The CNMI Department of Labor is providing the public with the latest payment updates regarding the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation programs in the Marianas.<\/p>\n
Payment cycle information<\/strong><\/p>\n All PUA and FPUC benefits payments are disbursed on scheduled payment cycles.\u00a0 All direct deposit (also known as ACH deposit) benefits beginning in late July until mid-October of this year are slated for disbursement in the month of December. All paper check benefits beginning in late July through September 2020 have been mailed, disbursed in-person, or voided due to incorrect claimant information or fraudulent activity. PUA claimants who have any questions about the payment of unemployment benefits are encouraged to contact the PUA Call Center at the numbers listed in this announcement.<\/p>\n CNMI DOL and the Department of Finance will continue to issue paper checks and process ACH payments even after the end of the PUA and FPUC application period on Dec. 26, 2020, contingent on the availability of funding from the U.S. Department of Labor.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Payment disbursements<\/strong><\/p>\n As of Nov. 18, 2020, CNMI DOL and CNMI DOF have disbursed upwards of $108.4 million in PUA and FPUC benefits to eligible claimants.\u00a0 That number is set to increase by approximately $26.3 million, barring any returns due to bank rejections, overpayments, or fraudulent applications.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Direct Deposit Disbursements. Eligible claimants who fall under certain payment cycles, and who have opted to receive PUA benefits via direct deposit generally receive their benefits within seven to 10 business days. This type of disbursement continues to be the safest and most expeditious way eligible claimants can receive their unemployment benefits.<\/p>\n Paper Check Disbursements. Eligible claimants who fall under certain payment cycles, and who have opted to receive PUA benefits via paper check generally receive their benefits within two to three weeks after vetting by the CNMI DOL.\u00a0 More than 8,000 paper checks have been reviewed and verified by CNMI DOL.\u00a0 In addition, thousands of fraudulent checks have been intercepted and voided that were made out to non-CNMI claimants.\u00a0 It remains the obligation of the CNMI DOL to ensure that the integrity of the program remains intact and will therefore continue to verify all paper checks. Bank Rejections and Violations.\u00a0In early September, many PUA claimants who opted for direct deposit payments were switched to paper check payments as a result of numerous rejections from local banking institutions. Serious concerns involving the\u00a0potential disruption of the CNMI government\u2019s financial management system warranted the initial switch from direct deposit to paper checks. The switch back to direct deposits occurred on Oct. 29, 2020, after\u00a0much deliberation of applicable ACH regulations and banking requirements.<\/p>\n Fraudulent Activity.\u00a0After an initial CNMI DOL audit of paper check payments, findings concluded that more than 1,000 checks were made out to non-CNMI claimants. As a result, and due to the department\u2019s obligation to ensure that no benefits payments were issued to ineligible applicants, the department made efforts to flag all claimants with non-CNMI physical or mailing addresses and offshore accounts on\u00a0hiremarianas.com. The department has also increased its staffing with the Benefits Payment Control Unit to monitor and seize all fraudulent payouts.\u00a0<\/p>\n FPUC Funding.\u00a0On Oct. 29, 2020, CNMI DOL received supplemental FPUC funding from the U.S. Department of Labor for $8 million. This amount was sufficient for all FPUC payments through the Sept. 22\u00a0payment cycle. All FPUC payments after the Sept. 22\u00a0cycle were on hold.\u00a0 As of Thanksgiving Day, the CNMI DOL has been awarded an additional $27.5 million, which is sufficient to cover payment cycles through the month of November. As of Nov. 30, 2020, the Benefits Payment Control Unit has identified 625 overpayment cases worth over $5.5 million.\u00a0 Overpayment activity typically occurs when claimants do not report wage earnings correctly or when claimants commit fraud to obtain PUA benefits.<\/p>\n Of the 625 overpayment cases, 166 cases have been identified by the BPC Unit as out of state\/territory cases. Approximately $1,821,518.31 in fraudulent claims have been intercepted and cut off by the BPC Unit.\u00a0 Since its inception, the BPC Unit has successfully collected $1,153,659.63 in PUA and $1,532,110.95 in FPUC benefits, totaling $2,686,770.58.<\/p>\n Individuals are encouraged to call\u00a0670-989-9095\u00a0to report any perceived instances of wrongdoing or fraud pertaining to PUA\/FPUC. Individuals who file a PUA claim will receive information about their benefit rights and responsibilities. To remain eligible for PUA, individuals must continue to meet all eligibility requirements and conditions found in the\u00a0PUA and FPUC Benefits Rights Information Handbook. The department encourages all applicants to read and understand their unemployment rights. To obtain a copy of the PUA and FPUC handbook, visit\u00a0www.marianaslabor.net\u00a0and click on \u201cForms & Publications\u201d or request a copy from the CNMI Department of Labor, Employment Services Division located at building 1334, Capital Hill Saipan.\u00a0 Individuals who have questions about the PUA\/FPUC programs are encouraged to contact the CNMI DOL via email at\u00a0info@puamarianas.com\u00a0or call the following numbers between 8am and 4pm, Monday to Friday: 322-8870, 322-8872, 322-8874, 322-8877, 322-8879, 322-8871, 322-8873, 322-8876, 322-8878, or 322-8880. (PR)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The CNMI Department of Labor is providing the public with the latest payment updates regarding…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":330354,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[573],"class_list":["post-334539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","tag-dol"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=334539"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334539\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/330354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=334539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=334539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=334539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nPayment delays\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
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\nOverpayments\/fraud collections<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nIndividuals who willfully conceal material facts or knowingly making false statement(s) to obtain PUA to which they are not entitled will be required to repay all benefits fraudulently collected and may be subject to prosecution under 18 U.S.C. 1001.
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\nFurther information<\/strong><\/p>\n
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\nGeneral program inquiries<\/strong><\/p>\n