In New York State, traditional Unemployment Insurance provides 26 weeks of benefits to those who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. For claimants who filed a claim and were approved at the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic, they may be close to exhausting their 26 weeks of traditional UI benefits so we wanted to take this opportunity to explain what is available and what happens next.
There are currently two programs available that will continue to pay UI benefits after traditional UI has been exhausted – the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program (PEUC) and the Extended Benefits Program (EB).
PEUC offers 13 weeks of additional benefits after traditional UI has been exhausted. To be eligible for PEUC, one must first exhaust all 26 weeks of their traditional UI benefits and continue to be unemployed. After traditional UI & PEUC have been exhausted, EB offers either 13 or 20 weeks of additional benefits depending on New York States’ current unemployment rates.
Both PEUC and EB pay the same weekly rate that claimants were receiving from traditional unemployment insurance benefits, which are based on recent earnings. Claimants will continue to certify for the additional PEUC or EB benefits the same way they certified for traditional UI benefits.
For a frequently asked question sheet on extended UI benefits, click here.
*It is important to note that under federal law, these extension programs are only available to individuals receiving traditional UI benefits. Those receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) are not eligible for PEUC or EB benefits, however, can receive up to 46 weeks of PUA benefits.