By Victoria Ratliff
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS—Indiana, like the rest of the country, saw a near-record number of people applying for unemployment last week as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to roil the economy and upend lives.

During Gov. Eric Holcomb’s daily press conference, Fred Payne, commissioner of the Department of Workforce Development, said the state is breaking all records for unemployment claims. During the week of March 28, a little more than 139,000 Hoosiers filed for unemployment. Claims were slightly down during the week ending April 4, with slightly more than 133,000 unemployment claims filed.

“Although we’re seeing a high number of claims being filed in Indiana, we’re also tracking an extremely large number of claims being paid,” he said as he described the work of his office. Since the beginning of April, the state has already made about 175,000 payments, compared to 71,000 payments in the entire month of April 2019.

The skyrocketing increase in employment comes as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise, with Holcomb cautioning that the state has not yet hit the apex of the pandemic. Dr. Kristina Box, the commissioner of the Indiana State Department of Health, said there were 430 new cases of the virus for a total of 6,351, and 42 new deaths to report for a total of 245.

Holcomb continued to express the importance of social distancing and limiting gatherings to no more than 10 people. He and Box both urged people to continue to adhere to these guidelines during this holy week of both Christian and Jewish faiths.

“My only desire, our only desire is for your family, your congregation, the very definition of the word congregation, if for you to be as safe and as strong and as health next week as you are this week,” Holcomb said. “I would just say to everyone on these coming days, get the word and then get home.”

Box said the possible spread of the virus can be limited if participants stay home or attend services in their vehicles.

“If you do feel the need to go into a field or go into a parking lot, I would say communions should be brought from your own home,” she said. “Bring your own crackers, your own juice or sparkling wine, and take that in remembrance of our Lord.”

The holiday season this year comes at a time when the nation is experiencing levels of unemployment that haven’t been seen since the Great Depression. More than 16.6 million people nationwide have applied for unemployment since the beginning of the outbreak.

Some of those who have been hit hard are those who are self-employed, who are eligible for special unemployment benefits under the federal pandemic recovery legislation.

However, Payne said the state isn’t currently able to process claims filed by self-employed workers, including independent contractors, because the state needs to build a new system to accommodate them.

“Once we identify a date certain when that new system or the program will roll out, we will let you know,” he said. The claims will be paid retroactive to March 29, he added.

Unemployment claims can be filed online here.

House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, said in a statement that those who are still working through the pandemic need to be sure they are protected. He wrote a letter to Holcomb asking that employers provide paid sick leave to Hoosier workers amidst the COVID-19 outbreak to ensure they don’t accidentally spread the virus.

In his letter, he said the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which requires certain employers to provide workers impacted by COVID-19 with 80 hours of paid sick leave, was a step in the right direction. But, he said, this law doesn’t protect Hoosiers that work for a private company with more than 500 employees.

“I firmly believe that all Hoosiers should have access to paid family and medical leave regardless of the size of the company they work for,” he said in the letter.

He said that the state’s $2 billion surplus and financial resources dedicated to the state should be used to offset the financial impact on the state.

“During this pandemic, paid family and medical leave are essential to ensure that individuals who are infected (or have been exposed to COVID-19 due to caring for a sick family member) can remain home to help prevent the spread of this deadly virus,” he said.

FOOTNOTE: Victoria Ratliff is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.