STATEWIDE — Federal pandemic unemployment benefits are scheduled to end Sept. 4.
In an Aug. 13 statement issued by the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC), the programs, which were authorized through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 and extended through the Continued Assistance Act (CAA) of 2021 and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021, VEC has issued more $14 billion in benefits to Virginians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to VEC, the following programs will be impacted:
- Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), which provides an additional $300 weekly payment for any claimant who is eligible for at least $1 of an underlying unemployment compensation program.
- Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which provides benefits for claimants who are unemployed as a direct result of COVID-19 and not eligible for regular unemployment compensation or PEUC, including those who are self-employed or are gig workers.
- Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), which provides an extension of benefits after a claimant has exhausted regular unemployment insurance (UI) benefits.
- Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC), which provides an additional $100 weekly payment to certain claimants who have at least $5,000 in self-employment income in the most recent taxable year, prior to their application for regular unemployment compensation.
In accordance with the United States Department of Labor, all eligible claimants will continue to be paid up until the date of the program’s termination (Sept. 4). The statement notes, “If a claimant is entitled to benefits and the claim is found to be valid after that date through a subsequent determination or appeal, the claimant will be paid those funds, even after the federal programs have ended.”
In the mean time, VEC has partnered with Virginia Career Works Centers to help Virginians who wish to restart their careers find employment. For more information, visit the program’s website.