U.S. gig workers seeking coronavirus jobless benefits hit bureaucratic wall By Reuters

By Tina Bellon

(Reuters) – Uber and Lyft drivers are hitting a wall in their efforts to apply for the coronavirus jobless benefits promised by Congress as state agencies say they are not ready to handle a class of workers who are totally new to the U.S. unemployment system.

Gig workers classified as independent contractors by platforms such as Uber Technologies (NYSE:) Inc, Lyft Inc (NASDAQ:), Doordash or Instacart were included in the federal government’s coronavirus stimulus bill to receive unemployment benefits generally reserved for full-time employees.

But a week after the bill was signed into law by President Donald Trump, it is still unclear what documentation gig workers, who do not receive wage and tax forms, need to submit to prove their income. This at a time when Uber and Lyft drivers are suffering from a near-total collapse in ride-hailing demand as large…