By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
KDOL releases updated time line for unemployment benefits
biz_lgp_kdolgraph

TOPEKA – Kansas Secretary of Labor Delía García confirmed on Thursday that the remaining programs in the federal CARES Act, Pandemic Unemployment Insurance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) should be paying out benefits by the end of May.  

The timeline projects that Kansans can be filing for PUA by May 12 and payments should be processing by May 25. PEUC expects to be live by the end of May.   

PUA, a provision of the CARES Act, provides up to 39 weeks of unemployment compensation to individuals who are self-employed, independent contractors, nonprofit employees and gig workers. Individuals working part-time, or who otherwise do not qualify for unemployment benefits under state or federal law, may also be PUA eligible.  

A claimant can be compensated with the PUA benefit for weeks beginning Jan. 27, 2020, or the first week a claimant was unable to work as a result of COVID-19, whichever date is later. The last week this benefit is payable is for the week ending Dec. 26, 2020.     

PEUC is available to those claimants who have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits with Benefit Year Begins of July 2, 2018 or later or for claimants who have ended their benefit year. It also applies to those with no rights to regular benefits under any laws. PEUC is the additional 13-week extension of regular unemployment benefits.  

PUA and PEUC claimants are eligible for the additional $600 weekly additional unemployment benefit under the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) provision. Claimants do not need to submit any additional application for FPUC. If a claimant is eligible, the $600 will automatically add to their regular weekly payment.      

“In consultation with our IT department and the partners who are assisting with developing these two programs, we believe the timeline is realistic,” García said. “We are eager to get benefits into the hands of those Kansans who are eligible for them so they can feed their families and pay their bills. We look forward to the full implementation of all the state and federal unemployment enhancements.”