Small Business Alert!

[alert style=”danger” close=”false”]     Small business-Employer Alert!   

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Due to the COVID-19’s impact on the workforce, the Georgia Department of Labor has adopted an emergency rule that permits a partial claim by employees for unemployment compensation, effective March 16, 2020. The rule mandates all Georgia employers to file partial claims online on behalf of their employees for any week during which an employee (full-time/part-time) works less than full-time due to a partial or total company shutdown caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency. Any employer found to be in violation of this rule will be required to reimburse GDOL for the full amount of unemployment insurance benefits paid to the employee.

Now for the $64-million question:

What are the rules for filing? Here’s our abbreviated summary:

Partial unemployment insurance claims may be filed by employers for full-time employees who work less than full-time during a pay period due to lack of work only. The employees must still be attached to the employer and must have earned wages that do not exceed the weekly benefit amount plus $50.00.

• Partial Claims should not be filed when an employee is out of work due to disability, worker’s compensation or medical leave.  
• Partial Claims should not be filed when an employee is not able and available to accept all work offered by the employer.

Filing partial claims results in your employees receiving unemployment insurance benefit payments faster, usually within 48 hours for claims filed electronically. Employees for whom you file a partial claim are NOT required to report to a Georgia Department of Labor career center, register for employment services, or look for other work.

A link to the Georgia Department of Labor blog with additional details can be found here.

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