UPDATE MAY 1, 2020
The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS) is now testing the capacity for their newly built system to apply for Pandemic Unemployment Application (PUA). This program is for self-employed workers, independent contractors, freelancers and project-based workers that have lost income related to COVID-19.
You can click on the link below to apply online during the system test between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Friday, May 1 through Sunday, May 3. The online application offers the quickest option. However, you may also call 1-844-908-2178 between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. for assistance in submitting the application.
If you don’t apply during this test phase, you can still apply daily beginning Monday, May 4, 2020.
PUA Application Link – Click Here
ORIGINAL APR 30, 2020
Arkansas residents will be happy if we can get our hair and nails done, and maybe a massage or a tattoo soon, but the workers in this field have been unable to make a living since Thursday March 25th. The government shut down their industry in Arkansas for safety reasons due to COVID-19, but with no financial help and not much communication about it from the government.
Governor Hutchinson will announce on Friday, May 1st whether barbers, hair salons, massage therapists, tattoo artists, nail technicians, and other beauty related businesses will be able to reopen, and when, along with guidelines concerning that. Click to read the directive.
Many have been out of work, and because they are considered self-employed, contract workers (like construction), or gig workers (like musicians, comedians, etc.), they have been ineligible for traditional Unemployment Insurance (UI) in Arkansas. The reason for that is because self-employed people do not pay into UI and therefore cannot receive the benefit from that account. The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS), under the Department of Commerce, has been developing a new system from scratch for that purpose, so that these workers can eventually get compensated for their loss.
Secretary of Commerce Mike Preston announced on April 8th – after those workers had already waited 2 weeks trying to apply on the phone, Internet, or in person, for a weekly unemployment check – that those workers would need to wait another 3 weeks to be able to apply for PUA. That goal date has passed and it has now been a total of over 5 weeks that those workers have been without the ability to practice their state-licensed craft to provide for themselves and their family.
Some musicians have been able to adapt and make a partial income, by performing live shows on social media, and asking for donations. But if you are licensed by the State to cut hair, and you are caught performing those services during this ban, you can face a $50,000 fine as well as losing your license for life.
So where does that leave these workers? I asked questions of ADWS regarding the timeline and terms. Zoë Calkins, Communications Director, gave the following answers outlining the status:
Q.
Is there an estimated time to have the PUA application process open for self-employed, gig workers, etc?
A.
We hope to have the system operational by early next week, if not the end of this week.
Q.
How long is it expected to take between application and receiving a check?
A.
We anticipate having the application portal available by the end of this week. It is anticipated that payments will be issued by the middle of May.
Q.
Will payments be retroactive?
A.
PUA benefits will be retroactive to the week in which an individual was impacted by COVID-19.
Q.
What type of help can these workers expect to get once their profession is reopened, considering it will likely be a cautious, partial reopening?
A.
Similar to individuals who receive regular state UI benefits, individuals receiving PUA benefits may be eligible for partial PUA benefits based on their reduced hours. Individuals will be required to report all hours worked and expected earnings from such work when filing their weekly claims.