Members pinkfloydcramer61 Posted August 17, 2020 Members Share Posted August 17, 2020 It looks like things have changed (at least in MS) to where you now have to document a work search when you file to get benefits for the previous week. You're required to apply at 3 different places per week, same as regular employees..ok fair enough. Was wondering how others here (all 3 of you!) are handling it for gig employment (assuming rules are the same for your state). A friend of mine furnished the names of 3 venues she had played pre-COVID, and checked the box "left resume, didn't get hired". And it was accepted. That's not Kosher (she didn't actually contact the places or send a resume) but she's a bit of an airhead/pothead. I told her that she might get away with it if she didn't get audited. Was I wrong? Please take note, I didn't start a thread for the purpose of discussing how you can get away with scamming Uncle Sam. And if it goes that way, needs to be deleted. I didn't file for the PUA until 6 weeks ago but I reported everything I made gigging during that time, and it wasn't taken out of my benefits (not sure, but that may have changed, too). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted August 19, 2020 Moderators Share Posted August 19, 2020 You are right, but considering how many people are on the dole these days, chances of getting audited is a slim to none. I would still make the rounds, as it were, so that if they happened to spot check you, you were on the up and up. Not sure what the requirements are, but even an email to the booking agent for the clubs should be adequate to show intent. Since most bars are still closed, I don't see how they can really zap you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members leftyjay Posted August 24, 2020 Members Share Posted August 24, 2020 with me, I dont play public venues. All my gigs are private venues where people buy tickets ahead of time. They are gated communities. They cant have those dances/concerts. In Florida, public venues that serve food are able to have 50% occupancy. I dont play those kind of venues. If I did play those venues, I would either "have" to go back to playing them, or sit it out without benefits. Fortunately, after struggling to get PUA for 3 months, I was finally able to get it after the local news station offered help to get my info to the DEO. I did not get benefits for those 3 months (apr-may-june). After they ok'd me, the payments started from there. I had friends from out west that received big payments for unemployment starting April 1st in access of $5800. I had to submit my last years tax form, all 1099's, all my separate contracts for each gig lost. the contracts had all the info the DEO needed so they could research my claims. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted August 24, 2020 Members Share Posted August 24, 2020 I'm completely out of work in Florida. My repeated attempts to get help have been denied, but that's OK. Our mortgage is paid off, our cars are paid off, we get social security, and we have a savings and a small IRA. Since we are 'sheltering at home' there isn't much to spend money on other than groceries. Hopefully sooner or later we'll be able to gig again. Insights and incites by Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members leftyjay Posted August 25, 2020 Members Share Posted August 25, 2020 also, in Florida, they only let you go online to update your status of unemployment. You have to submit for each week that you are still unemployed and that it is because of the covid virus, and that you've been in contact with your employers. They let you update every 2 weeks. A lot of people get messed up because you have to update each week separately (you have to update 2 times). People thought you update once and you're good to go. Nope. Florida lowered the amount from $600 to $300 for PAU per week. For most musicians, that is more than they make for 2 gigs. I was making really good money playing 4-5 nights a week at 500-600 per gig. so 300 barely keeps me afloat. i wished they would retroactive the months I lost early on, but then, i feel fortunate to get anything at all, so i wont sqwabble over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted August 27, 2020 Moderators Share Posted August 27, 2020 take what you can get...it may all vanish suddenly...like the Chinese virus... I would think there should be some way to get retroactive payments, considering how impossible it was to file at the beginning? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pinkfloydcramer61 Posted August 27, 2020 Author Members Share Posted August 27, 2020 leftyjay, you have to request to backdate (retroactive) the PUA before they will do it, and then they won't backdate any more than 3-4 weeks at most. I know you have probably done this, just making sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted August 27, 2020 Moderators Share Posted August 27, 2020 well, see, there you go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members leftyjay Posted August 27, 2020 Members Share Posted August 27, 2020 main problem is, there is no way to contact them other than an email. i haven't been able to contact a person on their phone number. there are no call backs, so you cant leave a message. there is no place on their website to add to a request for other dates. Use to be, but they cut that out early July. I've even tried to contact representatives around the state that can point me in a direction. then again, i consider myself fortunate that i've got anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pinkfloydcramer61 Posted August 28, 2020 Author Members Share Posted August 28, 2020 My state has a dedicated phone # for self-employed PUA, but it still takes as long as 1-2 hours sometimes to get through so it's still hellish. We're roughly 1/7 the population of FLA so maybe that makes a difference. I would keep emailing, it seems that eventually they would at least have to give you an answer. Check out your state's dept. of employment security page (FLES?) on FB and maybe if you wade through the noise and nonsense you can get some idea of what to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted August 29, 2020 Members Share Posted August 29, 2020 Our state does everything it can to keep unemployed people 'off the dole' while it gives billions of dollars per year to big sugar. We even have the taxpayers financing their pollution clean up and control while they make zillions of dollars. Who's on the dole? Hmmmmm. Our system is designed to fail. No phone, and an online system designed to crash, so that if you can't fill out the form, you aren't even counted as unemployed. And the people re-elect the same jerks. Go figure. Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted August 30, 2020 Moderators Share Posted August 30, 2020 now you know what the 'F' stands for... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pinkfloydcramer61 Posted September 1, 2020 Author Members Share Posted September 1, 2020 On 8/29/2020 at 9:06 AM, Notes_Norton said: Our state does everything it can to keep unemployed people 'off the dole' while it gives billions of dollars per year to big sugar. Big Sugar, I like it! Would be a great name for a blues artist! 🙃But yes, the situation you describe does suck and I sympathize. Things would be entirely different if the other gubernatorial candidate had won- the one that was found passed out in a hotel room with a male prostitute and meth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted September 2, 2020 Members Share Posted September 2, 2020 On 9/1/2020 at 12:43 PM, pinkfloydcramer61 said: Big Sugar, I like it! Would be a great name for a blues artist! 🙃But yes, the situation you describe does suck and I sympathize. Things would be entirely different if the other gubernatorial candidate had won- the one that was found passed out in a hotel room with a male prostitute and meth. Indeed. But big sugar on the dole goes back way before the present governor. Here in Florida, the state is so gerrymandered and there is so much voter suppression that even though we have more registered democrats than republicans, and even though the democrats usually still get the majority of the votes, they seldom win. I'm a moderate swing voter, and the gerrymandering and voter suppression annoys me, as it goes against the very definition of democracy. Elections for me have become trying to figure out which candidate is the lesser of the two evils. Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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