With thousands of Illinois residents still unable to receive and apply for unemployment benefits, State Representative Charlie Meier (R-Okawville) is urging the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) to “stop making excuses, bring in extra help and start accepting applications for unemployment benefits.”
“It’s been 14 days since President Trump signed the CARES Act into law to provide unemployment assistance and 25 days since Governor Pritzker’s executive order put thousands out of work to help combat the coronavirus. I realize and respect the seriousness of this pandemic, however, the Governor put thousands of people on unemployment. It’s time for the state government to work faster to help our residents when they need it most. Stop the delay and begin accepting applications for unemployment immediately.”
President Trump signed the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) on March 27th. The rescue package includes up to four months of unemployment assistance for self-employed and contracted individuals, recent college graduates and new job entrants. As of today, the state of Illinois is still not accepting unemployment applications for these individuals.