Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (“PUA”) – Extended Eligibility for UI Benefit
Individuals are eligible for PUA if they do not qualify for regular UI benefits (including self-employed workers and independent contractors) and cannot work because they:
• Are diagnosed COVID-19 or have COVID-19 symptoms and are seeking diagnosis;
• Have a member of the household who is diagnosed with COVID-19;
• Are providing care for a family or household member diagnosed with COVID-19;
• Are the primary caregiver for a child whose school or care facility closed, due to COVID-19;
• Are unable to reach their place of employment due to an imposed quarantine, or because advised by medical provider to self-quarantine, due to COVID-19;
• Were scheduled to start new employment and cannot reach the workplace as direct result of COVID-19;
• Became the major breadwinner because the head of household died from COVID-19;
• Quit their job as a direct result of COVID-19;
• Had their place of employment closed as a direct result of COVID-19; or
• Meet any additional criteria specified by U.S. Secretary of Labor.
Individuals are not eligible for PUA if they can telework or are receiving paid sick leave or other paid leave benefits (regardless of meeting a category listed above).
You can file a PUA application online at labor.ny.gov. Please note, you cannot apply for PUA until you
have been determined ineligible for UI benefits. You must apply for UI before you apply for PUA.
Your benefit rate is based on your recent wages.
Yes. PUA benefits will include an additional $600 per week until July 31, 2020.
No, there is no weeklong wait period for PUA.
PUA benefits may cover periods of unemployment up to 39 weeks
No.
- But if your hours have been reduced and you are currently working remotely?
- Taking out can.
Pandemic Unemployment Compensation – Additional $600/Week of UI Benefits
Nothing. The additional $600 per week will be automatically added to all regular UI and PUA benefits.
No. The additional $600 per week benefit will not reduce any UI or PUA benefits.
The additional $600 per week benefit ends July 31, 2020.
The additional $600 per week payment will not be counted towards your income eligibility for Medicaid
and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation – 13 Additional Weeks of UI Eligibility
If you exhaust your 26 weeks of regular UI, you will receive an additional 13 weeks of additional benefits
Yes. Anyone who exhausted UI benefits after July 1, 2019 is eligible to receive 13 additional weeks of benefits.
Yes. The additional 13 weeks of benefits will include an additional $600 per week until July 31, 2020.
General Information about Unemployment Insurance
Unemployment insurance (also known as UI) provides temporary cash benefits to employees who have lost their jobs. If you have worked in New York State within the last 18 months and lost your job, through no fault of your own, you may be eligible for UI.
A person’s benefit rate is based on the recent wages they received from their employer(s). The current maximum weekly benefit rate is $504.
Currently, the limit is 26 weeks per year. The federal government recently created a new program called Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation that would allow claimants who exhaust their regular UI benefits, to receive up to 13 additional weeks of benefits.
: Youcan file a claim by visiting labor.ny.gov. You can also call the Telephone Claim Center at
888-209-8124. Due to larger than normal call volume, we are strongly encouraging individuals wishing to file a claim to first visit the website, if possible
You should file your claim in the first week you worked less than four days and earned a gross income of less than $602. If you worked four or more days or earned more than $602, you should file the following week.
You will receive all benefits to which you are entitled. Your claim will start on the day you were separated from your employer. There is unprecedented call volume and web traffic. Please be patient and keep trying. It is best to apply online.
es, you will receive all benefits to which you are entitled. Your claim will start on the day you were separated from your employer, and DOL will backdate any claims that are not timely processed due to any issues with the DOL website or UI call center
Typically, the first full week of a claim is an unpaid waiting week. This means you are not paid but you must still claim weekly benefits and fulfill eligibility requirements. Beginning March 12, 2020, the Governor has suspended the one-week waiting period for individuals impacted by the COVID-19 public health crisis. This means that if you are found eligible for benefits, you will be credited from the first week of your claim (not the second week). It does not mean that you will be paid as soon as you open your claim.
If you are eligible for UI, your first payment will generally be made in two to three weeks from the time you file your claim. In some cases, additional information must be obtained before payment can be made and your first payment may take longer. We use this time to review and process your application for benefits. You will not receive benefits during this period. Continue to claim weekly benefits as long as you are unemployed and meet the eligibility requirements. Also, check your mail and respond to any questionnaires or phone calls from DOL, right away, to prevent delays in your payments. If you are found eligible, you will receive any back weeks of benefits owed with your first payment.
It depends. If you work less than four days a week and earn $602/week or less, you may be eligible to receive partial UI benefits
If you work less than four days in a week and earn $602 or less, you may receive partial benefits. Each day, or part of a day, of work causes your weekly benefit rate to drop by one-quarter.
You should file a claim if you have been laid off from your job. Our goal is to ensure benefits are paid to all people who apply and are legally entitled to receive them.
Currently, most self-employed individuals and independent contractors working in New York State are not authorized to obtain unemployment insurance benefits. However, self-employed individuals and independent contractors may be eligible for benefits under PUA. PUA is available for individuals who would normally not be eligible for regular unemployment benefits but are unable to work because of COVID-19. PUA is available for periods of unemployment between January 27, 2020 and December 31, 2020.
Self-employed individuals impacted by COVID-19 may apply for PUA benefits.
While you are only eligible for unemployment insurance benefits if you are able and available to work, under PUA you can receive benefits if you are the primary caregiver for a child whose school or care facility closed due to COVID-19. PUA is available for periods of unemployment between January 27, 2020 and December 31, 2020.
Probably not, if you are still employed. However, the Governor recently passed a law that provides job protection and paid leave for individuals who are subject to an order of quarantine or isolation by a governmental entity because of COVID-19. You can learn more information here: ny.gov/COVIDpaidsickleave. There are also additional protections for workers who are sick or have been directed to quarantine. For more information, please visit the New York State Department of Health’s COVID-19 website at: ny.gov/coronavirus.
The federal government recently created three new programs related to unemployment insurance compensation and COVID-19: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (“PUA”); Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (additional $600/week of benefits); and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (additional 13 weeks of benefits for claimants who have exhausted benefits). Additional information on these programs is available at: www.vidol.gov
: Generally speaking, you are not eligible for unemployment insurance if you voluntarily leave your job.
Before leaving work, please consider speaking with your employer for alternatives that may be available such as using sick time or annual leave, requesting a reasonable accommodation such as working remotely, asking your employer for a leave of absence, or seeking temporary disability benefits. If alternative options are not available, you may file a claim for unemployment insurance. You should consider obtaining medical documentation that identifies any work restrictions and submit that with your claim. If you are found ineligible for unemployment insurance benefits, you may be eligible for benefits under PUA.
You must continue to contact the Telephone Claims Center
State law provides all workers with the right to file for unemployment and the labor law provides that an employer cannot retaliate against a worker’s engagement in a protected activity.