Oklahoma
State Senate
Senator Micheal Bergstrom
Senator Micheal Bergstrom
Senate
District 1
May 1, 2020
Capitol
Considerations by Senator Micheal Bergstrom
Uemployment
and reopening the state
As
Oklahoma prepares to fully reopen over the next month, there have
been many questions about unemployment benefits and who will remain
eligible, as well as how the reopening will take place.
As
most everyone knows, the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission
(OESC) has had its problems. Let’s just say they started off
understaffed and with an antiquated system to deal with the situation
that COVID-19 put us in.
OESC’s call center staffing
started at 26 and now it’s at more than 500. The website has
undergone a major upgrade to allow a higher volume of applications to
be processed in a quicker time period. So, if you have lost your job,
the easiest way to apply for unemployment benefits should be online
at oesc.ok.gov.
But for many, that has not been
the reality. In the last couple weeks, my assistant and I have
assisted hundreds of individuals who couldn’t get their benefits
straightened out. That, by the way, is what we’re here to do.
For
those of you without an income because of the pandemic, it is
imperative that you get the help to get by. However,
it’s important to remember that unemployment compensation is not a
long-term solution.
It is great that those who lost
their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic may receive not only the
standard unemployment benefit, but also an extra $600 per week from
the federal CARES Act. As a result, there are some making more money
on unemployment than they made at their jobs.
But what if your employer
reopens? What if the business gets the federal Payroll Protection
Plan funding and tells employees to come back to work?
First, remember that unemployment
benefits are intended to be a stopgap; temporary.
If an employer reopens and an
employee chooses not to return thinking he or she can make more on
unemployment, that’s a big mistake.
If
you don’t go back to work you will lose your unemployment benefits.
This
point was emphasized during a conversation I participated in with
U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia a couple days ago.
He made it clear that a person’s eligibility for unemployment
expires when he or she fails to return to work.
So, let’s look at where we are
in Oklahoma and at the Governor’s recommended guidelines.
Phase
one of the state’s reopening began on April 24 when personal care
businesses like nail and hair salons, barbershops, spas and pet
groomers were to open in most of
the state
as long as they follow social distancing and health protocols from
the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Restaurants, entertainment and
sporting venues, movie theaters and gyms were to open on May 1 with
similar protocols. Churches are asked to leave every other pew or row
open.
If we do not see a surge in
cases, we should move to phase two of the plan on May 15 with the
reopening of organized sports activities and bars, again with social
distancing.
Should everything remain stable,
phase three begins on June 1.
What’s in phase three? Not much
detail yet, but summer and church camps should feel free to open at
this point.
The steps to reopen the economy
are in place and I’m excited for Oklahomans to get back to work.
Although there is light at the end of the tunnel, please remember
that things will not simply go back to normal. We will want to be
careful as we move forward, especially in regard to protecting our
most vulnerable.
At the same time, Oklahoma must
get back to work so we can rebuild our economy and return to our
daily lives.
Thank
you for allowing me to serve you. If I can help you during this time,
please reach out to my office. You can email me at
Micheal.Bergstrom@oksenate.gov
or call 405-521-5561.
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MAKE
IT COUNT OKLAHOMA!
An undercount in the census of just 2 percent can cost the state $1.8
billion in lost federal money over the next 10 years. Fill out your
census form, Oklahoma. Learn more at: www.2020census.gov.
