How to Get Retroactive Unemployment Insurance Benefit
The Labor Department has expanded eligibility for pandemic unemployment assistance, which will allow those already in unemployment to keep their benefits if they quit work due to concerns about COVID safety. The changes are retroactive, so you can qualify for a nice lump sum payment at the end of March. Here’s what you need to know.
Extended right
The CARES Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program temporarily expands unemployment insurance coverage for self-employed workers, freelancers, independent contractors and part-time workers affected by the pandemic. To qualify, you must declare, under penalty of perjury, that you are ready to work and that you are unemployed due to a COVID situation.
Following a directive from President Biden last month, the Department of Labor clarified and expanded eligibility for the PUA program for workers in the following scenarios:
- Workers who are already receiving unemployment benefits but refuse to work with a potential employer because they do not comply with local or state COVID safety standards, such as social distancing, wearing masks or personal protective equipment.
- Workers who have been laid off or have had their hours reduced due to their employer being closed or partially closed due to COVID.
- School workers without a contract who have no guarantees of continued pay if schools are closed due to the pandemic.
Benefits will be retroactive and applied as if they were included from the beginning of the PUA program. However, individuals filing their first PUA application after December 27, 2020 are limited to unemployment weeks starting December 6, 2020 or later.
Given that the unemployed receive a weekly federal supplement to their state benefits in the amount of $ 300, an average of about US $ 320 per week , retroactive aid may lead to a large lump sum payment towards the end of March (the Ministry of Labor said that the state agency will need some weeks to make changes). For first-time applicants, the first payment will be approximately four months of benefits.
“So far, many workers have faced a devilish deal, risked the coronavirus, or opted for some level of security and lived without income support,” said Suzy Levin, chief deputy assistant secretary of labor for employment and training, in an interview with Reuters .
How to apply
You will need to apply for unemployment insurance for the state in which you worked (search by state here ). Complaints may be filed in person, by phone, or online, depending on the state.