Oklahoma expands eligibility for back-to-work cash incentive cherokeephoenix.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cherokeephoenix.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission announced Thursday that it is expanding the eligibility for cash incentives to those who
Oklahoman
Thousands of Oklahomans who have been unemployed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic are causing a spike in the state s unemployment numbers as they surpass a year without work.
Weekly data reported by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission shows initial unemployment claims doubled over the past month. Virtually all of the new claimants are people who ve been on unemployment for a year and needed to renew their expired claims.
After being on unemployment benefits for 52 weeks, claimants are required by the U.S. Department of Labor to re-file for benefits. It s probably not 100% of (the spike), but I think that s a really good indicator that we re seeing people refiling for their next benefit year and we re seeing those show up in the initial claims, said OESC Executive Director Shelley Zumwalt.