KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas Department of Labor announced the processing of $107,145,399 in unemployment benefits Wednesday.
This amount includes regular unemployment, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC).
Laurel Searles, director of unemployment insurance for the Kansas Department of Labor, said PUA payments began processing Tuesday night, a day later than expected because the state initially failed to account for the Memorial Day holiday.
Those who are eligible should receive payments Thursday or Friday via direct deposit. Claimants who selected to receive their benefits on a debit card that they did not previously have they should receive it within seven to 10 days. Those who already have a debit card can expect to receive their payments no later than this weekend.
"We have released payments to 5,412 claimants as of last night," Searles said.
She said that amounts to more than $30 million dollars in PUA benefits. The department said the additional $600 FPUC payments will add to the PUA weekly benefit.
Wichita resident Gwenuana Dean said she applied to the PUA program the first day it launched in mid-May and has yet to find out if she qualifies. Even though she believes she qualifies for the program, she is still nervous she will be denied.
"I've had to postpone payments on some bills, and the money that I do have I'm just so scared to spend on anything," Dean said.
Searles said everyone who applied to the program will receive a determination letter letting them know whether or not they are eligible for the benefits, which are being sent out this week.
Searles said the department has noticed a lot of applicants are not eligible, because they are not unemployed due to COVID-19.
"If your unemployment is not related to the pandemic then you will not be eligible for these benefits, and that's where we're seeing most of the issues arising for these folks," Searles said. "That is the first requirement in order to receive benefits. The PUA program was created in response to the pandemic."
The Department of Labor is still reviewing about 24,000 PUA applications in order to determine eligibility. Officials stressed the importance of being thorough due to fraud related to the PUA program throughout the nation.
Searles said the department is currently working on a new callback system specifically for the PUA program to help mitigate the volume of calls from claimants.
She hopes claimants will also check the FAQ section on the department's website, which is updated daily.
