Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, The Valley Reporter has been checking in regularly with Eric Friedman, executive director of the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce.
(The Legislature adjourned May 21; this represents the most recent report from the VDOL.)
Figure 2 shows the spike in suspected fraudulent claims.
Peak was April 25, 2020, and last bar is May 15, 2021
VDOL tables as prepared for the Legislature. Click HERE to see full report.
During the benefit week ending May 15th there were 28,406 weekly claims filed. This is a decrease of 3,750 continued claims filed over the previous benefit week. During the week ending May 15, $9,040,843 in benefits were paid out to claimants.
Claimants have started to enter work search information on weekly claims if they do not qualify for an exemption. Earlier last week, an issue prompted some claimants to enter work search information when they should have been exempt (e.g. self-employed, independent contractor, etc.) and others who were not prompted to enter work search information when they should have been.
Got Pfizer or Moderna? Be sure to get your second dose!
At Tuesday’s press conference with Governor Phil Scott and other state official, Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD, thanked the many Vermonters who have stepped up to get vaccinated, and urged those who get a shot that requires two doses (Pfizer or Moderna) to be sure to complete their vaccination.
“Getting both doses gives you the highest level of protection from COVID-19,” Dr. Levine said. “Participants in the clinical trials who did not receive both doses were not followed (for study) for a long period of time, so we don’t know for sure how well or how long one dose will protect you.”
Fri, 05/21/2021 - 1:41pm tim
by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Regular weekly unemployment claims fell dramatically to pre-pandemic levels the last two weeks as the Vermont Department of Labor was able to eliminate the vast bulk of fraudulent claims by requiring new claimants to call the department directly. As the VDOL discovered, and other states have realized, criminal operations were barraging online systems with false claims. Also, the work search system technical issue at VDOL that surfaced on May 16 is now resolved. The Vermont work search requirement for unemployment insurance filers was reinstated on May 9.
Meanwhile, the Legislature is on the verge of removing 2020 from the unemployment calculation. If they hadn t, rates to employers would have escalated and the UI Trust Fund would have unnecessarily ballooned. Commissioner Michael Harrington had urged the Legislature to change the law regarding how employers are charged to meet the UI Trust Fund obligati