What Happens If Benefits Lapse
Stettner says while the focus remains on ending the $300 boost, allowing PUA and PEUC programs to end would cause a “unemployment cliff” for roughly 7.5 million people and their families after September 6.
As of mid-July, roughly 9.4 million people were drawing benefits from one of these programs, making up more than 72% of Americans collecting unemployment insurance overall.
Some long-term unemployed people claiming PEUC could move over to Extended Benefits, a federally funded aid program that triggers “on” depending on their state’s unemployment rate.
If You See A Link To Apply For Benefits
Once your benefit account has expired or the balance has reached $0, you may see a notification at the top of your benefit account home page stating you may apply for an extended benefit account.
A link to apply for benefits will also display. Select the Apply for Benefits link to apply for an extended benefit account.
Depending on what information we need from you, the Apply for Benefits link will either take you to the PEUC application or the regular UI benefit application. Complete the steps below in order to find out if you are eligible for an additional benefit program.
- Keep requesting payments each week while your application is pending.
- It may be up to 10 days before we finish our review of your application.
- After our review is complete, one of two things will happen:
- If you are eligible for PEUC, you will receive an Amended Determination of Benefit Account in the mail. Any pending payments will be made .
- If you are not eligible for PEUC, we will send you an Amended Determination of Benefit Account in the mail online. That determination will include an explanation of why you are not eligible.
Original 2020 Pua Program Funded Under Cares Stimulus Bill
The PUA program funded under the CARES act provided up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits, which are available retroactively starting with weeks of unemployment beginning on or after January 27, 2020, and ending on or before December 31, 2020. To qualify for PUA benefits, you must not be eligible for regular unemployment benefits and be unemployed, partially unemployed, or unable or unavailable to work because of certain health or economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Note PUA benefits have been extended in some states like New York, California and Georgia by 7 weeks, as part of extensions to state level extended benefit programs. Further those who were getting PUA payments in August and September will have automatically qualified for the now expired $300 Lost Wages Assistance ;unemployment benefits program. Most states have now gotten approval and have paid out the 6 weeks of funding available for this program , including;retroactive payments,
While PUA is open to all unemployed Americans, it was mainly intended as a way to provide unemployment benefits for those who were working and are now out of work and were generally self-employed and did not contribute taxes towards regular unemployment. Those who had regular/W2 jobs are eligible for enhanced unemployment benefits under the PEUC program. Further details on program differences below.
Will My PUA Benefits End in December Even if I Have a Balance or Weeks Left to Claim
How to Apply for PUA
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Will Pandemic Unemployment Benefits Be Extended
The March 2020 CARES Act established three new federal unemployment aid programs: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance , which covers those not traditionally eligible for aid, including freelancers and gig workers; Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation , which extends aid to those who’ve exhausted their state’s benefits period, which averages around 26 weeks; and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation , a $600 weekly boost that was reduced to $300 per week to help people recover more of their lost wages.
The March 2021 American Rescue Plan Act extended these benefits to Labor Day. But policy analysts were concerned the date was chosen without consideration to what the state of the virus would be in the U.S. at that time.
Now, “exactly what advocates feared would happen with the last extension to September 6 is now happening,” Jenna Jerry, a senior staff attorney with the National Employment Law Project, tells CNBC Make It. “We knew Covid wouldn’t be over. And it’s not. With the delta variant rising and places going back to having mask mandates, we’re taking steps backwards and ending aid when people continue to need and rely on them.”
The public health crisis could “make people think twice about this cutoff of benefits,” says Andrew Stettner, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation.
However, “people are holding out hope for that extension, but to be honest, there’s not a lot of political momentum behind it right now.”
People Collecting Pua Lose All Jobless Aid
People on PUA don’t qualify for any other type of unemployment insurance. During the pandemic, this program supported people who couldn’t work due to child- or dependent-care needs, as well as the self-employed, freelancers, gig workers and part-time workers.
As of Sept. 6, these recipients will not have another safety net to recover lost wages.
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Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation
The Cares Act established the PEUC program to allow individuals who have exhausted their;unemployment compensation benefits to receive up to 13 additional weeks of benefits, provided they are able to work, available to work, and actively seeking work. The new stimulus bill extends PEUC by providing up to 24 weeks of additional unemployment benefits to eligible individuals who have exhausted the unemployment benefits available under state law. Before the CARES Act, many states capped their benefits at 26 weeks. Now eligible recipients can receive up to 50 weeks of unemployment benefits between state programs and PEUC. After March 14, 2021, new PEUC claimants will not be eligible for the extra weeks of benefits, but individuals who have been receiving PEUC benefits as of March 14, 2021, will be eligible to continue to receive benefit payments through April 4, 2021.
Is It Too Late To Apply For Unemployment Insurance
If you’ve been laid off or furloughed, you can apply for unemployment benefits in your state. Once the state approves your claim, you can apply to receive whatever state benefits you’re entitled to. Because states cover 30% to 50% of a person’s wages, there isn’t a single sum you could expect on a national basis. Each state’s;unemployment insurance office;provides information to file a claim with the program in the state where you worked. Some claims may be filed in person, by phone or online, so it’s best to contact your state’s office directly.
Eligibility criteria vary from state to state, but the general rule is that you should;apply;if you’ve lost your job or been laid off through no fault of your own, including if it was due directly or indirectly to the pandemic. You can check on your state’s requirements here. In February, the;Department of Labor;updated its unemployment eligibility requirements to include people who refused to return to work due to unsafe coronavirus standards.
As for self-employed workers and freelancers who are losing PUA coverage, some;online groups;are calling to extend pandemic unemployment programs through the crisis and offer more information.;
We’ll continue to update this story as we receive more details.
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What Are The Extended Unemployment Benefits
The bill extends federal unemployment insurance programs and an additional $300 boost per week until Sept. 6, 2021. This adds 25 more weeks to two federal unemployment programs: the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation and the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program .;
The PEUC allows states to provide extra weeks of benefits to those who have already used up their maximum available state benefits. The PUA program extends unemployment benefits to self-employed workers, freelancers, or gig workers who normally would not qualify.;
You can now receive up to a maximum of 49 weeks of PEUC, and up to 75 weeks of PUA.;
Pua Vs Peuc And State Extended Benefits
The Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation and State Extended Benefits programs are different to the PUA program and claimants cannot continue in the PEUC or EB programs if they are deemed eligible for PUA. The PEUC is essentially an extension of regular state unemployment and allows for up to an additional 13 weeks of benefits added to the end of regular unemployment benefits. EB are an extension of UI benefits that occurs when a state meets the unemployment rate threshold for a designated period. For most states this provides up to 20 weeks of additional benefits.
Please note, if you had received UC or EB benefits and then apply for PUA, any week of regular UC benefits or any week of state extended benefits collected since February 2, 2020 will be deducted from the weeks of PUA you are eligible for.;
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Million Workers Are Counting On Congressional Action To Extend Benefits
Using Department of Labor data tracking the number of individuals that have entered into the PEUC and state benefits programs, and the rate of exhaustion , we are able to estimate how many workers will still be on PEUC benefits during the March 14 to April 11 phase-out period. There were 4.1 million reported continued claims for PEUC on December 26 when the program expired.20 In addition, we predict an additional 1.3 million workers entering PEUC during the first quarter of 2021 after having exhausted state benefits. The flow from state benefits into PEUC will slow in 2021, as it is based on initial layoffs in the second half of 2020 after the initial record surge. The extension also allowed those who had previously exhausted their PEUC benefits in 2020 to get eleven additional weeks, and we project 1.1 million additional workers will resume receiving PEUC benefits in the first quarter of 2021, based on historical reemployment and take-up rates.
As pointed out by the Government Accountability Office , data from the PUA program has been less accurate, but we are still able to estimate exhaustion and survival rates.21 Our estimates start with continued claims on December 26 , and factor in approximately 1 million net new recipients coming into the program in the first quarter. The state-by-state estimates that result from this analysis are displayed in Map 1, and the detailed data is in Appendix Table 1.
MAP 1. Workers facing the cut off of pandemic benefits
Federal Unemployment Benefits Ending
Federal unemployment benefit programs under the CARES Act ended on September 4, 2021. You will no longer be paid benefits for the following claim types after September 4:
Note:Federal-State Extended Duration benefits will no longer be payable after September 11.
The federal government does not allow benefit payments to be made for weeks of unemployment after these programs end, even if you have a balance left on your claim. Certification weeks eligible for payment before the end of these programs will be processed. This includes weeks eligible for conditional payments. You will be notified about what to expect based on your claim type.
Note: View the following to learn more about benefits ending and other assistance programs still available:
If your program type is:
- UI, you are receiving regular unemployment.
- PEUC, Extension Tier 2, or Extension Tier 2 , you are receiving Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits.
- Extension FED-ED, you have used all PEUC benefits and are now receiving FED-ED extension benefits.
- Disaster Assistance, you are receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance . If you arent receiving PUA, you are receiving Disaster Unemployment Assistance following a declared disaster.
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What Unemployment Benefits Will Be Extended
Under the CARES Act temporary pandemic relief programs were created to extend state unemployment benefits, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation , and provide jobless financial assistance to workers not normally covered by state unemployment insurance, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance .
Aid through these programs is set to run out on 14 March, although some recipients could receive payments until 5 April who havent received any payments from their states’ unemployment offices yet. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 would extend these programs through to 29 August, 2021.
The self-employed, gig and other workers who dont qualify for state-level assistance could claim a maximum 74 weeks of benefits, up from 50 through PUA. While PEUC recipients would qualify for up to 48 weeks instead of 24 once they have exhausted their states regular unemployment insurance and extended benefits.
Many Senate Dems – including Warner, Wyden – want to add a month of unemployment benefits back into the relief package, have UI run through September. House plan took it through August. One place the bill could change …
Jeff Stein
Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation Provision
Individuals who receive at least $5,000 a year in self-employment income will receive an additional $100 weekly benefit, in addition to the benefit amounts they otherwise would be entitled to receive from traditional employment under state law.; Previously, these individuals were not eligible for PUA benefits if they received some regular state unemployment benefits for traditional employment, and regular state law benefits did not consider self-employment in calculating the benefit amounts. The new federally-funded mixed earner benefit is in addition to the $300 supplemental weekly benefit under FPUC and also expires on March 14, 2021.
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Unemployment Extended Benefits Program
The federal government may provide additional benefits to people who have exhausted unemployment benefits. There are additional weeks of federally funded Extended Benefits in states with high unemployment rates.
Unemployed workers are eligible for up to 13 or 20 weeks of additional unemployment benefits, depending on state laws, and the unemployment rate.
These benefits are paid through the state unemployment departments, and eligibility would start when all other benefits are exhausted. If you’re eligible, your state unemployment office will notify you.
Eligibility requirements vary by state, so be sure to check the FAQ section of your state unemployment website for details.
Democratic Lawmaker Will Introduce A Bill That Extends $300 Unemployment Benefit
In a recently published article in CNBC, the Democratic congresswoman has said that she would propose legislation to prolong federal unemployment benefits created by the March 2020 CARES Act, which expired on Labor Day. If approved, the increased unemployment assistance would be retroactive to September 6 and would be extended until February 1, 2022.
This month, millions of Americans and their families lost access to key UI programs that helped out-of-work freelancers, gig workers, carers, and the long-term jobless. All remaining employees receiving unemployment benefits were also denied the $300 weekly increase designed to offset inadequate state assistance.
Ocasio-Cortez said Ive been very disappointed on both sides of the aisle that weve just simply allowed pandemic unemployment assistance to completely lapse when we are clearly not fully recovered from the consequences of the pandemic, according to a published report in The Washington Post.
Furthermore, while she said she is unsure of the legislations chances of passage, Ocasio-Cortez stated that she could not allow this to happen without at least attempting to prolong unemployment benefits.
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American Rescue Plan Act Unemployment Insurance Programs
Overview of Programs
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
- Provides benefits for claimants who are ineligible for regular UI and unemployed due to a COVID-19 related reason. This includes gig workers, independent contractors, the self-employed, and those with insufficient work history.
- Per new USDOL guidelines, eligibility for PUA has been expanded to include:
- Individuals who were denied unemployment benefits because they refused to return to work or refused an offer of work at a worksite that, in either rinstance, is not in compliance with local, state, or national health and safety standards directly related to COVID-19;
- Individuals who provide services to an educational institution or educational service agency and are unemployed or partially unemployed because of volatility in the work schedule that is directly caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency ; and
- Individuals experiencing a reduction of hours or a temporary or permanent layoff as a direct result of the Covid-19 public health emergency.
- Claimants are required to provide proof of their employment in order to be eligible for PUA.
- All PUA claimants will receive an action item in their BEACON portals. Learn more about the proof of employment requirement.
- The PUA program will end in Maryland on Saturday, September 4, 2021.
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation
Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation Program
No Gap in Benefit Eligibility or Delay in Payment
Congress And The Biden Administration Must Act Quickly To Avoid Going Over The Benefits Cliff
President Biden and members of his team have repeatedly emphasized that unemployment insurance benefits are a top priority, and the expiration date has been driving swift action by Congress on the budget resolution and other steps in the reconciliation process.28 This urgency is well placed. The state agencies responsible for delivering pandemic assistance have been deluged by record numbers of claims and unprecedented criminal activity seeking to fraudulently siphon off pandemic benefits. Most states have performed herculean feats in getting out stimulus payments, paying out $10 billion in the week ending January 29, which was the highest amount since last August. But these payouts came after delays that lasted between three and six weeksor more, in many statesto restart PUC, PEUC, and PUA after then-President Trump waited until after benefits expired to enact the extension.
The stakes for families and the economy are extremely high. One in six households with children did not have enough food to eat last month.30 Black and Latinx adults were more than twice as likely to report food insecurity than white adults. Twenty percent of renters and 10 percent of homeowners are behind on housing payments, and the federal eviction moratorium, extended last month, ends in the middle of the UI phase-out, on March 31.31 Allowing 10.6 million workers to exhaust all jobless aid would have profound effects on financial stability and food and housing security.
Table 1
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