PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Economic Security says individuals who were supposed to get their $600 weekly Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation benefit between May 7 and May 11 but did not, can expect to receive the money later this week.
AZDES acknowledged the error Monday that had many wondering why they did not receive the correct amount of money on their most recent check.
They sent out an updated statement Tuesday, saying the payment should now go out between Wednesday and Friday of this week.
"Unemployment Insurance claimants who were paid between May 7 and May 11 did not receive the additional $600 weekly Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) payment benefit. (This includes all individuals who filed an eligible weekly certification May 6 through May 10, as well as individuals who had their previous claims determined eligible for payment during that same timeframe). Our staff worked to correct this error as quickly as possible. Claimants can expect to receive the missed payments between Wednesday and Friday of this week. We sincerely apologize for the delay and inconvenience to claimants."
The error comes as AZDES struggles to keep up with an unprecedented amount of claims during the coronavirus outbreak. Since the start of the state shutdown, 546,900 people have filed for unemployment, which accounts for 15.1% of Arizona's labor force.
Governor Ducey recently acknowledged issues people have been having across the state, whether it is not receiving the correct amount, or being denied unemployment claims altogether at his press conference last week.
"No excuses on this. This has just been such an astronomical rise. Unemployment was not something we were focused on at all in Arizona [before COVID]," said the governor.
Some possible good news is that AZDES is enlisting help to expedite the backlog of unemployment claims. Starting May 12, Senator McSally says the department will use third-party Geographic Solutions Inc. to help them process the claims.
To apply and learn more,visit the AZDES website.
