Federal Programs That Expanded Unemployment Programs Are Expiring
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Federal programs that expanded and extended unemployment benefits are expiring.
The week ending Sept. 4, 2021 is the last payable week of benefits from these programs that were established with the Coronairus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act and continued under the American Rescue Plan Act:
- Pandemic Unemployment Assistance: for the self-employed, freelancers, independent contractors and others who don’t qualify for regular unemployment benefits.
- Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation : Extends benefits after you run out of regular unemployment benefits.
- Pandemic Unemployment Compensation : The extra $300 a week for all eligible claimants.
- Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation : Provides an additional $100 per week to certain claimants who have earned at least $5,000 in net self-employment income.
If you have eligible weeks prior to Sept. 4:
- If we find that you are eligible, we will continue to process and pay benefits for weeks you;claimed through the week ending Sept. 4. Your certification for the week ending Sept. 4 will be due after that date, however, you will still be able to certify for that week on your regularly scheduled certification day and time.
If you are currently receiving PEUC benefits:
- You may be eligible for a regular unemployment claim. Login to your MiWAM account and follow the link under “Account Alerts” to reopen/file a claim.
If you have a claim pending in adjudication or appeal after Sept. 4:
End Of Federal Enhanced Benefits In New York
The NY DOL has confirmed that claimants on the PEUC, PUA,;MEUC;and FPUC programs will file/certify for benefits for the last time covering the week ending September 4, 2021. From September 5th, all federally funded enhanced unemployment benefits, including the extra $300 weekly payment, will cease. Only traditional state unemployment benefits will be available, up to a maximum of 26 weeks.
Any active claims, with or without;remaining balances,;will expire after this date and any weeks after Sep 5th will NOT be paid. The only exception are;retroactive payments;for validated claims after a successful determination or appeal in line with US DOL guidelines.
While there has been a lot of discussion around;extending pandemic unemployment benefits, the Biden administration has confirmed that states will have to use already allocated stimulus funding to expand or extend traditional state unemployment programs. The NY DOL has not indicated that is planning to do so at this stage, but I will post updates if things change.
Some claimants may be eligible for State Extended Benefits , but after September 4th all claimants must have a regular UI claim to continue receiving benefits. The NY DOL will send additional guidance to claimants eligible for extended benefits.
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Update: No Biden Executive Order States Have Funding To Expand Unemployment Benefits
The Biden Administration has confirmed that they wont push to;extend;federally funded unemployment benefits past the September 6th expiration date via Executive Order or Congressional action. Instead they are encouraging states with high unemployment to use some of the existing $350 billion in ARPA stimulus allocated for State and Local Fiscal Recovery initiatives to fund enhanced unemployment benefits.
As;discussed in this video, there is wide latitude for usage of these funds by state governors and departments, which includes funding emergency unemployment benefits. States who ended participation early in federal unemployment programs could also use these funds to extend/expand benefits if they choose to do so.
Some claimants may be eligible for State Extended Benefits , but after September 4th all claimants must have a regular UI claim to continue receiving benefits. See more in these state specific unemployment pages.
Ill continue to post updates as more information comes to hand and you can stay connected via the options below.
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More Pandemic Aid Is Not On The Agenda
Though millions of people will stop receiving federal aid on Labor Day, Congress doesn’t appear interested in extending these benefits.
Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden of Oregon said earlier this week that including a comprehensive unemployment insurance reform bill and an extension of federal benefits for workers remains a key priority of his. The White House hasn’t committed to the idea yet.;
Wyden may crash into resistance from Democratic moderates who believe the economy is on a strong path to recovery and people should return to work. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia is one of them.
“The bottom line is people should be working. We have 9 million jobs we can’t fill,” Manchin said in an Friday interview, in response to a question about renewing a federal eviction ban. “Wages are going up, people can get good jobs and hopefully acquire new skillsets. It’s a worker’s market.”
Extending benefits may also prove complicated in large parts of the country. Twenty-six mostly Republican states have already turned off their federal unemployment programs. Any extension beyond September 4 may simply not be taken up by Republican-led states.
It may be left up to the unemployed to sue for their benefits to be restored, given the Biden administration hasn’t intervened through the summer. Already, workers in three states Indiana, Maryland, and Arkansas have scored legal wins on their own.;
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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What Are Extended Benefits
Extended benefits are additional weeks of unemployment compensation that are available to workers who have exhausted regular unemployment insurance benefits during periods of high unemployment. The basic Extended Benefits program provides up to 13 additional weeks of unemployment compensation when a state is experiencing high unemployment.
In some states, there may be an additional 7 additional weeks of extended benefits during periods of extremely high unemployment.
A Compromise On Extending Unemployment Benefits
It appears highly likely that the President and his administration will have to provide some level of support to the millions of unemployed workers given the resurgence of the Coronavirus in several states that has forced extended business closures. As such a Senate proposal by the Democrats called The American Workforce Rescue Act , may provide a party line compromise that the president could get behind, particularly as the presidential election is only a few months away. The AWRA proposal would continue to provide the full $600 extra weekly unemployment payment as long as the states unemployment rate is above 11%. When it drops below 11% , it will start to phase out to $0 until the states unemployment rate drops below 6%. So essentially $100 less for every percentage drop between 11% and 6% of a states unemployment rate.
With the current provisions expiring in a few weeks, I expect that that Congress will eventually craft a bill to extend these UI benefits to the end of 2020 using a hybrid of one of the above proposals which may well also include another 2020 stimulus check to cover those not eligible for unemployment benefits.
The table below shows the impact of losing the extra $600 weekly payment against the maximum weekly benefit amount current paid by state unemployment agencies. As you can see, in several states it is pretty significant and the impact is much, much higher if you are not getting close to the maximum amount in your respective state.
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Federal Pandemic Unemployment Benefits Coming To An End September 4th
STATEWIDE — Federal pandemic unemployment benefits are set to expire at the beginning of September.
If you are currently receiving PUA, PEUC, and/or FPUC benefits, those benefits will end on that date. Programs officially end on September 6.
Programs coming to an end include Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation.
Changes to be expected after September 4, 2021:
- The $300-a-week unemployment boost will end.
- Pandemic Unemployment Assistance will end. This program supported gig workers and self-employed people, since May 2020.
- Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation will end. This program served as an unemployment extension, offering extra weeks for people who normal benefits had expired.
These programs were put in place by Congress. The state has no power or ability to extend these programs.
Nearly 116,000 Coloradans will be affected by the ending of the federal pandemic unemployment benefits ending.
According to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment website, the U.S. Department of Labor requires the CLDE to continue to accept new PUA applications for 30 days after the program expires. CDLE will backdate these new claims to the first eligible week during the Pandemic Assistance Period, in accordance with all eligibility requirements.
Will New York Unemployment Be Extended Again In 2021 Or End Early
With several states ending federally funded unemployment benefits earlier than planned to encourage workers to return to work, there was a concern this action could spread nationwide. But the good news for unemployed New Yorkers is that most of the states cancelling unemployment benefits are Republican led, which New York is most certainly not.
As a result New York is keeping ALL pandemic unemployment benefits, including the extra $300 weekly payment, until the current program end date which would be the week ending September 4th, 2021 in NY.
However it should be noted that work search requirements are being more rigorously enforced by the NY DOL and there will be a lot more scrutiny of job rejections if not for pandemic or health related reasons. I will post further updates as they come to light and you can stay connected via the options below.
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Cutting Off Benefits Hasnt Fixed Perceived Labor Shortages
States that cut off benefits early have backed up their decisions with anecdotes of worker shortages to push people back to work.
But early cutoff data doesnt validate those claims. Analysis from workforce management firm UKG reported states that ended benefits in June saw half the shift growtha measure of the number of worker shifts completedin July versus states where the unemployment boost has continued.
Another report from payroll company Gusto found that employment growth was similar for states that retained the benefits versus cut them off.
The slower-than-anticipated job growth, especially in states that have ended benefits early, indicates a disconnect between the jobs available and what workers are looking for. Census Bureau data from early August showed that only 9% of unemployed individuals were in that situation because they didnt want to work.
The unemployment rate, which is known to undercount the number of jobless people, is still at 5.4% as of July.
Certify For Weekly Benefits
Once you have filed a claim for benefits, you must also claim weekly benefits for each week you are unemployed and meet the eligibility requirements. This is also called certifying for benefits. You can start certifying as soon as you receive a notification from the DOL.;During this process, you are confirming that you were unemployed for all or part of the past week and that you met all other conditions of receiving benefits.;You may certify online or by telephone.;
You will need to certify your benefits;every single week, or you will lose them. This means that you need to log into your account and verify that you are still eligible for the benefits each week.
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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.
Judge Rules To Extend Maryland Unemployment Benefits Until September Lawyers Say
A judge ruled Tuesday that thousands of unemployed Marylanders can keep receiving the extra federal unemployment benefits for now, according to lawyers for unemployed workers.
The judge granted the requested preliminary injunction after a hearing Monday in which lawyers for unemployed workers and the state argued their points, with the battle boiling down to the potential impact the state says the benefits will have on businesses and the economy versus the impact on workers.;
Tuesday’s ruling extends the $300 weekly payments until September 6, the federal deadline. That’s because the courts will not be able to adjudicate before then.
Gov. Larry Hogan tried to cut them off on July 3, citing a worker shortage, but the same judge issued a temporary restraining order to prevent that. The judge granted a preliminary injunction, extending benefits.
Even if the judge had ruled in the state’s favor, the benefits would have lasted until August, according to labor secretary Tiffany Robinson. In Monday’s hearing, she said she had received an email from the U.S. Department of Labor, requiring the state to give a 30-day notice to stop the benefits.
For unemployed Marylanders struggling to pay their bills, this was a big win.
I prayed on it last night,” Billy Morton said. “And I am so happy that the judge saw it in our favor.
Governor Hogan released a statement Tuesday, saying he “fundamentally disagreed” with the judge’s decision.;
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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.
Workers Of Color Will Suffer Most From The Cutoff Of Unemployment Benefits
Workers of color, concentrated in frontline industries, bore the brunt of the COVID-19 labor market crisis and are still suffering the most. The current unemployment rate for Black workers is 9.2 percenta rate that would likely be declared a national emergency if it were impacting the entire population.
figure 1
Moreover, the policymakers have an opportunity to learn from the mistakes of the Great Recession, above all cutting off federal support too early in the recovery. In 2013, when aid to the long-term unemployed was cut off, the Black unemployment rate was well over 10 percent and the national rate was elevated too. The long, slow recovery was particularly painful for Black workers. Right before the COVID-19 crisis, the gap between Black unemployment and overall U.S. unemployment had narrowed substantially. A fast recoverysupported by continued fiscal supportwould bring us back to that more inclusive labor market sooner than after the Great Recession.
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Expiration Of Federal Unemployment And Pandemic Benefits
On September 5, 2021 several federal unemployment benefit programs will expire across the country, per federal law. The federal benefit programs that will expire are:
- Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
- Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation
- Extended Benefits
- $300 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation
- $100 Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation
Unemployment Insurance benefits will continue to be paid to eligible claimants. To be considered eligible for UI after September 5, 2021, a claimant must be unemployed AND be in the first 26 weeks of benefits. Claimants can find their effective days remaining in their online Payment History. Because FPUC is ending, any weeks a claimant is eligible to receive UI benefits after September 5, 2021 will no longer include the additional $300 in FPUC.
NYS DOL will still review eligibility for federal benefits for weeks of unemployment on or before September 5, 2021 once the federal programs expire. Claimants should always certify for weeks they are seeking and if due benefits, claimants will be paid once determined to be eligible. New PUA claims will be accepted for a period of 30-days after September 5, 2021. NYS DOL will accept those claims, evaluate for eligibility, and backdate where appropriate as required by USDOL.
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People Collecting Peuc May Qualify For Extended Benefits
PEUC offered additional weeks of jobless benefits to the long-term unemployed who exhausted their state’s benefits window, which averages 26 weeks but can vary.
After Labor Day, workers in some states may be eligible for continued aid by moving over to;Extended Benefits, a federally funded aid program that kicks in depending on their state’s unemployment rate. EB generally offers an additional 13 to 20 weeks of jobless aid.
These benefits are currently on in nine states and Washington, D.C. However, as Andrew Stettner of The Century Foundation wrote, five states and D.C. are paying EB on the condition of it being 100% federally funded.
“As of September 6, we predict that only Alaska, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New Mexico will be able to transition exhausting PEUC recipients onto EB, but with 50% state funding,” he wrote.
If a worker already depleted their EB weeks earlier in the pandemic, they will not have any additional weeks after PEUC runs out on Labor Day.
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