Puerto Rico residents have until Friday to claim $1,200 incentive
Individuals residing in Puerto Rico during the year 2019 or 2020 have until Friday to request the $1,200 economic incentive approved by the federal government earlier this year to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, Treasury Department Secretary Francisco Parés-Alicea said.
“We urge citizens who have not completed the CARES Act financial aid application to do so as soon as possible,” Parés-Alicea said, adding that links to the online application will be live until Dec. 18 at 11:59 p.m.
Since the U.S. Department of the Treasury approved the distribution plan on May 1, 2020, some $2.7 billion has been disbursed to approximately 1.8 million families.
He said the local agency has established several options to address different situations that have held individuals back from getting their financial aid, “mainly for reasons beyond the agency’s control,” such as checks returned by the US Postal Service.
Parés-Alicea said people who haven’t received their stimulus check and meet the eligibility requirements, may ask for a credit or reimbursement on their 2020 tax returns — even if they are not in the obligation of filing one. The Treasury Department will offer more details on that process down the road, he said.
“We know there are other cases of individuals who haven’t yet received the aid due to discrepancies in the name or the number that appears on their Social Security card,” he said.
“These people can send a message through their SURI account or through the SURI Assistance link, with a copy of their Social Security card, to be able to validate their information with the Department,” he said.
In the case of individuals who requested to receive the aid by check and have not yet received it, they should verify with Treasury if the postal service has been returned it prior to making a claim. This process should also be done through the SURI platform, he said.
