Unemployment claims are soaring due to the coronavirus. Charlie Baker says to avoid this mistake.
"You need to actually name that Dunkin' Donuts, because if you don't — if you just say Dunkin' Donuts — the claim is not going to process because that's not what's on your W-2."
Gov. Charlie Baker has a public service announcement for the wave of Massachusetts residents filing for unemployment insurance due to the coronavirus outbreak:
Double-check to make sure the employer name you write on your application matches what is listed on your W-2 form.
According to Baker, mismatched or unspecific names are “one of the single biggest things” that can result in an unemployment claim getting rejected or delayed. And with state officials working to process an “unprecedented” spike in unemployment filings this week, accuracy on that particular front will help claims get processed and paid out, he said.
“The actual name of the employer that has to go on the application is the name of your employer on your W-2 form,” the Massachusetts governor said during a press conference Thursday.
“That’s the kicker that then ties your application to their records with respect to how much money you got paid,” he said. “If you worked at Dunkin’ Donuts, but you worked at a very particular Dunkin’ Donuts that was owned by a particular franchisee or owned by corporate, you need to actually name that Dunkin’ Donuts, because if you don’t — if you just say Dunkin’ Donuts — the claim is not going to process because that’s not what’s on your W-2.”
The state’s Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development said Wednesday that it received 147,995 claims for unemployment insurance last week, compared to 7,449 claims the previous week. Officials said the “historically unprecedented” increase of 1,904 percent was attributable to layoffs related to the work closures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 30 percent of the claims came from employees in the food and accommodations industry. During the same week, nationwide unemployment claims hit a staggering 3.3 million, nearly five times the previous weekly record, as brick-and-mortar businesses across the country abruptly shut down.
Baker said Thursday that “one of the biggest challenges” for state officials would be processing the dramatically ballooning workload.
According to the state’s website, the fastest way to get a claim processed is to file online. Most claims are processed within 21 to 28 days after filing. However, they could take longer if there are issues, resulting in follow-up phone calls and additional steps. In response to the pandemic, Baker also recently signed legislation to waive the usual one-week waiting period to collect unemployment benefits. The administration has also expanded the program to cover those who are quarantined or have had their workplaces temporarily shut down.
Baker noted Thursday that the state’s labor department had boosted the number of people in its call center to 300, compared to roughly 50 workers 10 days ago.
To apply for unemployment, claimants need to provide their Social Security number, birth date, home address, and phone number, as well as employment history from the last 15 months. According to the state’s website, that includes the names, addresses, and phone numbers of all employers during that time, work start and end dates, and reasons for leaving the jobs. Given the recent increase in claims, Baker stressed the importance of making sure the information is filed accurately.
“Our goal here is to get through this as quickly as we can and, having talked to a number of other states already, this is going to be a big challenge for everybody,” he said. “But it’s something people believe absolutely positively has to get done as quickly as possible.”
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