More than 100,000 people have not completed the process to extend unemployment benefits

the Department of Labor and Human Resources (DTRH) reported today, Thursday, that more than 100,000 people currently enjoy insurance benefits for atur they could lose their rating due to the fact that they have not completed the procedure to extend the payments for an additional 13 weeks.

Carlos Rivera Santiago, Secretary of the DTRH, has indicated in written communication that the agency has sent multiple messages and notifications to those affected but, at the same time, have not completed the process.

Beneficiaries of the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program (PEUC) have until Dec. 26 to submit the required documentation, while people sheltered under the Loss Assistance Wage Program (LWA, for the acronyms in English) will have until the 27th of this month.

Rivera Santiago stressed that the procedures do not apply to claimants who receive payments from the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program, of PUA.

“In the specific case of claimants who qualify to make their benefit extension for a total of an additional 13 weeks total about 72,962 cases, while another 29,439 do not certify their weeks to receive a retroactive $ 300 per week that would total $ 900. We urge them to handle claims on or before the deadlines, ”the official argued.

“We have been notifying all of these claimants that they are eligible for these programs through our social media, via email and texting them on several occasions. We are complying with the regulations and processes established by the federal government to dispose of these compensations but the claimants must do their part, “Rivera Santiago added.

In the case of the extension of benefits, the claimant can carry out the procedure completely online: in the “Subsequent Weeks Claim” section select “PEUC” and answer the questions regarding the benefit.

Meanwhile, in the case of “LWA” certifications the claimant only has to enter their social security number and PIN number and, dial “certify. Both processes can be found in the online services section of the DTRH portal.

On the other hand, Rivera Santiago detailed that the individuals the cases of unemployment present controversial points, or confront some type of problem in the system and have not been able to realize the certification of LWA, when not having claimed the corresponding weeks to the month in August and early September, they will be able to complete certification for eligibility under the “Lost Wages Assistance” (LWA) Program.

“This certification is also available on our website, the claimant must complete it and send it through the ‘uploader’,” stressed Rivera Santiago.