New Yorkers already receiving unemployment insurance do not need to call the state labor department to obtain the extra $ 300 approved by the federal government in late December.
The extra money and two extended federal programs will start on Sunday, the first date allowed by the federal government.
People who are already on a program must continue to certify each week, as usual, and will automatically receive extended benefits, according to the labor department.
Congress approved the extra relief in the last week of December, after the end of the last round of extra benefits. States had little time to adjust and take the money to millions of unemployed without losing a check.
New York State was ready. NY unemployment checks are not going to waste a week.
The telephone department’s telephone lines have been filled with calls that want to know what they need to do to qualify for extended programs. This means that people who really need to resolve a problem with their claims cannot get an answer.
Read this instead of calling:
Anyone who already receives some form of unemployment insurance will receive an extra $ 300 per week for 11 weeks, from January 3 to March 14. This means that people who are receiving benefits from any of the alphabet soup programs will receive the extra money. All they need to do is check it out every week, as usual.
There are three federal programs that extend benefits beyond the state’s typical 26 weeks. Two of these programs expired on December 26 and have now been extended. The third remained in place.
One such program is especially important in the economy of gig workers in New York. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA, goes to self-employed workers who are not normally eligible for unemployment benefits. This program now pays benefits for 57 weeks. People who qualify through March 14 will continue to apply for benefits until they reach the maximum number of weeks or reach the week beginning April 5.
PUA beneficiaries must simply continue to certify as usual each week to receive extended benefits. As of January 31, the federal government will require additional proof of eligibility. The state department of labor will contact people who need to provide more paperwork.
The pandemic emergency unemployment compensation program, or PEUC, is for people who have used the usual 26 weeks of traditional state unemployment insurance. In 2020, there was a 13 week limit for PEUC. This has now been increased to 24 weeks. Like the other program, people who qualify through March 14 will continue to apply for benefits until they reach the maximum number of weeks or reach the week beginning on April 5.
There is a third program, called Extended Benefits. This is an old program that provides an extra 20 weeks in states with high unemployment rates. New York now qualifies for this program.
People who exhausted their 26 weeks of state insurance and 13 weeks of PEUC in 2020 were enrolled in this third program.
When these extended benefits run out, the state labor office will automatically transfer people back to the PEUC program. Again, there is no need to call.
People who need to apply for unemployment insurance for the first time can do so online.
People who have reached the end of the benefit year, which is 52 weeks after the first claim, will have to apply again. This can also be done online.
Contact Michelle Breidenbach | [email protected] | 315-470-3186.