Healthy economic return in Nevada signals expiration of extended benefit programs
CARSON CITY — As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployed Nevadans have been able to use unemployment benefit extensions as a temporary bridge until they find full-time employment. The federal and state benefit extension programs are winding down in the next few months as the state’s economy rebounds to healthy levels.
On September 4, 2021 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) for self-employed and gig workers, and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) which provides an additional $300 of benefits per week, will end, even for claimants who have remaining balances on their accounts.
When the three-month average unemployment rate drops below 8 percent, the maximum number of weeks available under State Extended Benefits (SEB) immediately falls from 20 weeks to 13 weeks. The Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) confirms that once Department of Labor (DOL) released nationwide unemployment data on July 16, 2021, the additional seven weeks of SEB will come to an end August 7, 2021. Currently, approximately 300 claimants could be affected.
Since May 2020, approximately 100,000 Nevadans have received some weeks of continued Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits because they were allowed under the State Extended Benefits program. State Extended Benefits (SEB) is a temporary program that provides added weeks of benefits for claimants who have exhausted their claims.
When Nevada’s three-month average unemployment rate was above 8 percent, the SEB program could provide up to 20 weeks of additional UI benefits to claimants. During the extremely high period of unemployment due to the pandemic, if a claimant exhausted their Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) and their UI benefit year ended after May 3, 2020, they became eligible for SEB.
Said DETR Director Elisa Cafferata, “Triggering on State Extended Benefits (SEB) last year meant that the maximum number of benefit weeks claimants could qualify for went from 13 to 20. DETR and Governor Sisolak did all we could to ensure filers received maximum unemployment benefits during the pandemic. With the positive economic gains Nevada is making, it’s natural for these extended benefits to wind down.”
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claimants are not affected by the SEB changes. Unemployment Insurance claimants on other federal programs are also not affected.
Because SEB is currently 100 percent federally funded, Contributory and Reimbursable employers are not charged. Additionally, DETR announced last month that employers received relief of benefit charging for five quarters during the pandemic. For more information click here.
The additional 13 weeks of SEB will end by September 4 with the expiration of federal extensions. Typically, when federal policy is in place, SEB would end if the three-month average unemployment rate drops below 6.5 percent.
Unemployment benefits have always been a temporary bridge to help those who lost their jobs, through no fault of their own, return to the workforce.
DETR and JobConnect offer many opportunities for claimants to receive help with job applications and resumes, training and upskilling, and finding open positions. For assistance, claimants can login to their account at EmployNV.gov or visit NevadaJobConnect.com. For personalized assistance with work search job seekers can fill out this web form.