CARES Act Unemployment Benefits Extended

NASHVILLE (December 28) - The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) is currently reviewing details of the CARES Act Unemployment Extension (H.R. 133) Congress recently passed and President Donald Trump signed into law.

TDLWD will provide claimants additional information regarding the next steps they need to take to receive the modified federal unemployment benefits listed in HR 133 once it has the program rules from the United States Department of Labor (USDOL).

TDLWD must wait on program guidance from the USDOL before it can begin the implementation of H.R. 133. There is no firm timeline as to when states will receive this guidance from the federal government. The state cannot pay benefits until it receives rules for these modified programs. Once that happens, TDLWD will work to implement the changes as quickly as possible to provide these much-needed benefits to eligible claimants in Tennessee.

H.R. 133 will bring additional unemployment compensation to tens of thousands of Tennesseans. It also includes new requirements to qualify for benefits from the federal programs outlined within the bill.

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)

* Will provide up to an additional 11 weeks of benefits, to a maximum of 50 weeks.

* Weekly certification will be required.

* Claimants will be required to provide documentation of eligibility to qualify for PUA beginning January 31, 2021.

* PUA will be available until the week ending March 13, 2021 (no new applications after that date), with an allowance for three additional weeks of benefits for those who have not reached the maximum number of weeks through the week ending April 3, 2021.

Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC)

* Will provide up to 11 weeks of an additional $300 weekly benefit to eligible claimants.

* A claimant must be eligible through a separate unemployment program to receive FPUC.

* Once implemented, FPUC will be available to cover weeks of unemployment between December 27, 2020, and the week ending March 13, 2021.

Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC)

* Will provide up to an additional 11 weeks of benefits, to a maximum of 24 weeks.

* PEUC will be available until the week ending March 13, 2021 (no new applications after that date), with an allowance of three additional weeks of benefits for those who have not reached the maximum number of weeks through the week ending April 3, 2021.

Also included in the bill are direct stimulus payments to families. Those earning up to $75,000 per year will receive up to $600 each, while married couples earning up to $150,000 will receive $1,200, as well as an additional $600 for each dependent under 18 living in the same household. The House passed a revision Monday, which would increase the payments to $2,000 for individuals. The Senate must approve the increase in payments.

Additionally, the bill provides more than $284 billion more in loans for businesses struggling to pay rent and workers, $69 billion for testing and vaccine distribution and $82 billion for colleges and schools.