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What you need to do so you don't lose your unemployment benefits

One Iowa man's benefits lapsed because he didn't reapply for the state and federal assistance. Now, he's struggling to make ends meet.

DES MOINES, Iowa — If you've been filing for unemployment benefits for the past year, there are a few things you need to do to make sure you keep your benefits. 

First, you have to reapply for unemployment annually. This means filing a new claim, not just claiming your weekly benefits. 

Second, know there will be a break in benefits, which could last several weeks.  

According to the Iowa Workforce Development website, that's because the federal government requires the state to review claims for state eligibility first. 

Finally, continue filing weekly claims if you're not working or you're working reduced hours. 

Payments will be backdated if a person is eligible for benefits. 

One Clinton man is now struggling to get his benefits after they lapsed.

Doug Behrendt said before the pandemic, he filed for unemployment once in his life. He got the assistance for three months. 

"I've been working since I was seven," Behrendt said. "I'm 60. I worked 53 years of my life. Now, with this pandemic, everybody has paid a price. Everybody's family has been affected in some way. I've been hit pretty hard."

Last April, Behrendt filed for unemployment after losing his job.

The state backdated the payments to March 28.

For months, payments were coming in without a problem. 

That changed in January, and now, Behrendt said the state owes him $2,500 in benefits. 

"I can't buy toilet paper or dish soap, laundry soap - I've been doing laundry in a bathtub with no soap, Behrendt said. "I have no shampoo, no razors, no nothing. These people don't seem to understand incidental things like that, things people take for granted. When you don't have them and you have no money or access to buy them, they're very important."

Behrendt said a variety of things contributed to the backlog. 

First, the state missed a payment in January. 

That's because the state switched how they were paying some people and incorrectly inputted some data into their system. 

Behrendt was one of those people. 

Second, during several calls with IWD trying to get his January payment, Behrendt learned he was the victim of identity theft.

This resulted in his account being frozen. 

Finally, once the fraud issue got worked out and Behrendt thought he'd be getting paid again, his benefits lapsed. 

He thought he had until mid-April to re-file since that's when he filed his initial claim, but he learned recently he needed to refile by March 28, the date his initial claim was backdated to. 

On top of all this, Behrendt just lost his son to COVID in January. 

"My son passes so I have his funeral expenses, then I get a missed payment, then a few weeks later, boom, I get hit with fraud and I haven't been paid since," Behrendt said. "I don't know where to turn."

With thousands of dollars in bills piling up, Behrendt doesn't know what to do.

He has refiled for benefits but said IWD told him the earliest he could get paid is the end of next week. 

"The problem is, I can't wait a week," Behrendt said. "I'm going to be I'm going to be homeless in less than a week or without power."

Local 5 reached out to Iowa Workforce Development to get more information on Behrendt's case and to find out what others need to do so they don't find themselves in situations like this. 

We also asked them if they're getting complaints about communication problems from claimants. 

As of now, we're still waiting to hear back. 

Watch: What to do if you are a victim of unemployment fraud

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