Social Protection issues 500k payments
by Niall Shanahan
 
 Staff at the department have received and processed 389,000 applications for the Covid-19 Unemployment Payment, the equivalent of a 19-month claim load in just two weeks.
Staff at the department have received and processed 389,000 applications for the Covid-19 Unemployment Payment, the equivalent of a 19-month claim load in just two weeks.

Staff at the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP) completed the processing of just over half a million individual payments up to the end of last week.

 

DEASP payments of the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (283,000), and standard jobseeker payments (201,000) were made last Friday (27th March).

 

Wage subsidy payments under the Employer Refund Scheme (25,000) were also completed on Friday. The Employer Refund Scheme is administered by the Revenue Commissioners on behalf of the DEASP.

 

The number of applicants for the standard jobseeker payments saw an increase of 19,000 on the figure at the end of February. All payments issued were in customers’ bank accounts, or at their local post office, from Tuesday (31st March).

 

The DEASP said the level of payments reflects the unprecedented demand for the Department’s income supports over the past two weeks.

 

Huge effort

 

Fórsa official Paul MacSweeney said the volume of processed payments within such a short timeframe demonstrated the extent to which union members had stepped up to the challenge presented by the Covid-19 crisis:

 

“Staff themselves are continuing to adjust to the effects of the crisis, and we’ve had some issues to deal with along the way. The scale of their effort and commitment is there for all to see.

 

“Our members in DEASP and in Revenue have stepped up to what may well be the biggest single challenge of their working lives. The work they’re doing is vital to providing the necessary financial supports to those who’ve been hit hard by the economic effect of Covid-19. That’s why the speed of processing the payments is so crucial, and our members can take pride in the amazing work they’ve done, and continue to do,” he said.

 

Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

 

Since its launch on 16th March, the DEASP received and processed 389,000 applications for the Covid-19 Unemployment Payment, the equivalent of a 19-month claim load in just two weeks.

 

In a statement the DEASP said more than 66,000 duplicate applications were received, of which 88% have been put into payment. The large volume of duplicate applications has consumed a significant amount of staff time, delaying both the processing of valid claims and the contacting of people who have submitted incomplete or incorrect claims.

 

The department said some payments were withheld for various reasons, including not meeting eligibility criteria, invalid PPS numbers or IBAN details. It said staff are working very hard to resolve any issues with legitimate applications and is contacting the people concerned directly over the next few days. 

 

The DEASP employs approximately 6,000 staff. Of these, as a temporary contingency measure in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, approximately 2,300 are currently working remotely, and the department is trying to increase this number.

 

In the interests of the public health advice and the restrictions on movements, the department continues to advise that people submit their applications online (HERE) where they can apply for:

  • The Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment
  • Enhanced Illness Benefit for Covid-19 including for self-isolation cases
  • Jobseeker’s Payment

People can also arrange to close their Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment via the website.

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