Nine months and counting: Thousands still seeking unemployment benefits
Posted at 7:20 PM, Dec 23, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-29 21:25:28-05
FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) â More than 1.4 million unemployment insurance claims have been filed in Kentucky since March according to the state s Labor Cabinet.
Officials say more than $5 billion has been paid out so far.
But for the thousands that remain unanswered, that s still not enough.
When Kentucky was effectively closed for business in March, many restaurants, retail shops, and all schools locked their doors.
That left thousands of workers scrambling for unemployment benefits, including Hannah Puckett.
Puckett didn t receive benefits for months, so her mother reached out to LEX18 for help reaching someone in Frankfort.
County schools to be remote beginning Dec 21
fayettetribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from fayettetribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Fayette schools to be remote beginning Dec 21
montgomery-herald.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from montgomery-herald.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Vaccine arrives, but Kentuckians still searching for unemployment claim answers
and last updated 2020-12-14 19:59:47-05
LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) â The vaccine is a long-term solution to the pandemic problem.
But many Kentuckians are still looking for immediate relief, especially financially.
The shutdown of schools, restaurants, offices, and theaters sent thousands to the unemployment line starting in March. Some are still waiting for their claims to be answered.
The closures were part of an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 and prevent the overwhelming of hospitals.
While deserted Main Streets across America grabbed the headlines, healthcare workers were impacted too, including Teri Neal s daughter, Hannah Puckett.
File photo
By Steve Keenan
The Fayette Tribune Dec 13, 2020
Dec 13, 2020
Fayette County students will once again be in the blended learning model this week. File photo
Fayette County moved into a Covid-19 case-related range good enough to allow schools to be open in a blended learning model this past week.
With a 3.88 percent positivity rate on Dec. 8, the county was yellow on the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources daily county alert system map on Wednesday.
Students with last names A-L were to attend school on Monday and Tuesday of last week and were to learn remotely the rest of the week. All county schools, however, stayed in remote learning on Monday due to weather. So, A-L students were in their school buildings on Tuesday and Wednesday, and M-Z students were in school on Thursday and Friday.