The latest statistics from the state show that the state’s dire unemployment picture is beginning to take a turn for the better.

The Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) reported on Friday that the number of “continued claims” — which reflect people filing for benefits for successive weeks — has ticked down for the first time since the pandemic began. There were 343,030 continued claims filed through the week ending May 23, down 26,011 claims, or 7 percent from the prior week.

The “insured unemployment” rate, in turn, has dropped from its peak a week earlier. That number, which is a ratio of people eligible for regular state unemployment benefits who are receiving them, is 24.9 percent, a drop of 1.8 percentage points from a week earlier. 

Officials also reported that through last Saturday, there have been 495,840 initial claims for unemployment filed in 2020, including 474,488 in the last 11 weeks.

Asked in a video call with reporters if she’s seeing evidence that moves to reopen the economy are helping improve the unemployment picture, DETR Director Heather Korbulic said she expects to see more people getting jobs as the state enters Phase 2 of business reopenings, which began Friday.

“I think there are a few indicators that could demonstrate that we are seeing at least some movement,” she said. “This is reporting through May 23. As we continue into this week, when we report next week, I think we’ll see more increases there.”

Korbulic said her office, while trying to get payments out quickly to Nevadans, is also staffing up to combat a “significant” amount of fraud and recapture money that ends up diverted to bad actors instead of rightful beneficiaries. She said her agency is working with state and federal law enforcement to address the matter.

Unemployment for independent workers

Korbulic provided a status update on the long-awaited Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program that supports self-employed and gig workers historically ineligible for unemployment insurance benefits. The program, authorized by Congress in late March, was launched earlier this month and began payouts on Wednesday.

As of 7 a.m. Friday, the system had received 79,589 initial claims for PUA, and claims for 542,261 weeks’ worth of benefits (claimants can seek back pay for weeks of unemployment starting early this year). It’s not clear how many of those claims or weeks have been paid.

As of Friday morning, the system has paid out $36 million in base PUA benefits and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation. The latter refers to $600 weekly payments that come in tandem with the lower PUA base pay amounts.

“While there have been tens of thousands of Nevadans who have successfully filed claims in the PUA system, a small subset of filers are experiencing difficulties,” Korbulic said on the video call. “This is a new system. PUA is new, and we continue to work closely with our vendor on the architecture of the system in order to resolve claims as quickly as possible.”

DETR staff has not yet determined how many unique individuals have applied for unemployment benefits in Nevada. While they track standard initial claims for unemployment, and initial PUA claims, there may be overlap between the two groups especially if someone first filed for regular unemployment and was then determined to be ineligible.

Fighting fraud, staffing up, coronavirus case

Korbulic said that her agency is taking proactive steps to prevent abuses of the system, but that “we are seeing … a significant amount of fraud.”

She said employees have been trying to detect and prevent fraud at the onset of the claims process, but that the agency would also be devoting resources to recouping money that was paid out to improper claims. DETR is “actively partnering with state and federal law enforcement partners to combat these efforts to funnel assistance and benefits away from Nevadans,” Korbulic said.

She encouraged people to report incidents of suspected fraud using a process outlined on DETR’s website.

DETR has been hiring and training employees to assist with claims, adjudication and fraud. New groups of workers in both the north and south are coming on board on Monday, “so we’re hoping to see an increase in calls that can be answered,” Korbulic said.

She added that the agency is recruiting for about 140 positions.

Korbulic also acknowledged that DETR was notified of a positive case of coronavirus in its office — something that came to light when Gov. Steve Sisolak said he visited the call center last week, learned of a positive case and then had to quarantine and get tested. His test turned up negative.

Korbulic said the workspace was deep-cleaned and staff are required to wear face coverings and practice social distancing at work.

Tips for filers

Korbulic offered claimants advice on how to navigate the unemployment process.

• Check out the library of resources on the DETR website for answers to frequently asked questions and instructions on how to file claims.
• If you already filed a claim on the standard UI system and are now seeking PUA, use existing login credentials to file the PUA claim. If you have difficulty, use the “forgot username/password” link
• To determine if your claim requires additional action or was denied, log in to the system at employnv.gov and review messages about the status of the claim.
• Mailing in supporting documentation is the fastest way to get that to DETR. Fax and email is not advised.