Governor Ralph DLG. Torres and Lt. Governor Arnold I. Palacios, through Secretary Vicky Benavente and the CNMI Department of Labor (CNMI DOL), have announced that the first batch of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) has been transmitted to the CNMI Department of Finance for processing.
The direct deposit payments/ACH transfers for this first batch are expected to hit banks starting Friday, July 17, 2020 and forward following the allowable banking schedules. The lump sum payment will be inclusive of both PUA and FPUC awards.
“We express our sincerest appreciation to everyone in our community for their patience during these unprecedented times. We fully recognize the challenges and struggles, and we hope that as people start receiving their much-deserved payouts, some semblance of normalcy will happen. We ask that we all heal from these challenges and look forward to helping lift each other as we continue to get PUA payments out,” said Governor Ralph DLG. Torres.
“We thank both Secretary of Labor Vicky Benavente, Secretary of Finance David Atalig, and their respective teams and staff for their hard work in adjudicating claims and for expeditiously processing these payouts. We will continue to update the community as we get additional payments out,” said Lt. Governor Arnold I. Palacios.
“Here at the CNMI Department of Labor, we have been working hard every day since our first PUA meetings with the US Department of Labor to get benefits out. We sincerely thank everyone for their patience, and we will continue to process additional approvals in the days and weeks ahead so that we can ensure every eligible applicant receives their benefits,” said Secretary Benavente.
PUA and FPUC lump sum payments will vary per qualifying person based on their weekly filings. Payments will be retroactive all the way back to when they first were affected by COVID-19 and up to the dates of allowable claims.
As all those affected receive these initial payouts, more payouts will come in batches for those who continue to qualify.
Those who have submitted paper applications continue to be processed and should be receiving communication from a member of the CNMI Department of Labor.
Those who filled out online applications through www.hiremarianas.com will also be contacted to update their information or provide supporting information.
PUA runs from February to December 2020, and FPUC runs from March to July 31, both dependent on the dates you were affected. Again, these payments are retroactive from the start of when their employment was affected by COVID-19.
“CNMI DOL has been in communication with USDOL on the funding needs to support both programs. Claims can still be made for those affected by COVID-19 and qualify for the programs. The first allotment awarded to the CNMI is a portion of our entire request, and look forward to working with our federal counterparts to receive additional funds to pay for qualified claims for both PUA/FPUC,” said Secretary Benavente.
We continue to encourage individuals to apply for PUA/FPUC and continue to request for people to apply online via www.hiremarianas.com so that their claims can be processed quicker than filing paper-based claims.
Those with questions are encouraged to email Info@puamarianas.com as phone lines are tied up for verification of information.
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