On July 1, VACo hosted a webinar with staff from the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) to discuss the approximately 877,000 unemployment claims that been filed in Virginia since March 15 as a result of the impacts of COVID-19 and other economic factors. As the nation struggles to recover from unemployment rates not seen since the Great Depression, Jason Padgett and Conrad Buckler of VEC provided VACo members with information and resources that counties are encouraged to share with their citizens. They also addressed potential long-term costs to employers and local governments through rises in unemployment insurance taxes to replenish the VEC Trust Fund that has been seriously depleted as a result of the unprecedented surge in unemployment claims.
A recording of the webinar and the PowerPoint used can be found here and here, respectively.
VACo Contact: Jeremy R. Bennett