Following Gov. Carney’s State of Emergency declaration, the Secretary of Labor of the State of Delaware issued new guidelines to enhance the availability of unemployment insurance benefits to COVID-19 affected workers who would not typically quality for benefits.
Unemployment benefits now cover workers who:
- are ordered by a medical doctor to self-quarantine as a result of exposure or risk of exposure to COVID-19 (the stay-at-home order does not qualify as a self-quarantine by a medical doctor)
- are forced to quit or take unpaid leave to care for a child as a result of the Governor’s emergency closure of schools
- are forced to quit or take unpaid leave to care for a loved one who has contracted COVID-19
- fall ill to COVID-19 and are unable to work
- experience a decrease in hours or earnings due to the Governor’s State of Emergency
Importantly, part-time workers may be eligible for benefits if they meet one of the above categories.
Additionally, work search requirements have been eased. In some cases, a claimant who files for unemployment benefits as a result of COVID-19 need not continue to search for work during the State of Emergency. The state has also eased requirements for mandatory appointments, training programs, and re-employment service appointment and workshops.
The Delaware Department of Labor has committed to processing unemployment benefits as quickly as possible. The one-week waiting period has been waived. The DDOL hopes to provide benefits to claimants within a week of processing the claim, though it is important to note that other states have seen a bank up in processing due to the volume of new claims.
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