WILMINGTON, DELAWARE – According to federal program guidelines, all unemployment compensation programs created by the CARES Act are currently scheduled to expire on or before December 26, 2020. Many unemployment compensation beneficiaries will see their benefits end unless the U.S. Congress approves additional weeks of unemployment program funding.
In Delaware, the two programs that will be affected by this expiration are PUA (Pandemic Unemployment Assistance) and PEUC (Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation). PUA is a program that provides benefits to those who would not normally qualify for regular unemployment compensation, such as the self-employed, gig workers, part-time workers, etc. PUA also provides benefits to those who exhausted all other unemployment programs but remain unemployed due to a pandemic related reason. PEUC provides for an additional 13-week extension to regular unemployment compensation recipients.
Some claimants may see their benefits end prior to the December 26th expiration date due to exhausting all programs.
When the programs expire on December 26, 2020, all payments under PUA and PEUC will stop, regardless of an existing dollar balance or remaining eligible weeks. Claimants currently enrolled in the PUA and PEUC programs will no longer file weekly certifications.
Resources for additional assistance including financial, healthcare, food, child-care, housing, and legal can be found on the Delaware Emergency Management Agency website. (https://dema.delaware.gov/recoveryAssistance/index.shtml)
You are encouraged to continue to utilize the Delaware Department of Labor’s website to learn about training, employment opportunities, and information on how to further your education to transition into an alternative career path. You can learn more about those opportunities at http://dol.delaware.gov
Today, thousands of jobs, including telework positions, are available across the state of Delaware. Please visit Delaware’s Workforce Development website at Delaware Job-Link (https://joblink.delaware.gov/), there you will have access to more than 9,000 current job openings, job training opportunities, and career services.
If you are a job seeker who wants to find training to enhance or gain skills to become more employable, please visit our newly launched rapid workforce development website Forward Delaware, located at http://www.forwarddelaware.com
For more information on how Delaware has responded to the coronavirus pandemic please visit de.gov/coronavirus.