This has been going on for months, and although most residents understand that it has not been an easy task for Illinois to implement some of the federal programs (PUA and PEUC), it seems as though that the people on top have not done much to prepare themselves for an impending benefit distribution disaster.

Many currently unemployed started receiving their payments back in March 2020 shortly after the pandemic began. As unemployment entitlement benefits last exactly a year, many of those currently unemployed would see their benefits stop exactly after their benefit year-end date. If you are unsure what your benefit year end-date is, log on to your IDES account and pull up any payment history. On top of the page, you will see your Claimant ID and your benefit year end date. That date is crucial because that is the last day for which most of you you will receive benefits.

However, technically, since President Biden signed the new relief bill last week, your benefit extensions should remain active until the first week of September 2021. This makes many people believe in case they are unable to secure a new employment anytime soon, they would keep receiving benefits without interruption, right? Wrong! This is exactly where the problem begins!

If you have not worked at all since last year when you started receiving unemployment, you will have to CALL and physcally speak to an agent before those new “extensions” can resume. Most unemployed Americans did not work at all since last March. Therefore, this warning goes to hundreds of thousands of people. This also means that you will have to put yourself on a callback list soon, and hope that someone calls you back only a few days after your benefit year ends. Remember, if you have not worked since last year, regardless of whether you have a balance in your unemployment account, you will NOT receive benefits unless you speak to someone. Only a live person can put you on a transitional claim (PUA/PEUC/EB). Unless you do that, you’d receive nothing. No $300 boost, no regular payment….zilch!

There will not be any automatic continuation of the extension. At this point when Americans are struggling to make ends meet, you’d think that our state government would be on top of their game, and that they would do everything they can to help Illinois residents. You’d expect they would make these extensions automatic as long as the claimants are certifying for benefits as “still unemployed”. You’d hope that someone in the government would know about this very well, and bring up this issue with Governor Pritzker and the IDES.

This may not apply to you IF you’ve worked part-time [and have made 3x your Weekly Benefit Amount) or were unemployed on and off since you first started receiving unemployment. But, the percentage of those people is low.

You might be asking what you can possibly do right now. First: check that benefit year end-date in your payment history. If you have not worked since you started receiving unemployment, you can be sure that your benefits would stop after that date. Second: Put yourself on a callback list right away if you are not on one already. Third: if you receive a call after your benefit year ends, request the agent to put you on a “transitional claim” based on whatever extensions are available for you (PUA or PEUC depending on the type of your initial claim). Keep certifying if you can even if your benefits stop.

Reminder: the agent can put you on an extension ONLY AFTER that benefit year-end date. Not a day before! There is no way for them to “push it through”.

You can also write to the Governor’s office and share this if you’d like. Nobody in this country should have to wait to receive unemployment benefits in the middle of a pandemic while their income has been slashed to almost nothing due to no fault of their own. People have endured enough since last year. They do not need any more financial stress.

Also, please share this with anyone you know who’s currently unemployed in Illinois so they are aware. I do not make money from you sharing this. There is no ad here. This post is not designed to the bash the IDES as I understand implementing some of these changes into a set algorithm is difficult. However, something could be done so this does not happen. I am just a citizen journalist trying to help my fellow Americans!

Be kind to each other!

With over 11% unemployment, and more than 20,000 new applications for the week of August 10, Illinois’ jobless woes are far from over. The $600 federal boost expired on the week ending July 25, leaving hundreds of thousands of families struggling to make ends meet.
This post is not meant to be political, but as a journalist at heart, I can’t help but notice the blatant incompetency of the Illinois government.
Since no other channel is covering this I feel compelled to do so. This post is intended to inform my fellow Illinoisans, and clear up some confusion that I feel still exists around this much-needed aid.

President Trump signed an executive order on August 8, which allows for all 50 states to apply for a FEMA grant to help the unemployed. The cash available for this Lost Wage Assistance program is limited, because it’s taken from our Disaster Relief Funds…something intended for emergencies such as a hurricane, etc. The program is not funded by the states, but the federal government.
Initially, the mainstream media was all over the story as to how this was unconstitutional, and that the money would never actually reach the American people. Some “experts” touted that this was a pure political stunt by the President, and that nobody would actually “see it”.
However, most of those speculations proved to be false in the last few days. While it is understood that the funds allocated for this program are not unlimited, most states including the previously skeptical and “refusing” California and New York already applied for the grant. Arizona got the grant approved in about 2 days, and has already started disbursing those funds to its residents. Many other states have been approved within less than 48 hours from filing their application.
However, Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois has remained silent on this issue, leaving over a million Illinoisans in the dark. If you follow Twitter, you’d realize that thousands of people asked him why it is that Illinois has not even applied for the grant. He has not answered!
Our Governor comes on TV almost every day telling us how deeply he cares for his fellow Illinoisans, while denying them the vital lifeline that’s available to them thanks to the President’s Executive Order.

I understand that this post may trigger some emotions. But the reality remains that $300 for even a few weeks is better than $0. Let’s put our partisan beliefs aside for a moment, and reflect on something that concerns many of us and our friends. Let’s reflect on a question that is currently asked my thousands of Illinois residents who are just waiting for “something to happen”.

Today, Saturday, the House voted to pass a bill to fund billions of dollars to revive the USPS, but any bill to send direct help to millions of Americans was not on the table. Again, $400, $300 or even $200 weekly is better than $0, which is precisely the amount of unemployment boost that Americans are currently receiving. $0. Nada!

Let’s not forget whether our Governor acts sooner or later, he is a multi-billionaire, with a “B”, and still receives $177,000 yearly salary. Our Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi receives an annual salary of $223,000. They are not affected by this pandemic! They are not worried about putting food on the table or making basic payments. They are, thanks to our votes and tax-payer dollars, “employed” and well.

When exactly will Illinois apply for the grant is up in the air. Maybe our Governor will apply when the limited funds for this program is almost gone? Or, maybe, he won’t bother to apply at all, and try to make Illinois residents believe it’s “Trump’s fault”?

You can say what you want about the President, but he did do at least something to help the people, our Governor did not. All that he had to do is apply, but maybe his personal feud with the President, mixed with his pride is preventing him from doing the job that he was hired to do.

Whether or not you’re directly affected by this situation, I believe the least we can do to change the course of things is voice our opinion here. This simple act might help a fellow citizen in these troubled times…