| As of today, Thursday, April 30, 27,700 Connecticut residents have tested positive for COVID-19, up 933 cases from yesterday. 2,257 Connecticut residents have now died of COVID-19 complications, another 89 deaths since yesterday – many of them in nursing homes, says Governor Lamont. Fortunately, hospitalizations have dropped for the eighth day in a row, down 41 patients to 1,650. A total of 97,133 COVID-19 tests have been administered in the state, with 2,315 tests administered just yesterday..
For a town-by-town breakdown and other COVID-19 statistics, please visit: https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus
Self-Employed Can Apply For Unemployment
Today, the Connecticut Department of Labor began accepting claim applications for self-employed individuals, many of whom are eligible to collect unemployment insurance benefits under federal pandemic assistance programs.
Self-employed individuals, including independent contractors and “gig” workers, are asked to first apply through the state unemployment system located at www.filectui.com. After applying, you should look for emails from the Department of Labor telling you to look for confirmation emails once your claim have been processed. The confirmation emails should be followed by a mailed eligibility determination, otherwise known as a UC-58 Monetary Determination form, arriving in the mail informing you of your eligibility.
If eligible, you can return to www.filectui.com, completing the federal application there. You will need 2019 IRS forms, 1099s, W-2s and Schedule Cs, and will also be asked to provide quarterly earnings in 2019, to complete that application. For more information, please visit this link.
Business Survey
With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to impact our region, I am interested in learning more from affected businesses about how they plan to meet upcoming challenges and their outlook for the near future. If you can, please fill out this short Google survey with your thoughts. I will take your opinions and concerns with me in my future work, including my upcoming Facebook Live with Gwendolyn Thames, Deputy Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, on May 12. You can access the survey here.
Rainy Day Fund
While the state is not immune from the severe financial impact of COVID-19, we can rest assured that Connecticut is in a better position to overcome this situation than the majority of states. New analysis from The Pew Charitable Trusts shows that Connecticut’s rainy day fund, at about $2.5 billion representing 13 percent of state spending, could keep the state afloat on its own for 47 days, more than a month and a half. That’s well above an average median nationwide of just 28 days and bodes well for the state’s efforts to limit the financial impact of COVID-19. There is a lot of work left to do, but our state is among the best-prepared in the country to weather this storm.
New Website Tracking Unemployment Data
The Connecticut Department of Labor launched a website that contains detailed information about people who have filed for unemployment in the state by age, industry, gender and town. This public release is intended to provide town, city and state governments with information for planning and budgeting for the future, as well as responsible strategies for reopening parts of the state. The information included in it for April is preliminary due to a large number of claims being processed, but all other information is detailed and thorough.
Live Conversation About Public Benefit Access During COVID-19
Greater Hartford Legal Aid Managing Attorney Sue Garten will join Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence Director of Member Organization Services on Wednesday, May 6 for an online conversation about access to public benefits during COVID-19. The discussion, which will begin at 2 p.m. that day, will cover topics including unemployment insurance, housing stability and evictions, and access to food and medical benefits. Attorney Garten will outline COVID-19 related expansions and extensions of benefits, as well as the process of obtaining those benefits via the phone or internet. The conversation, which is open to survivors, advocates, social workers and other interested parties, will be live May 6 on Facebook or through Zoom.
Long-Term Recovery
The road to overcoming COVID-19 will not be short or easy, but the work done now will help lighten future loads. Governor Ned Lamont has asked municipal leaders, community-based organizations, nonprofits and philanthropic partners to establish local, long-term recovery committees working to meet urgent needs, accelerate recovery and foster coordination and cooperation with state emergency management structure. These committees and approach toward long-term recovery will help ensure Connecticut residents’ needs will be achieved not just during the peak of the first wave but for the foreseeable future. Groups including the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, the Council of Small Towns and regional Councils of government have already agreed to partner on this effort. For more information on long-term recovery efforts, please visit this link. |
