Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) officials have announced they will reinstate the unemployment insurance requirements they had in place before COVID-19.
This, according to a press release that GDOL officials published late last week.
“In accordance with the plan for reemployment and the announcement to no longer participate in the federal unemployment insurance (UI) programs enacted through the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan Act, the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) will reinstate many of the eligibility requirements waived during the recent pandemic. The last payable week for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), and Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC) is week ending June 26, 2021, reinstating additional requirements on June 27 for claimants and employers,” GDOL officials wrote.
“Pandemic-related eligibility rules previously suspended require that claimants be able to work, available to work, and actively seeking work. These requirements will again become mandatory for UI claimants on June 27. Claimants must be able and available for work and actively seek employment for each week benefit payments are requested. Individuals requesting unemployment benefits must register for employment services in their state of residence to avoid interruption, delay, or denial of benefits, if found to be eligible. Individuals who reside in the state of Georgia must register with EmployGeorgia, the state’s reemployment system, and include his/her social security number during registration. Individuals will be asked to create a searchable resume or upload a searchable resume to the site and submit three work search contacts for each week payments are requested.”
GDOL Commissioner Mark Butler said in the press release that several states are reinstating work-search mandates.
“The previously adjusted earning disregard rule that allowed earnings up to $300 per week to be disregarded when calculating the weekly benefit amount will be reduced to $150 per week,” the press release said.
“This means reported earnings more than $150 will be deducted dollar for dollar from the weekly entitlement amount.”
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Tennessee has required work searches all along. Taking federal unemployment payments away is a huge mistake. This is not encouraging employers to raise pay scale and offer health insurance.
And NO – not everyone on unemployment can work at Amazon lifting 50-100lb boxes in a hot warehouse