For updates, questions, and concerns please reference these resources listed below:
Covid19 Q&A
https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses
NH DHHS webpage for COVID-19
Center for Disease Control
World Health Organization
Heritage Emergency National Task Force COVID-19 Resource Hub
NH residents can call either 2-1-1 or 1-866-444-4211 for a 24/7 hotline for COVID-19 general questions or to report symptoms.
NH Governor Executive Orders
Orders related to COVID-19 are linked through the NHSL homepage, click here to access the website.
Disinfect your Devices
Click here to view information on how to properly clean your phones and electronic devices, to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
NH Scam Alerts
NH Attorney General’s Charitable Trusts Unit issues as result of COVID-19.
Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald and New Hampshire Employment Security Commissioner George Copadis urge New Hampshire citizens to practice increased vigilance when asked to provide personal information over the telephone or via email by entities claiming to provide unemployment benefits as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Here are some helpful tips:
- New Hampshire Employment Security [NHES] will NEVER send you a TEXT asking for
information. - While NHES will call individuals and will send e-mail messages providing and requesting
information. They will NEVER send you a text providing or requesting information. - NH Employment Security will NEVER ask for your CREDIT CARD information.
- While NHES does need to request personal information in order to be able to determine
eligibility for benefits and to then pay those benefits, the department will NEVER request your
credit card information. If such a request is made, immediately hang up the phone or if
requested on a website, then immediately close the website and browser and then delete your
browsing activity from your PC or smartphone. - When in doubt HANG UP and call the HOTLINE.
- Caller ID can be masked so beware of incoming calls. If you receive a call and feel
uncomfortable providing information to the caller because you are unsure of its legitimacy,
HANG UP immediately and call back the UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE HOTLINE
603-271-7700, to ensure you are speaking with a real representative from New Hampshire
Employment Security. - New Hampshire Employment Security does NOT partner with any outside organizations in the processing or payment of unemployment benefits.
- If you receive a call from someone representing themselves as “partnering” with New Hampshire Employment Security to process unemployment claims due to the high volume, this is a scam. HANG UP IMMEDIATELY! Only state employees process claims and payments.
- Filing for Unemployment Benefits is FREE. The State of New Hampshire processes unemployment claims for free. Customers should stay away from any site that charges a fee for this service.
- Return Calls being made during non-traditional business hours. New Hampshire Employment Security is experiencing unprecedented volume on both its website and the hotline. This requires agency representatives to make return calls to people outside of normal business hours, including nights and weekends. Receiving a return call outside of normal business hours is therefore not unusual in this current environment. However, if you are unsure then HANG UP!
- Hang up the phone if you are uncomfortable. If you previously registered for New Hampshire unemployment benefits at www.nhes.nh.gov/ call back the Unemployment Assistance Hotline at 603 271-7700
- Never provide any personal information such as your social security number or date of birth without verifying the person with whom you are communicating
- Never provide any banking information without verifying the person with whom you are communicating
- Never deposit suspicious or unexpected checks into your account. Remember that even if your
bank makes funds available from a deposit that does not mean the check is good. It could still be fraudulent or forged and you could be responsible to replace those funds; - Never wire funds to strangers. Make sure you know the person very well before sending them money through a wire service like Western Union or MoneyGram
- Do not open any unsolicited emails or attachments if they are not from a familiar or trusted source or contain suspicious subject lines or no subject line at all even if from a recognized sender
- Beware of emails that link to a website that lacks details about who is running the company, where it is based or does not have a phone number to contact the company; and
- If the offer appears “too good to be true”, it probably is
Legal Support and More
The NHDHHSPIO web page for NH residents has provided information about prevention strategies, financial help, mental health support & more. Click to view this resources.
NH Legal Assistance COVID19 web resources, covering community topics such as social security, unemployment, Medicaid, food stamps, domestic violence, etc.: https://www.nhla.org/blog/NHLA-Community-Guidance-for-COVID-19-crisis-entry-76
Clickable PDF with info from NH Legal Assistance blog entry above: http://nhlibrarians.org/community-guidance-for-covid-19-crisis/
Email to NHAIS-L 4/3/2020 Re: Domestic Violence Resources: http://nhlibrarians.org/domestic-violence-nhais-email-4-3-2020/
NH Supreme Court guide to in-person court proceedings during COVID-19: https://www.courts.state.nh.us/supreme/orders/3-16-20-order.pdf
U.S. Department of Labor/ Unemployment Info
The US DOL has added updates on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Questions and Answers page; there are now answers to 79 Q&As as the Department continues to answer questions that are coming in. You can continue to submit your questions to the national online dialogue. Also, visit their website for updates daily, including a recorded webinar for residents who can’t work or have reduced hours due to COVID-19.
To immediately access unemployment benefits visit this website: https://www.nhes.nh.gov/ or call 603-271-7700.
The US Small Business Administration has issued low-interest disaster loans to help businesses and homeowners recover from declared disasters. NH small business can benefit form this resource, click for more information.
Other US DOL Resources:
Guidance on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
Governor Sununu News Release: NH Boosts Unemployment Benefits, Federal Government to Pay
NYTimes article about CARES Act FAQS
PDF with info from NH Legal Assistance
Local Crisis Centers
One of the largest barriers to providing services for survivors right now is that it is not safe for a victim to call a crisis center advocate while their abuser is at home- and with the state of the world, they are almost always home. One way the Crisis Centers are working to reach victims is by establishing chat and text based services, which are a safer alternative to phone calls. Contact the Crisis Center of Central New Hampshire to link directly to their chat service using: https://www.resourceconnect.com/cccnh/chat (Please note clicking on this link will inform an advocate that someone is in the queue- to allow them to provide their energy and services to those in need please do not click on the link).
Mental Health/Wellness Resources
From NH Employee Assistance Program – “Tips on Coping with COVID19”
From NH Employee Assistance Program – “Strategies to Reduce Fear”
Why Online Meetings Are Wearing Us Out article (Psychology Today, 4/17/2020)
The Reason Zoom Calls Drain Your Energy article (BBC, 4/22/2020)
Disability Rights Center about COVID-19 and People with Disabilities
Click here to view this website and find more information about people with disability during COVID-19.
Vermont Department of Libraries
The library has put together a great resource page for COVID-19