The COVID-19 outbreak has directly impacted many industries and their employees, with layoffs are happening at record levels. Here is how to file an unemployment claim in Georgia because of coronavirus.
If you are laid off, or your work hours and pay are reduced because of the coronavirus, you have the option to file for unemployment benefits in Georgia. This is true all over Georgia, including in the major metro counties of Fulton, Cobb, Clayton, Gwinnett, Douglas, Dekalb, Cherokee and Forsyth.
The Georgia Department of Labor has created a section on its website [https://dol.georgia.gov/blog/new-information-filing-unemployment-partial-claims-and-reemployment-services ] which lays out information on:
(1) How to file an unemployment claim in Georgia; and
(2) Mandatory filings by employers for partial claims and reemployment services.
The GA Department of Labor (GADOL) is temporarily suspending in-person requirements for services provided by the agency. Instead, the GADOL is providing internet access to unemployment services. This is because of the coronavirus, and the need to practice social distancing, recommended by the CDC.
Employers must file partial claims for their employees whenever it is necessary to temporarily reduce or limit work hours, or there is no work available due to the coronavirus. The employer will be required to reimburse the GADOL for the total amount of unemployment insurance benefits paid to the employee if the employer violates this rule. The GADOL website is a wealth of information regarding:
How to file an unemployment claim – This form explains how individuals must file for an unemployment claim due to the coronavirus, using the GADOL online system.
How employers file partial claims – Employers must file partial claims on behalf of employees if there is no work available or if it becomes necessary to temporarily reduce work hours due to COVID-19. This form explains how to do that.
Contacts for reemployment – The GADOL has various Labor Exchange Reemployment services. This helpful list provides telephone numbers and email addresses for those services.
Notably, many people with workers’ compensation claims have been working on light duty. However, with the outbreak of coronavirus, these injured workers are being laid off in record numbers.
If this has happened to you, call Morrison & Hughes for a free consultation regarding your rights, and whether you qualify to file an unemployment claim in Georgia due to the coronavirus (404) 382-7439.
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