Department of Labor disburses over $ 33 million to PUA claimants

The secretary of the Department of Labor and Human Resources (DTRH), Carlos J. Rivera Santiago, announced today that the agency made a million-dollar disbursement the figure amounts to $ 33,897,740. These funds are for canceled checks returned to the Department due to incorrect postal addresses.

It should be noted that the payments correspond to PUA claimants.

“Nearly 8,000 people faced the problem of having incorrectly placed their postal address in our system. This caused an avalanche of returned checks that were canceled in order to clarify the error. That is why , which we continue to urge Unemployment and PUA claimants to migrate to the direct deposit to ensure that their payments arrive on time and without complications, ”the headline detailed.

Of the total disbursed $ 9,298,550 were sent by check which must be received in approximately 7 to 14 days. In fact, these were validated to ensure that they were not returned again by the postal service. While $ 24,599,190 were transferred via direct deposit which should reflect between 48 to 72 hours.

For his part, the Secretary of Labor urged the public to make good use of these funds, which represent the last millionaire grant that the agency will issue for pandemic programs. “I call on the thousands of claimants who receive this federal aid and urge them to join the workforce because Puerto Rico needs them. Their work is vital in our mission to recover industries and businesses that hang from a thread in the face of a lack of manpower, “he stressed.

Finally, on the proposal to increase the minimum wage, Rivera Santiago expressed that based on what has been seen during the DTRH recruitment fairs the vast majority of employers are offering pay that exceeds the minimum of $ 7.25 and bonuses ranging from 401K plan, financial incentives, medical plan, overtime and cell phone payments, among others.