The economic downturn associated with COVID-19 has put significant strain on both employers and employees. To help with this situation, the Arvada Resiliency Taskforce has collected an abundance of resources for those who have been forced to lay off staff as well as assistance for those employees that have lost their jobs. With regard to employers, we are asking all businesses in Arvada to take four minutes to complete this COVID-19 IMPACT & OPPORTUNITY SURVEYto help us understand how we can best serve you.
Below find employment resources for employers and employees. We will keep this resource regularly updated.
Resources for Affected Businesses
The State’s Work-Share Program provides an alternative to laying off employees by allowing them to keep working, but with fewer hours. While an employee is working fewer hours, he or she may be eligible to collect part of his or her regular unemployment benefits.
The ability to continue production and maintain quality levels, staff, retention of experienced staff, ease of returning to full production when economic conditions are better, and lower costs for hiring and training new employees.
- You are applying to be in the Program instead of laying off your employees.
- You are reducing the hours of at least 2 employees in a certain unit. You would have laid off at
least that many employees. - You are reducing the work hours of that group by at least 10 percent but by no more than 40
percent. - You will not hire or have other employees work in that group.
- Your employees’ collective-bargaining agent (union), if any, must agree to the plan.
- You cannot get rid of or reduce employees’ benefits that you currently provide. These include
health insurance, retirement/pension benefits, vacation pay and holidays, sick leave, and any
other similar benefits you normally provide.
For more information and to apply for the Work Share Program, please click here.
The State’s Rapid Response program provides guidance and information for larger businesses facing corporate restructuring and downsizing.
Job placement assistance, on-site layoff transition workshops, services to help reduce employee attrition prior to defined layoff date, and more.
For more information, request it via email here.
Employee Retention Tax Credit is a recently created program in the CARES Act is the Employee Retention Tax Credit available to all businesses and tax-exempt organizations.
Allows a 50% refundable tax credit on up to $10,000 in wages per employee, per quarter. The CARES Act also created an advance option for this credit, which can be applied for via this form (7200).
The conditions that need to be met are:
- Business is fully or partially suspended due to a government order during COVID-19 outbreak, OR
- Decline of 50%+ of gross receipts, until gross receipts recover to 80% of a quarter in a prior year (2019)
Employers can be immediately reimbursed for the credit by reducing their required deposits of payroll taxes that have been withheld from employees’ wages by the amount of the credit.
Eligible employers will report their total qualified wages and the related health insurance costs for each quarter on their quarterly employment tax returns or Form 941 beginning with the second quarter. If the employer’s employment tax deposits are not sufficient to cover the credit, the employer may receive an advance payment from the IRS by submitting Form 7200, Advance Payment of Employer Credits Due to COVID-19.
US Department of Labor’s “COVID-19 and the Fair Labor Standards Act Questions and Answers” provides information about laws related to compensation, office closure, and work from home. Click here to read.
Resources for Employees who have had their Jobs Eliminated or Hours Reduced
Colorado Unemployment Insurance
If you have lost your job or have reduced hours or wages you may be eligible for unemployment benefits. Please note, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed some of the requirements of unemployment and some additional assistance will soon become available.
To determine if you are eligible, please visit this page. Currently, this includes employees:
- That, for any reason, has had reduced hours or wages (including hourly
and tipped employees) OR have been furloughed and will be returning to your job; - That has been laid off permanently with no intention of returning to your job; or
- Unable to go to work because the place of employment is closed as a result of an Executive Order or other shelter-in-place order.
All other COVID-19 related claims, including self employed are not yet being accepted. Please bookmark this page and check back often for the latest information.
Regular unemployment benefits (26 weeks) + (Under the CARES ACT – No action needed) $600/week on top of your regular unemployment benefits and up to 13 additional weeks of expanded unemployment benefits.
Please note:
- If your last name begins with a letter from A to M: Please file your unemployment claim on a Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, or after 12 noon on Saturday.
If your last name begins with a letter from N to Z: Please file your unemployment claim on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or before 12 noon on Saturday. - The State of Colorado is waiving the standard waiting-week requirement before benefits can be paid. This waiver applies to all claimants regardless of the reason for filing for any waiting week not yet served as of 03/15/20 and later until the Governor’s Executive Order expires. The waiting week will also be waived in the system, as well as work-search requirements.
At the federal level, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act provides paid family medical leave and paid sick leave for employees directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Neither of these benefits are paid through state unemployment insurance programs. Much more information about the Family First Coronavirus Response Act here.
Many tipped workers might be eligible for assistance by the One Fair Wage Emergency Coronavirus Tipped & Service Worker Support Fund. The Fund seeks to support restaurant workers, delivery drivers, and other tipped workers and service workers who are seeing their income decline during this crisis or can’t work because of quarantines or other health concerns. Click here for more information.
Finding a Job
- Many local Colorado employers hiring right now for thousands of positions. You can find a list of over 25 employers on the Chamber website here.
- Connecting Colorado is part of a state and county-run system that delivers immediate, tangible open positions for your future.
- Indeed.com has a feature to search employers hiring immediately.
- Find jobs available now with the State of Colorado.
Need more assistance?
2-1-1 Colorado: Get Connected. Get Help. Serving all Colorado communities.
2-1-1 Colorado streamlines services and provides one central location where people can get connected to the resources they need. Whether you are searching for a shelter availability, childcare, or rent payment assistance – 2-1-1 can connect you to available resources in your community.
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