Pandemic Unemployment Assistance - Benefits Rights and Responsibilities

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**IMPORTANT: Federal Programs (PUA, FPUC, PEUC, MEUC) ended on September 4, 2021**

 

Purpose

The purpose of this information is to inform the you of your rights and responsibilities under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. Please read through thoroughly prior to applying for PUA.

Program Duration

The PUA program is effective February 2, 2020, and new applications can be taken through September 4, 2021, with the latest effective date August 29, 2021. Additionally, for applications submitted after December 27, 2020, the earliest effective date can be December 6, 2020.

Note that benefits cannot be paid through week-ending September 4, 2021, even if the amount of paid weeks has not been reached.

Program Eligibility

Individuals must first be denied from being eligible to receive, or exhaust entitlement to, regular unemployment benefits or any state or federal extended benefits before they can be found eligible for PUA benefits.

PUA extends to individuals who:

  • are self-employed, including gig workers, freelancers, and independent contractors;
  • are seeking part-time employment;
  • have an insufficient work history to qualify for benefits;
  • have exhausted all rights to, or have been disqualified from, regular, extended benefits under state or federal law, or Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC);
  • have been laid off from churches and religious institutions and are not eligible for benefits under state law;
  • are otherwise not qualified for regular or extended benefits or Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC).

In order to be a “covered individual” under PUA, an individual must otherwise be able to work and available to work, as provided under state law, except that the individual is unemployed, partially unemployed, unable to work or unavailable for work due to at least one of the following categories described below:

  • The individual has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and is seeking a medical diagnosis.
  • A member of the individual’s household has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
  • The individual is providing care for a family member or a member of the individual’s household who has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
  • A child or other person in the household for which the individual has primary caregiving responsibility is unable to attend school or another facility that is closed as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency and such school or facility care is required for the individual to work.
  • The individual is unable to reach the place of employment because of a quarantine imposed as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
  • The individual is unable to reach the place of employment because the individual has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19.
  • The individual was scheduled to commence employment and does not have a job or is unable to reach the job as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
  • The individual has become the breadwinner or major support for a household because the head of the household has died as a direct result of COVID-19.
  • The individual has to quit his or her job as a direct result of COVID-19.
  • The individual’s place of employment is closed as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Individuals must first be denied from being eligible to receive, or exhaust entitlement to, regular unemployment benefits or any state or federal extended benefits before they can be found eligible for PUA benefits.

Weekly Benefit Amount

For individuals who are monetarily eligible for regular unemployment benefits, and have exhausted entitlement or have been disqualified: Your WBA will be calculated based upon one twenty-sixth (1/26) of the average of total wages during the two highest quarters during 2019, or 1/26 of your highest quarter of 2019 if you are a construction worker. The maximum PUA WBA is $667.00. If you have qualifying dependents, you will receive an additional $15.00 for each dependent, up to five dependents for a total of $75.00 dependency allowance.

For individuals who are monetarily ineligible for regular unemployment benefits: Initially, your Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA) is set at the PUA minimum WBA ($198, before qualified dependency allowance). If you enter your 2019 wages during the application process and upload proof of your earnings within 21 (twenty-one) days of submitting your PUA application, CTDOL will determine if a recalculation of your benefit amount is warranted. If so, your WBA will be recalculated based upon one twenty-sixth (1/26) of the average of total wages earned (gross wages for employees, net earnings for self-employed) during the two highest quarters in the applicable base period, or 1/26 of your highest quarter if you are a construction worker. The maximum PUA WBA is $667.00. If you have qualifying dependents, you will receive an additional $15.00 for each dependent, up to five dependents for a total of $75.00 dependency allowance.

Note: The Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation $600 federally funded payment will be added to your weekly benefit amount for those weeks which you are eligible for between April 4, 2020 and July 25, 2020.

Work Search

Beginning May 30, 2021, work search requirements mandate that PUA claimants document their efforts to find full-time work or re-start their businesses. Beginning July 2021, all claimants filing their weekly certifications will be required to report their work search activity as part of the filing process. Note that if you do not conduct a work search during a week for which you are certifying, benefits may be delayed or result in a disqualification for that week.

For PUA claimants with a history of wages earned in an employer/employee capacity:

To satisfy the work search requirement, PUA claimants must:
      1.  Actively look for work.
      2.  Make a minimum of 3 work search activity efforts per week.
      3.  Document all efforts to find work.
      4.  Be prepared to provide proof of your work search activities.

Your search for work can be a combination of activities as long as at least one of the work search activities is an employer contact. For example:

  • 3 employer contacts, or
  • 2 employer contacts, plus 1 other work search activity, or 1 employer contact, plus 2 other work search activities.

Other work search activities may include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Attending a workshop provided by an American Job Center.
  • Attending a job fair.
  • Participating in reemployment service activities provided by an American Job Center.
  • Creating a reemployment plan.
  • Attending a job interview.
  • Creating a resume, uploading the resume and making the resume viewable to employers in CTHires.
  • Creating a personal user profile on a professional networking site.

For Self-Employed PUA claimants:

Self-Employed PUA claimants must make 3 efforts per week as well. However,
(1) Self-employed PUA claimants may list their own business as the direct employer contact, and
(2) Additionally, self-employed PUA claimants may engage in work search activities to support their employment, such as:

  • contacting clients
  • sending out bids
  • maintaining business facilities and/or property
  • attending training
  • expanding business portfolio
  • developing marketing materials to expand customer base

Specific guidelines for self-employed PUA claimants are on our Work Search page.

Weekly Certifications

When you file your PUA, you will certify for the back weeks for which you may be eligible. To continue to receive your PUA benefits after the application is submitted, you must file weekly certifications. Starting with the next calendar week after you submitted your PUA application (as early as Sunday), you will need to access the ReEmployCT system and submit a Weekly Certification.

Please note that if any eligibility issues are detected from your questions, you may be asked to provide additional information to help determine your eligibility for the week you are certifying for.

PUA payments are taxable. You may change your tax deductions option from your PUA Account.

PUA payments are subject to Child Support Intercept and Unemployment Insurance (UI) overpayment offset.

Appeal Rights

If a PUA claim is denied, a you will be notified through correspondence within your PUA account. This decision will include:

  • The reason for the denial.
  • The period of ineligibility covered by the denial.
  • Information concerning your appeal rights (you have 21 calendar days from the date the correspondence was generated in which to file an appeal).

You may file an appeal by:

  • Mailing or faxing your appeal to any *Full-service American Job Center. Your appeal will be timely if it is received within 21 days of the decision denying benefits or if mailed, and it bears a legible United States postmark dated within such 21-day period.
  • Using the Internet within this 21-day period.

An Appeal’s Referee from the Appeals Division will hear your case. While waiting for the Referee’s decision, you should continue to file weekly claims as scheduled as long as you are totally or partially unemployed.

Note: The ReEmployCT system, the system that hosts the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, is available Monday - Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST and Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  

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