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.
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 Small Business Administration isn’t taking any new loan 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 Small Business Administration.
“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.”
The Economic Injury Disaster Loan is the smaller of two big coronavirus relief programs in the CARES Act to help small businesses. Business owners swamped the Small Business Administration with applications, in part because the disaster loan offered applicants a “loan advance” of up to $10,000 that never has to be paid back.
