WIOA (Workers Investment Opportunities Act) will begin disbursing payments to November and December recipients of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), reported Josephine Ulengchong, WIA Director.
“We have just received the $5 million supplemental and we will begin disbursement this Friday to those that have not received the November and December payments,” reported Ms. Ulengchong in a phone interview with Island Times.
The $5 million is the balance of the initial $19 million awarded to Palau under the US CARES Act. The first $14 million was disbursed to Palau last year and was depleted by October of 2020. To access this remaining balance, Palau’s WIOA program had to provide reports of the funds disbursement and undergo an audit.
Director Ulengchong in previous interview with Island Times expressed that because this was the first time for this particular United States grant to be extended to Palau, the program was closely monitored and audited by the United States agencies.
Assistance under the Continued Assistance Act of 2020 (CAA), Ulengchong said that they will begin receiving applications on February 22nd. “We have not received the award notice yet but we will begin processing applications and when we do receive the grant, we will pay back January to February,” added Director Ulengchong.
She further clarified that under the new CAA grant, the application is only open to employees laid off from businesses that “temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic”.
Applicants need to bring documents such as original identification cards, boat operator licenses when they come to apply. For more information on what is needed, applicants are encouraged to call WIOA Office at 488-2513.
WIOA to disburse November and December payments
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Is there a way for Josephine Ullengchong to talk to the people in the US Dept. Of Labor to live out the part of the rules and regulation regarding companies that have opened to cater to Local Tourism while our borders are still closed. There are many employees who were laid-off due due to Covid-19 and our borders are still closed. It is so sad that the people who were qualified for WIOA that got the first, second, and third distribution of help and stopped because of companies opening to cater locals and the still Laid-Off employees of those companies who opened are not eligible for the help. Laid-Off employees have been out of work since we closed our borders and the meaning of PUA is Pandemic Unemployment Assistant. THE CARES-ACT IS SUPPOSED TO GO TO THE UNEMPLOYED WHETHER THE COMPANIES ARE CLOSED OR NOT BECAUSE OUR BORDERS ARE STILL CLOSED. The President or the Vice President is supposed to help in any way they can to resolve this situation as the Vice President is the Minister os State. This falls her lap. That is my deepest concern regarding about this matter. The President and Vice-President should fight for the people of Palau.