DETR to require additional steps for some unemployment claimants

Jobless Nevada gig workers and independent contractors will now be required to provide identification verification as part of the unemployment filing process.

The state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation said Monday that it will start requiring Pandemic Unemployment Assistance filers to take additional steps when they file for a new claim or a continued weekly claim, which includes verifying who they are.

DETR said Monday that PUA filers can verify their identity online through a third-party vendor, ID.me, and should follow directions noted in the email message and/or link provided through their claimant account. Filers shouldn’t verify their identity unless instructed to do so.

State workforce agencies are required to verify filers’ identities as part of the $900 billion stimulus package passed by Congress and signed into law by then-President Donald Trump in December. Federal policymakers, when they extended jobless aid in December, wanted to curb fraudulent payments with safeguards in place.

Through the week ending March 13, there have been a total of 1,102,935 PUA initial claims filed in Nevada. Agency leaders have previously said that the number of the jobless claims filed in Nevada surpass the number of people in the state’s workforce.

“We continue to work on combating unemployment fraud while protecting the state and eligible claimants. With high levels of fraudulent claims, we know it can be challenging for claimants to get answers to their questions,” said Lynda Parven, the agency’s Administrator of the Employment Security Division, in a release Monday. “This additional verification process will help to ensure eligible claimants get access to unemployment benefits.”

Contact Jonathan Ng at jng@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ByJonathanNg on Twitter.