Pee Dee unemployed look for relief

By Candace Jarrett
Morning News Reporter
Published: August 10, 2008

As of Tuesday, 31,452 South Carolina residents have received emergency unemployment benefits in the 24 days since Congress enacted the plan to bring relief to people who are out of work.

The S.C. Employment Security Commission handles unemployment insurance claims and has paid out $19,289,990 so far to unemployed, furloughed South Carolinians.

Allen Larson, the commission’s deputy executive director for unemployment insurance, said the emergency unemployment benefits give an additional 13 weeks of pay to people who have lost a job since May 2007, but noted that it’s intended for people who exhaust their regular unemployment benefits.

“Normal unemployment benefits pay half of a worker’s normal weekly salary, up to a maximum of $326,” he said. “The benefits are given up to 26 weeks after a person loses employment, but in the general state of the economy, we’re still having people exhaust each week.”

South Carolina has the nation’s 12th highest unemployment rate at 6.2 percent, according to the latest figures.

Locally, the Pee Dee encompasses six of the state’s top 20 counties with the highest unemployment rates.

Cindy Rogers, area director of the Marion County Workforce Center, said she has had a dramatically increased workload since the emergency plan was approved because her office is responsible for Marion and Dillon counties. As of Tuesday, she said, 965 people filed claims.

Marion County is near the top of the state’s county unemployment rate list at No. 2, with Marlboro County not too far behind at No. 6.

Doris Breeden — area director of the Bennettsville Workforce Center, which serves Marlboro and Chesterfield counties — said a rough estimate of about 400 people have filed emergency claims since July 12.

State offices opened early the weekend of July 12 following the approval of the emergency benefits.

“We opened at 8 a.m. and were there until 6 p.m. that Saturday,” said Connie Ford, area director of the Florence County Workforce Center. “That following Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, we opened again and we were there until 7 p.m. I think people don’t realize that the emergency benefits are an extension of regular unemployment benefit, so we’ve been having to do a lot of explaining of that when people come in.”

Ford said that as of Tuesday, 1,070 people have filed claims at her office since July 12.

Susan Stuckey, area director of the Hartsville Workforce Center in Darlington County, said not only has she had people coming into her office from Darlington County, but also from such areas as Lee County.

“For some people right on the Lee County line, Hartsville is closer than Sumter, so as long as they are willing to work in Darlington County, they can file for support here,” she said. “Last week, we averaged 200 people in here each day. We had almost 3,500 people in here last month, and that is double our normal traffic.”

Stuckey said she’d taken in more than 500 extended benefits claims since July 12.

The S.C. Employment Security Commission should have mailed a notice to those entitled to the federal emergency unemployment benefits.

Anyone who thinks he or she is entitled but did not receive a notice may file a claim at any S.C. Employment Security Commission workforce center.

The emergency benefits are retroactive to May 2007, but all Pee Dee work force directors said it’s important for people not to quit their current jobs to obtain benefits.

The program expires in May 2009.

For more details, visit http://www.sces.org or call (800) 556-7452.