How Relief Consultants Are Helping Gig Workers And Small Businesses Claim Their COVID Benefits
By the time COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, small businesses and self-employed gig workers were already feeling the pain and pressure of social distancing and other restrictions put in place to keep people safe. The government worked swiftly to get economic relief to the people who needed it most, but applying and getting approved proved to be complicated as with most federal and state programs. Relief consultants entered the scene to help people receive the benefits they were entitled to. COVID Benefits For Small Businesses And The Self-Employed
The CARES Act helps small businesses get forgivable loans, provides extra unemployment benefits and opens up unemployment claims to gig workers and other self-employed individuals. Traditionally, gig workers aren’t eligible for unemployment, but the CARES Act created the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program to expand eligibility. It also expanded unemployment availability to anyone that was out of work because they came down with COVID or had a family member to care for that was high risk.
Applying for PUA can be done online, but you have to answer many complicated questions and provide documentation. Some people have had trouble getting approved even if they meet all the requirements. Sometimes this is due to oversight; other times is an error on the part of the applicant or the government representative processing the paperwork.
The Paycheck Protection Program was designed to help small businesses keep up with paying their employees even though their businesses were closed or had restrictions placed on them in order to help slow the spread of the pandemic. Unfortunately, many of these 1% interest, potentially forgivable loans inappropriately went to larger businesses and left true small business owners out in the cold.
Many People Need Help Navigating The COVID Relief System
American workers whose incomes were being limited by the virus were stuck having to fill out confusing paperwork, wedding through the application and appeals processes, and waiting on hold with unemployment services for hours on end. Unemployed gig workers and small business owners who qualified for the programs were getting rejected due to glitches and errors and giving up. They needed advocates that were trained in how to navigate the system.
Shocked that people who were in danger of losing their homes and livelihoods would be left out in the cold like that, relief consultants got to work helping people get approved for funds and receive all the relief benefits they had missed out on. Sometimes these sums were in the tens of thousands of dollars.
How To Work With A Relief Consultant To Recover Your Funds
Working with a relief consultant is easy. They will meet with you over the phone in a free consultation to get a feel for your personal situation. They will then help get your claims unstuck from the complicated and antiquated government systems. Their payment is a small fee that is collected only if they successfully recover your funds. There is no risk of having to payout money if your claims are not resolved.