But many whose benefits ended last year will have to wait for their payments to resume. And freelancers, independent contractors and certain people who are unable to work because of coronavirus restrictions will have to provide further evidence of employment when completing new applications or continuing their claims.
The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program has expanded the benefits of the unemployed to concert workers, freelancers, independent contractors, self-employed workers and certain people affected by the coronavirus. The Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program offers an extra 13 weeks of payments to those who exhaust their regular state benefits.
Both programs will be closed to new applicants on March 14, but will continue until April 5 for existing applicants who have not yet reached the maximum number of weeks.
Implementation started
About half of the states should be paying the $ 300 weekly increase by the end of this week, said Michele Evermore, senior policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project. This is in line with the projection by experts that many state agencies would take two to three weeks to reschedule the new measures in their systems.
Several states, including New York and California, acted quickly to put parts of the new law into effect. The California Department of Employment Development, for example, paid a total of $ 434 million in enhanced federal payments to more than 1 million applicants, as of Tuesday.
In Georgia, almost 167,000 unemployed residents received their newly extended pandemic benefits and nearly 300,000 unemployed applicants received the extra $ 300 in early January, the state agency said.
However, more than 239,000 Georgians who exhausted the pandemic benefits on or before December 26 will have to wait a few more weeks to begin the 11-week extension, although payments are retroactive.
“We are pushing as fast as possible,” said Kersha Cartwright, an agency spokesman.
In other states, unemployed residents have yet to reap the benefits of the aid package.
Ohio citizens, for example, cannot submit new requests for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or weekly claims currently in progress. The State Department of Employment and Family hopes that those who have already been approved will be able to apply until the third week of January. And he hopes to start issuing the $ 300 benefit by then, too.
New requirements for some archivers
The latest aid package requires those seeking the benefits of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance to provide additional documents proving that they had a job or were self-employed.
Last year, state agencies could simply accept certificates from claimants about their jobs and income. But lawmakers have tightened the rules in part because the program, which opened the unemployment system for many Americans who had never been eligible, is battling widespread fraud.
Unemployed people who apply for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits before January 31 and receive a payment on or after December 27 must provide documentation to the state agency within 90 days, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Those who submit a new application on or after January 31st must submit the paperwork within 21 days.
Proof of employment may include paycheck receipts, W-2 tax forms or income statements, while self-employment proof may include federal employer identification numbers, business licenses, tax returns or business receipts, the agency said.
Oregon, for example, is still waiting for more information about the new required documentation, among other program changes. The state agency still does not know when it will start sending payments to people with new pandemic unemployment insurance claims or to those whose benefits ended last year.
States have some flexibility in documentation requirements and deadlines, Evermore said. However, this could widen the disparity between states, with some instituting strict guidelines and others less.
In Georgia, the state agency is still determining the best way for unemployed residents to meet documentation requirements, said Cartwright. The new rules represent a major burden for state agencies to both collect and verify paperwork, she said.
“It will slow everything down for everyone,” said Evermore.