$600 FPUC Unemployment Insurance Benefits Begin

Important Update to Self-Employed:  Applications for PUA Program Will Start Week of April 27

DWD: Approaching half-million claims paid in April

INDIANAPOLIS (April 21, 2020)  – Hoosiers who are receiving regular unemployment insurance benefits have begun seeing the additional $600 weekly payment from the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program, ahead of the announced date of April 20, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD).

Though the additional funds began arriving in some unemployment insurance accounts on Friday, the vast majority of claimants will see payments being made this week. Vouchers must be filed each week in order to continue to receive benefits. It is recommended to file the vouchers on a Tuesday or after during the week, taking the high stress off the historic traffic now hitting the DWD’s Uplink online system.

The CARES Act FPUC provides those individuals with an additional $600 weekly benefit. FPUC is payable effective March 29, 2020, for any week of unemployment until July 31, 2020. DWD will pay this benefit retroactively to March 29. The $600 FPUC benefit is taxable and is subject to child support withholding.

“We are pleased that we were able to start getting these payments to out-of-work Hoosiers ahead of our goal of April 20,” DWD Commissioner Fred Payne said. “This federal assistance will further help those individuals who are not working due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

To put these payments into perspective, this past weekend alone, Friday through Sunday as the FPUC payments were starting to be added, $276 million in payments were made over the three-day period. In all of 2019, $230 million was paid out through the Indiana unemployment insurance assistance program.

Getting Started – 21 Days Reminder
It typically takes up to 21 days for first-time claims to be paid if there are no issues on the claim. A claimant can view their Uplink Claimant Homepage to check for issues on their claim. If there is an issue, a DWD Claims Investigator will be assigned to analyze the claim. DWD is advising claimants with issues on their claims to not contact the call center to check on the status of their claims, as that only adds to the already large volume of calls the center is experiencing.

Update on Self-Employed Assistance Program – PUA
Additionally, the CARES Act Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) creates a temporary federal unemployment insurance program for individuals not otherwise eligible for UI benefits, including the self-employed, independent contractors, gig economy workers, those seeking part-time employment, and individuals lacking sufficient work history but who would be able to work and looking for work were it not due to COVID-19.

PUA is not payable to individuals who have the ability to telework with pay or who are receiving paid sick leave or other paid leave benefits.

The new federal program requires an entirely new system to be designed and built from the ground up. DWD is integrating the new system into Uplink so that these benefits can be provided as quickly and efficiently as possible to impacted Hoosiers. PUA applications will be available in Uplink on April 24 to those who have already applied for and been denied regular UI benefits. PUA applications will be available to others as soon as they apply for and are denied regular UI. DWD will be able to begin making PUA payments in May.

What are PEUC? 13 Additional Weeks
In addition to the FPUC and FPUA programs, the CARES Act also provides the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, which is an additional 13 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits once benefits are exhausted for traditional claimants. This program is not yet available. Once available, eligible claimants will access weekly vouchers through the Uplink system.

Best Day to Apply?
The claims week runs from Sunday through Saturday. Most claimants file their initial claims and weekly vouchers on Sunday followed closely by Monday. Claims can be filed any day of the week, and those filing on Tuesday or after will have a faster, less congested experience filing than those who file on Sunday or Monday. The extremely high volume at the beginning of each week can result in maximum capacity and speed issues. It is recommended to file mid-week through Saturday for the optimal filing experience.

DWD’s current Uplink on-line system launched in 2010 and has been re-designed over the years to withstand the unprecedented volume presented by the current demand, and has met the challenge of the record amount of filings. Certain caps on the system have been put into place to limit user levels at any given time. When that peak is reached, safeguards trigger a notice instructing the user visiting the site to try again later, which can be same day, or the next. As several state unemployment agencies around the country are reporting crashes to their unemployment systems due to the unprecedented demands, these preventative measures have been put in place to help protect the integrity of the Uplink system and to allow the process from successful filing to payment to continue without interruption.

Since Gov. Holcomb directed all bars and restaurants to close on March 16, more than 450,000 Hoosiers have successfully filed for unemployment. Further, roughly 432,000 unemployment insurance claims have been paid for the two-week period of April 1-14, and that number continues to rise and will do so at a greater pace with the addition of the CARES Act additional benefits.

A record 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits in the four weeks through April 11. With so many individuals across the country out of work, states are seeing an increase in attempts to defraud their unemployment systems.

Fraud Warning
Anyone purposely or intentionally providing false information, misrepresenting the truth, or failing to provide full information in making a selection or completing this claim for benefits is committing fraud. If anyone is found to have committed fraud, they will be ineligible for any benefits, and DWD will institute collections proceedings against them to recover any benefits obtained through fraud. They also may be subject to federal and state criminal prosecution.

New Videos Released
DWD has released a new set of simple how-to videos to assist the user experience for claimants. The new video collection can be found here: https://on.in.gov/uivids.

The most up-to-date information on the new UI programs can be found at www.Unemployment.IN.gov.

Gov. Beshear Launches ‘Healthy at Work’ for Safe Reopening of Economy

The initiative aims to give workers and employers tools to restart business safely when time is right
Visit the Governor’s Facebook page to watch today’s news conference

FRANKFORT, Ky. (April 21, 2020) – Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday announced the launch of “Healthy at Work,” a new initiative to help Kentucky businesses reopen safely as we fight the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

The Governor has urged all Kentuckians to remain Healthy at Home, following federal and state guidelines on social distancing and limiting contacts. However, Kentucky families and businesses also must prepare for the day when we begin to reopen our economy.

“We want to make sure that when we hit that mark, knowing that we may only know five days in, that we’re ready and that when it is safe to do something, we can immediately start doing it,” the Governor said.

But he warned against opening up too soon.

“When we look at the long-term reopening of the economy, we do it by not being foolish or making risky decisions,” Gov. Beshear said. “It’s how we come out of this strong.”

Healthy at Work offers a phased approach to reopening Kentucky’s economy. It is based on criteria set by public health experts and advice from industry experts.

“This is going to be a dialogue with your business, your trade associations, employee groups,” said La Tasha Buckner, the Governor’s chief of staff and general counsel. “We’re all going to be working on this. We want to make sure we’re doing this the best way and not the quickest way.”

Phase 1 is a state-readiness evaluation. Phase 2 is an individual business-readiness evaluation. This approach will ensure the commonwealth’s citizens can safely return to work while still protecting the most vulnerable Kentuckians.

During Phase 1 of Healthy at Work, the Kentucky Department for Public Health will determine whether Kentucky has met certain public health benchmarks for reopening Kentucky’s economy. These benchmarks closely follow the White House’s Guidelines for Reopening America.

During Phase 2 of Healthy at Work, the Department for Public Health will evaluate individual businesses’ ability to safely reopen.

“Our new normal is not going to be the old normal,” Gov. Beshear said. “Every plan has to be really different from what regular operations looked like before.”

Among other things, each business proposal is required to explain its ability to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to employees, adequate access to hand sanitizer and disinfectant, and minimal direct contact between employees and the public.

“Doing this right is about safety. That’s our number one concern,” the Governor said. “It’s also the right thing for the economy. Avoiding a second spike will restore our economy faster.”

PPE update
Gov. Beshear also offered an update on the levels of PPE available in the commonwealth. He praised all of the individuals who have answered the call and donated these essential items for our health care workers.

“In the last week, we have more gloves, surgical masks, face shields, respirator masks, and coveralls,” the Governor announced.

Among the PPE items where Kentucky has seen growth in inventories, Gov. Beshear reported the state has on-hand about 1.5 million surgical masks, 365,000 N95 masks, 930,000 KN95 masks, 446,000 face shields, 4.5 million gloves, and 37,000 gowns. All areas showed improved stocks over the past couple of weeks.

“This wouldn’t happen two weeks ago,” the Governor said of the boost in available PPE. “These gains were not possible two weeks ago.”

Drive-through testing
Gov. Beshear continues to urge people to sign up for testing at four recently announced new drive-through testing sites in and around the communities of Madisonville, Paducah, Somerset, and Pikeville.

Those seeking to obtain a test can get location and registration details at The Little Clinic website.

The Governor also announced another drive-through screening site in Christian County. The local health department is partnering with the Kentucky Department for Public Health to provide tests Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Tie Breaker Park. People wishing to sign up for testing should contact the Christian County Health Department.

Dr. Steven Stack, a commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, said the testing capacity still needs to be increased.

“Right now, the testing capacity is only one-third or one-fourth of where we need to be.”

Case information

As of 5 p.m. April 21, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 3,192 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 177 of which were newly confirmed.

“This suggests that we have likely plateaued,” the Governor said. “It means we are not on the increase and we are not decreasing.”

Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear also reported 17 new deaths Tuesday, raising the state’s toll to 171 deaths related to the virus.

“Seventeen is a hard number to take. These are 17 individuals to be missed; 17 families that will be grieving; 17 communities that will be grieving,” Gov. Beshear said. “They are more than just their ages, genders and home counties. Let’s make sure we are doing everything we can to not have days like today.”

The 17 newly reported deaths include an 81-year-old man from Butler County; two women, ages 90 and 94, and a 92-year-old man from Graves County; a 58-year-old woman from Grant County; three men, ages 80, 85 and 90, and two women, ages 80 and 81, from Hopkins County; a 52-year-old man from Jackson County; two men, ages 71 and 81, and an 81-year-old woman from Jefferson County; a 73-year-old man and a 93-year-old woman from Kenton County; and an 86-year-old woman from Lyon County.

Gov. Beshear took part Tuesday morning in a wreath-laying ceremony to honor the Kentucky victims of the coronavirus after the number surpassed 150 a day earlier.

A Kentucky State Police Honor Guard marked the losses during the ceremony, which took place in the Capitol Rotunda.

“Today at 10 a.m., we had the bells ringing in the Capitol Rotunda, and a Kentucky State Honor Guard placed a wreath at the foot of the statue to President Abraham Lincoln,” the Governor said. “Our flags at the Capitol are still flying at half-staff because these are wonderful, amazing people who we have lost.”

To highlight that each of those lost is more than a statistic, Gov. Beshear on Tuesday remembered John “Doug” Woods of Hopkins County, who died of COVID-19 within two days of Freda, his wife of almost 64 years. He said the loss to one family so quickly was devastating.

“It’s just too much too soon,” one granddaughter wrote of their loss.

She continued, referring to his service in the U.S. Air Force, “you will forever be my favorite veteran.”

At least 1,266 people have recovered from COVID-19 in Kentucky.

To date, at least 33,328 people have been tested. At least 1,076 people have ever been hospitalized with 286 currently hospitalized.

At least 558 have ever been in the ICU with at least 165 people currently in the ICU.

Gov. Beshear also offered an update on the racial breakdown of COVID-19 patients and victims, which unfortunately highlights existing disparities in health and health care access.

The Governor said with about 77% of the known cases accounted for, 76.91% of Kentuckians who tested positive were Caucasian, 13.56% were African-American, 5.24% were multiracial, 4.23% were Asian and 0.05% were Native American or Alaskan Native.

The Governor also said with about 72% of the known cases accounted for, 92.57% of people who tested positive were non-Hispanic and 7.43% were Hispanic.

On fatalities attributed to the coronavirus, with about 84% of the known cases accounted for, Kentucky deaths are about 78.47% Caucasian, 19.44% African-American, 1.39% Asian and 0.69% were multiracial.

On fatalities attributed to the coronavirus, with about 82% of the known cases accounted for, Kentucky deaths are about 99.29% non-Hispanic and 0.71% Hispanic.

More information

The Governor is asking all Kentuckians to continue to fight the spread of the virus by following his 10-step guidance, which includes practicing social distancing and staying healthy at home. Gov. Beshear says these efforts have the potential to save the lives of as many as 11,000 Kentuckians.

Read about other key updates, actions and information from Gov. Beshear and his administration at governor.ky.gov, kycovid19.ky.gov and the Governor’s official social media account Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Watch the Governor’s social media accounts at 5 p.m. ET each day for his regular briefing. Kentuckians can also access translated COVID-19 information and daily summaries of the Governor’s press conference at tinyurl.com/kygovespanol (Spanish) and tinyurl.com/kygovtranslations (more than 20 additional languages).

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages people to follow these steps to prevent illness. Kentuckians who want advice can call the state hotline at 800-722-5725 or call their local health care provider.

Oil Futures Fall Below Zero for 1st Time in History

Prices drop as low as minus $40 per barrel as traders sell off oil futures in frenzy due to lack of oil storage space

PETR SVAB

U.S. oil prices plunged to unprecedented negative numbers on April 20 as a lack of storage space and weak demand forced oil producers and traders into the bizarre situation of paying anybody willing to take the oil.

The price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the leading U. S. oil price index, to be delivered in May dropped at one point to about negative $40 a barrel, before somewhat rebounding to negative $37.63.

The negative price was caused by traders who realized that there’s going to be a severe lack of capacity to store the oil about to be pumped out in the coming weeks. The market quickly reached a point where storage became more valuable than the oil itself.

Storage capacity has been scarce for weeks while demand has dramatically slowed due to efforts to mitigate the global spread of the CCP virus.

Contracts to buy oil produced in May need to be closed by April 21 on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). Traders who speculate on oil prices close such contracts with no intention of obtaining the physical oil. Instead, they plan to sell the contracts later, hopefully at a higher price. As the deadline approached, it became clear how scarce were buyers who can actually take deliveries of the oil. Speculators stuck with the contracts thus went into a frenzy to unload them.

The PRICE Futures Group

Phil Flynn, Senior Analyst,

The crude oil tanker Chemtrans Cancale is seen anchored offshore as it waits to dock at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on April 20, 2020.

“This is a reminder that you never say never in oil,” said Phil Flynn, senior analyst at The PRICE Futures Group. “Those that said that WTI would never trade negative were proven wrong from the coronavirus.”

It’s the “crazy times,” he said in an email, where there’s “more oil to deliver than anyone wants.”

So far, the phenomenon seems temporary. For now, contracts for oil produced in June remain positive, at around $20 a barrel.

Industry in Distress

The rock-bottom oil prices threaten to wipe out a major part of the U.S. oil industry. WTI has been below $20 for nearly a week now, while producers need it on average above $30 to at least cover operating expenses for existing wells.

Some producers can pump at a price as low as $2 to $5 a barrel. Most, however, need much more. Many can’t even turn a profit below $ 40, according to a survey by the Federal Reserve bank of Dallas.

To open a new well, oilers on average need the WTI to be about $50.

Pandemic Effect

The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, also called novel coronavirus, broke out in the central Chinese city of Wuhan around November 2019, before spreading across China and the world.

By April 20, there have been over 2.47 million confirmed cases and nearly 170,000 deaths, with many more likely in countries with unreliable data.

The pandemic prompted governments to impose stay-at-home orders and business shutdowns that forced millions into unemployment. With the economic slowdown, demand for oil plummeted, leaving oilers scrambling to cut costs and production.

“Because producers have been lagging in their production cuts, we’re seeing an overwhelming amount of crude oil looking for a place to go around the world,” said Andy Lipow of Lipow Oil Associates.

Crude stockpiles at the oil trading hub in Cushing, Oklahoma, rose 9 percent in the week to April 17, totaling around 61 million barrels, market analysts said, citing an April 20 report from Genscape.

“It’s clear that Cushing is going to fill, and it will stay full for the next several months,” Lipow said.

Price War

The glut has been exacerbated by a price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia that started after Russia walked away from talks on production cuts with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in early March. Both countries then escalated production, flooding the already shrinking market.

Moscow, Riyadh, and other major oil producers have since agreed to cut production by 9.7 million barrels a day, but those cuts don’t begin until May. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is ramping up deliveries of oil, including big shipments to the United States.

Worldwide oil consumption is roughly 100 million barrels a day, and supply generally stays in line with that. But consumption is down about 30 percent globally, and the cuts so far have been much less.

Filing the Reserve

To prop up the industry, President Donald Trump has ordered the filing of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), which can hold about 700 million barrels, but only stored some 635 million in January.

Yet, the $3 billion earmarked for filling the SPR was cut from the coronavirus stimulus package by Democrat legislators, who criticized it as a “big oil” bailout.

On April 14, the Energy Department announced contracts with nine oil companies to store oil for them in the SPR.

The contracts under negotiation are for some 23 million barrels that should be delivered to the SPR in May and June, “with possible early deliveries in April,” the department said in a release.

“Awardees can schedule the return of their oil through March 2021, minus a small amount of oil to cover the SPR’s cost of storage.”