If you’re one of the thousands of Alaskans waiting to hear from the Small Business Administration about an Economic Injury Disaster Loan, take a look at the 10-digit number you were assigned when you submitted your application.
“If you have that 10-digit number beginning with a three, you are in the queue for processing of your loan,” U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski told constituents in a telephonic town hall Thursday.
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If you don’t have a number, or if yours begins with a numeral that is not a three, Murkowski has some bad news: The SBA isn’t taking any new EIDL applications, she said, unless you work in agriculture.
Murkowski isn’t happy with that decision. She also said that even if you do have an application number that begins with a three, there’s no telling when you’ll get a decision from the SBA.
“I could not receive any assurances in terms on the timeliness of this,” she said. “You’re frustrated about this program. Your (congressional) delegation is equally frustrated.”
EIDL is the smaller of two big coronavirus relief programs in the CARES Act to help small businesses. Business owners swamped the SBA with applications, in part because the EIDL offered applicants a “loan advance” of up to $10,000 that never has to be paid back.
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her atlruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Lizhere.
