The biggest talker right now is unemployment benefits for first-time claimants, but there are problems for those who already have unemployment and whose benefits are running out.
One viewer reached out to our problem solvers coronavirus hotline and said, “My unemployment is running out. I know that there is an extension that the federal government has given a 13-week extension. My question is when will we be able to file for those extensions?”
Under the new CARES Act, all states will be allowed to provide up to 13 additional weeks of federally funded extended benefits to people who exhaust their regular state benefits. Oklahoma is not yet authorized to begin paying these benefits, but the pre-application process for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Program has started on the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission’s website.
This applies to gig workers, independent contractors, other self-employed individuals, and workers whose regular unemployment benefits have expired and were laid off, furloughed, or are otherwise out of work due to the pandemic.
OESC officials told 2 Works for You the complete Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Program should be ready by Friday. And the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), which is the extension for those who have expired benefits, should be ready by May 1.
If there is a coronavirus question you would like our problem solvers to look into, call our coronavirus hotline at 918-748-1502 and leave a message.
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