**Major changes to unemployment assistance is being implemented following Congress's most recent COVID-19 relief bill, signed on December 27, 2020. Of note, it extends and amends the following pandemic unemployment programs and benefits through March 13, 2021:

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)

• Once implemented, will provide up to an additional 11 weeks of benefits, to a maximum of up to 50 weeks.
• Will require a weekly certification specifying a specific “COVID-19 CARES Act reason,” beginning on January 26.
• Will require individuals to substantiate employment or self-employment in the most recent tax year, beginning on January 31.
• Will require identity verification at the outset of a claim, beginning on January 26.
• Will impose new limitations on backdating claims.
• Will be available until the week ending March 13. Those still eligible on March 13 and who have weeks remaining may file through April 10.
• Will provide states with new authority to waive PUA and Lost Wages Assistance overpayments, under certain conditions.
• Requires PUA appeals to be conducted in the same manner and extent as traditional unemployment appeals.

Update: The new law doesn’t simply extend PUA; it adds additional requirements and other changes requiring system programming. We are working to implement these as quickly as possible so that eligible claimants can receive payment. All claimants will receive all benefits for which they are eligible.

• Claimants who had not exhausted the original 39 weeks provided by the CARES Act may now file weekly claims and receive payment.
• Individuals who have exhausted their original entitlement do not need to file a new application or appeal prior determinations to be eligible for the additional 11 weeks of benefits. As soon as the additional weeks are programmed and available, a new monetary determination will be issued alerting you to the availability of the additional weeks. Individuals simply will need to file the additional weeks in sequence if they are still unemployed due to one of the stated COVID-19 reasons.
• Claimants should gather documentation to support their employment or self-employment for the tax year prior to when they filed their original claim for benefits. Individuals who filed their original PUA claim in 2020 should gather documentation to support employment in 2019. New PUA applications filed in 2021 should include supportive documentation of employment in 2020.  Appropriate documents can include paycheck stubs, state or federal employer identification numbers, business licenses, tax documents, business receipts or a signed affidavit.
  Important: Please do not submit this documentation until you receive a notice telling you where to upload it and the timelines for doing so.

Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC)

• Once implemented, will provide up to an additional 11 weeks of benefits, to a maximum of up to 24 weeks, for eligible individuals who exhaust their traditional unemployment benefits
• Will be available until the week ending March 13. Those still eligible on March 13 and who have weeks remaining may file through April 10.
• Will provide states the option to allow individuals to continue receiving PEUC even if they qualify for traditional unemployment in a subsequent benefit year, if certain other conditions are met. This includes if their traditional unemployment weekly benefit amount would be at least $25 lower than the PEUC amount.

Update: The new law doesn’t simply extend PEUC; it adds additional requirements and other changes requiring system programming. We are working to implement these as quickly as possible so that eligible claimants can receive payment. All claimants will receive all benefits for which they are eligible.

• New PEUC applications can be filed.
• Those who previously were approved to receive up to 13 weeks of PEUC benefits through the CARES Act may file claims for those weeks and receive payment.
• Individuals who have exhausted their original entitlement but remain unemployed should continue to file their weekly claim for unemployment. The weeks will show as “denied” until the system is programmed to process the additional weeks.

Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC)

• Will provide up to 11 weeks of an additional $300 weekly benefit to eligible claimants in multiple programs.
• Will be available for weeks of unemployment between December 27, 2020, and the week ending March 13, 2021.

Update: FPUC is now being paid for all programs except for the additional 11 weeks of PUA and PEUC made possible by the new legislation. We are working as quickly as possible to implement FPUC for the additional 11 weeks of PUA and PEUC. All claimants will receive all benefits for which they are eligible.

Employer Benefits

• Extends full federal funding for Ohio’s SharedWork program.
• Extends 50% credits to reimbursing employers for traditional unemployment benefit charges.
• Extends federal payment of the first week of traditional unemployment benefits, at 50% instead of 100%.
• Requires claimants to be notified about state return-to-work requirements.
• Extends the waiver of interest to states whose Unemployment Insurance Trust Funds require federal borrowing.

In addition, the legislation created a new program:

Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation

• For individuals eligible for traditional unemployment benefits who also have earned wages in self-employment.
• Once implemented, will provide an additional $100 a week, on top of the $300 FPUC benefit.

There is no entitlement gap for most programs, and the legislation does not impact traditional unemployment benefits. In addition, ODJFS expects that the programs and benefits that were extended with little to no changes in the new law – such a full federal funding of SharedWork Ohio, continuation of federal funding for the first week of benefits, and continued claims in PEUC and PUA that still have weeks remaining to file – will be up and running shortly.

Because many of the provisions contain complex additional requirements, more detailed guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor must be analyzed before system programming can be conducted and benefits paid. We ask for everyone’s patience as that occurs. Please continue to check this web page for updates.

CONTINUED ASSISTANCE ACT (CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT)

PROGRAM	DATE OF ENACTMENT	DATE OF DOL GUIDANCE	DATE OF PRODUCTION	TOTAL TIME FROM FINAL GUIDANCE TO PAYMENTS	TOTAL TIME FROM ENACTMENT TO PAYMENTS
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC)  13 weeks continuation	12/27/2020	12/31/2020	12/31/2020	0 days	4 days
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC)  11 additional weeks	12/27/2020	12/31/2020	01/31/21*
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)  39 weeks continuation	12/27/2020	04/05/2020, 05/15/2020, 07/21/2020, 08/27/2020	1/12/2021
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)  11 additional weeks	12/27/2020	01/08/2021	02/26/2021*
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)  New applications	12/27/2020	01/08/2021	02/06/2021*
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC)  $300 supplement	12/27/2020	01/05/2021	01/12/2021  PUA 39 Weeks 01/16/2021 Reg UI PEUC 13 Weeks
Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC)	12/27/2020	01/05/2021	TBD

*Indicates target dates

Last Updated: January 21, 2021