders.