Question: I am getting a message to supply documents for PUA, but I am pretty sure I already did this last year, or at least some of it. Is this a general message to everyone on PUA, or do I have to do it?

Answer: The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program for the self-employed and others not eligible for standard unemployment compensation required what amounted to self-verification when it was launched last year, but the federal regulations have tightened since then, according to the state Depart- ment of Labor and Industrial Relations.

Any PUA claimant who receives an employment substantiation fact-finding request must respond, the DLIR said. Responses that were originally due Wednesday are now due June 9. Anyone who fails to respond risks being denied PUA benefits retroactively to Jan. 2. “All benefits received after that date will be considered overpaid, and you will be required to pay them back,” the DLIR says on its website.

Numerous readers have asked what type of documentation is acceptable. The department said the type of document varies depending on why the claimant sought PUA. It lists some acceptable examples on its website:

>> For employment: Paycheck stub; leave and earnings statement(s); W-2 form

>> For self-employment: General Excise (GE) tax payment or supporting documentation to show that self-employment was performed in the applicable tax year; Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) registration documentation and supporting documentation to show that self-employment was performed in the applicable tax year; business license and supporting documentation to show that self-­employment was performed in the applicable tax year; tax return with all supporting schedules, including Schedules C, E, F and K-1, if applicable; Business receipt(s) or invoices with corresponding proof of payment/receipt of payment.

>> For commencement of work: Letter(s) offering employment; statement(s) or affidavit(s) by individual(s) (with name and contact information) verifying offer of employment.

Going Green

Going Green, the popular drive-thru recycling program, has a busy month ahead, with events scheduled for 9 to 11 a.m. on three Saturdays this month:

>> Saturday, Lanakila Multi-Purpose Center, 1640 Lanakila Ave., Honolulu

>> June 12, Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in the back parking lot, off Wai Nani Way, Waikiki

>> June 26, KEY Project, 47-200 Waihee Road, Kaneohe

The following items will be accepted for recycling: computers, printers and scanners (one load per car); TVs (one per car); batteries (auto and lead-acid only); HI-5 containers (redeemable plastic and aluminum); used eyeglasses and hearing aids; clothing in good condition (or better), including prom-style dresses and accessories and women’s business attire; used towels and blankets; plus canned goods for the Hawaii Foodbank.

Please don’t bring any of the following, which won’t be accepted: metal, tires, paint, microwave ovens, cooking oil, motor oil, ink cartridges, toner, hazardous fluids, cardboard or other paper, plastics (other than HI-5), wood or bulky items.

Mahalo

Mahalo to the lovely young couple sightseeing not too far from Central Union Church who helped me when I stumbled off the curb and into the path of oncoming traffic. Luckily, the closest “vehicle” was an oblivious man on a motorized skateboard who was traveling much slower than the cars behind him (much to their annoyance, I am sure). But that was lucky for me, as the couple had time to swoop me up and back onto the sidewalk. Anyway, they said they were walking around to see Barack Obama’s old neighborhood, and I thought that was interesting, too. Mahalo plenty to them. — Grateful senior

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.