Job Service North Dakota reminds claimants that Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) ends the week of July 25, 2020. In addition, the work registration and job search requirements waived by Governor Doug Burgum in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic are being restored, effective July 26, 2020.
WORK SEARCH AND JOB REGISTRATION
Beginning the week of July 26, 2020, claimants who are coded as not returning to their employer after a temporary layoff will be required to search for work and register for employment with Job Service North Dakota or the employment service within the state they reside.
Claimants who are not returning to their employer will be required to complete three work search activities each week. These activities include items such as employer contacts by telephone, internet, and in-person visits. Claimants will also be required to register for work on Job Service website at jobsnd.com/job-seeker-begin-your-job-search.
The requirement of work search and registration applies to all claim types, both state and federal. However, if the claimant is a union member who receives jobs via a hiring hall or is an employee who is returning to the employer who temporarily laid the individual off, the claimant will not be required to search for work or register. These individuals must be available for recall to the union or employer immediately when work is available and begins. Failure to return to the union or employer when work is offered will result in a stop on the claim and claimants may be denied benefits from the point of refusal.
PUA claimants who are self-employed and not normally eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits will be required to complete a waiver of work search form and submit it to Job Service. This waiver will be available to self-employed individuals who have not resumed normal business activities. Due to the nature of self-employment, these individuals will not be required to complete a work search or register for employment unless they have no intent to resume business operations.
FPUC SCHEDULED TO END
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) provided an additional $600 per week to claimants who lost work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
FPUC was passed as part of the CARES Act. The program provides federal reimbursement to states for payment of an additional $600 per week to claimants. The Act states that the program ends July 31, but benefits must be discontinued the week ending July 25, 2020 because that is the last full week, which runs Sunday to Saturday, in July. By law Job Service cannot pay partial week benefits. As a result, only payment requests for weeks ending on or before July 25 can include the additional $600. State unemployment benefits will continue to be paid after this date, however the benefit payment will no longer include the additional $600/week.
Other provisions of the federal act do not expire until December 26, 2020. This includes Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), which provides an extra 13 weeks of benefits to persons who exhaust traditional benefits, and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which provides up to 46 weeks of benefits to persons who are self-employed or who would not otherwise qualify for state benefits.
For more information on eligibility requirements, available benefits, and questions about the unemployment process, visit the Job Service North Dakota website, www.jobsnd.com.