COVID-19 Special Enrollment Period for Marketplace Health Insurance

Anyone who lost qualifying coverage since January 2020 but missed their 60-day Special Enrollment window to enroll in private health insurance, may still be able to enroll in coverage. This Special Enrollment Period may also apply to someone who got married, had a baby, or moved coverage areas since January. Call the Marketplace at 1-800-318-2596 to apply, and request a retroactive effective date if you have any unpaid medical bills. If you did not have a SEP-qualifying event since January 1, you are not eligible for this SEP.

Unemployment Insurance Updates

• The $600 supplemental Unemployment Insurance benefit has stopped. NJ has approved an additional $300/week for the weeks ending in August 1, August 8, and August 15. This extra benefit is only for those that were Unemployed due to COVID and eligible for more than $100 of Unemployment benefits per week. It will take time for the benefits to be processed, and nobody will receive them before October. No action needs to be taken to get these benefits at this time.
• If you are waiting for benefits for the time between when you lost your job and when you filed for Unemployment, you need to request those retroactive benefits by speaking to a Department of Labor representative. You can try calling 201-601-4100 or 732-761-2021. Sunday morning may be the shortest wait time. It is difficult to get through to them, but do not worry. The Department of Labor confirmed that all benefits will be retroactive.
• For the full LRRC COVID-19 related paid work leaves FAQ document, visit: https://bit.ly/lrrc19ghfaq

US Census 2020 – Deadline September 30!

If you have not already completed the US Census, please take 5 minutes to complete it online at www.my2020census.gov or by calling 1-844-330-2020. Responses are completely confidential.

Home Buyer Programs – Reminder

If you are considering purchasing a home within the next year or two, we strongly advise that you sign up for an LRRC housing class, which is currently being held via ZOOM due to COVID-19. After attending the first session, you can schedule an appointment with a certified housing counselor who will discuss your eligibility for available mortgage programs that provide lower mortgage rates, have lower down payment requirements with no mortgage insurance, and offer closing cost assistance. To date, we have matched close to 1,000 home buyers with programs offered by various lenders in our area. Some of these home buyers have a relatively high income or already own a home. Unfortunately, clients sometimes contact us when they are too close to closing, and it is too late to access these programs. For this reason, we encourage anyone thinking about buying a home to attend our housing class. For more information, or to schedule a slot in an upcoming housing session, call 732-942-9292 ext. 9-743.