Adjudication unit for unemployment insurance claims launched

Adjudication unit for unemployment insurance claims launched 100 Trained Adjudicators Will Process Claims

The Hawaii State Department of Labor & Industrial Relations (DLIR) today announced that it added significant capacity to reduce the backlog of claims requiring adjudication that involve a higher level of expertise and knowledge to process. The DLIR contracted services with Maximus Inc., which is also operating a virtual call center for the department.

“Even during this COVID-19 Pandemic most applicants received benefits or a monetary determination explaining why they were not eligible within three weeks of filing,” said DLIR Director Anne Eustaquio. “The backlog in eligibility decisions are largely related to whether the claimant quit or was fired or whether the claimant is immediately available for work."

Adjudication is the investigation and resolution of eligibility issues raised and is a manual process that requires interested parties be provided due process to respond to the eligibility issue. Eligibility issues arise from several places including the initial claim, weekly claim, and employer contact, among others.

The adjudicators will call both claimants and employers from an 808 number. Claimants and employers not answering calls have been problematic as some phone network services identify the calls as spam or telemarketers.

For more information about unemployment insurance and other labor issues please visit the recently revised FAQs at https://labor.hawaii.gov/covid-19-labor-faqs/.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Program

Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.

TDD/TTY Dial 711 then ask for (808) 586-8866

View DLIR news releases:

http://labor.hawaii.gov/blog/category/news/

State adds Diagnostic Laboratory Svcs. to list of trusted testing partners for inter-county travel

State adds Diagnostic Laboratory Services to list of trusted testing partners

for inter-county travel. Updates also announced for inter-county travel

The State of Hawai‘i has added Diagnostic Laboratory Services (DLS) to the list of eight other trusted testing partners for inter-county travel. Inter-county passengers arriving in Kauaʻi and Maui counties may bypass the mandatory 14-day quarantine if they take an FDA-authorized Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) from the certified CLIA lab of a trusted testing and travel partner. The test must be taken no earlier than 72 hours prior to departure, and the traveler must receive a negative result to bypass the quarantine requirement.

Beginning today, inter-county travelers to Hawaiʻi County who follow these protocols will have two options to opt out of the 14-day mandatory quarantine. They can either take the test no earlier than 72 hours prior to departure, or they can elect to get a post-arrival test from a trusted partner. This would require the traveler to remain in quarantine until the negative test is reported and verified.

Please see details posted at: https://www.hawaiicounty.gov/Home/Components/News/News/2633/720.

Travelers must register and upload their test results to their Safe Travels Hawaiʻi account and inter-county travelers must have the test result with them upon arrival so airport screeners can review the result.

Those who do not choose to take a pre-travel test or who do not arrive with a negative test result from a trusted testing or travel partner will be subject to the existing 14-day quarantine. Travelers may seek an exemption from the county they are traveling to.

The nine trusted testing partners for inter-county travel are:

• Clinical Laboratories of Hawaii – All lab tests require an order by a licensed healthcare provider in the State of Hawaiʻi. Appointment required. More information at clinicallabs.com.

• CVS Health (Longs) – Appointments may be scheduled up to two days in the future at select CVS Pharmacy drive-thru locations. Tests available for ages 12 and older. Pre-registration required. More information at cvs.com/selfpaytesting.

• Diagnostic Laboratory Services, Inc. (DLS) – All COVID-19 testing at DLS currently requires a lab order and collection by a licensed healthcare provider in the State of Hawaii. More information at dlslab.com/covid-collection

• Hawaiʻi Pacific Health – Testing available at Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children on O‘ahu and Wilcox Medical Center on Kaua‘i in partnership with Clinical Labs of Hawaii. Appointments required at Kapi‘olani and must be scheduled online at clinicallabs.com/covid. No appointment necessary at Wilcox. More information at hawaiipacifichealth.org/covid19testing.

• Kaiser Permanente (for members only) – Kaiser Permanente members may schedule a test online or contact the appointment call center or nurse advice line in their home region for scheduling instructions. Kaiser Permanente members returning home to Hawaiʻi may call the Away-from-Home Travel Line at 951-268-3900 for scheduling instructions. More information at kp.org/travel.

• Minit Medical – Three clinics on Maui with drive-up testing available. Appointment required. More information at 808-667-6161 and Minitmed.com.

• Urgent Care Hawaii – Tests available with online registration at ucarehi.com. Results emailed within 24 hours. Limited walk-ins can be accommodated. More information at 808-797-7980.

• Vault Health – At-home FDA-authorized saliva tests with real-time audio-visual supervision. Tests available for ages five and older. Tests results mailed in 72 hours or less. More information at learn.vaulthealth.com/state-of-Hawaii.

• Walgreens – Testing available at no cost to eligible individuals who meet CDC criteria. Tests available for ages five and older. All drive-thru testing locations operate outdoors, and patients do not leave their vehicles. Appointment required. Request the RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel or Rapid Point of Care (POC) test, which are both approved by the State of Hawaiʻi. More information at walgreens.com/covid19testing.

IRS announces 2021 Tax Counseling for the Elderly and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program Grants

The Internal Revenue Service recently awarded over $36 million in Tax Counseling for the Elderly and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance grants to organizations that provide free federal tax return preparation.

This year, the IRS awarded grants to 34 TCE and 273 VITA applicants. The IRS received 354 applications requesting nearly $80 million.

“These two programs make a huge difference for people in need of tax assistance, and the IRS is proud to award these grants to help these groups perform their important service,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “We appreciate the continuing interest in these programs from our partners, and we greatly appreciate the TCE and VITA volunteers across the country who make a difference for so many taxpayers.”

The TCE program, established in 1978, provides tax counseling and return preparation nationwide to people who are 60 or older. Volunteers receive training and technical assistance.

The VITA program, created in 1969, assists underserved communities, such as low- and moderate-income individuals and limited English proficient taxpayers. VITA grant recipients provide free federal tax return preparation and electronic filing. Congress first appropriated funds in 2007 to establish a grant program. The grant program helps expand VITA services to underserved populations and increases the number of taxpayers able to file electronically.

The IRS forms partnerships with a wide variety of organizations across the country to develop VITA and TCE programs. Community partners include non-profit agencies, faith-based organizations, community centers and large employers. The IRS provides tax law training, certification and oversight to equip these organizations to prepare accurate returns.

For information on applying for the TCE or VITA programs along with a list of current grant recipients, visit the TCE webpage or the VITA webpage.

For details on becoming a TCE or VITA volunteer, visit IRS Tax Volunteers.