State Labor Department outlines training, education, job search options.
Delaware recipients of jobless programs created under the federal CARES Act will go away the day after Christmas, the Delaware Department of Labor reported.
Beneficiaries will see their Covid-19-related benefits end unless the U.S. Congress and President OK additional weeks of unemployment program funding.
In Delaware, the two programs affected by this expiration are PUA (Pandemic Unemployment Assistance) and PEUC (Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation). PUA is a program that provides benefits to those who would not normally qualify for regular unemployment compensation, such as the self-employed, gig workers, and part-time workers.
PUA also benefits those who exhausted all other unemployment programs but remain unemployed due to pandemic-related reasons. PEUC provides for an additional 13-week extension to regular unemployment compensation recipients.
Some claimants may see their benefits end before the December 26th expiration date due to funding being exhausted, the department reported.
When the programs expire on Dec. 26, all payments under PUA and PEUC will stop, regardless of an existing dollar balance or remaining eligible weeks. Claimants currently enrolled in the PUA and PEUC programs will no longer file weekly certifications.
The pandemic benefits have not been universally praised. Some employers have complained that jobs remain open due to some recipients having little incentive to return to work. Others say the jobs are often front-line positions that come with the risk of exposure to Covid-19.
Resources for additional assistance, including financial, healthcare, food, child-care, housing, and legal, can be found on the Delaware Emergency Management Agency website.
The Delaware Department of Labor’s website has information on training, employment opportunities, and education to move into a new career path. You can learn more here.
Thousands of jobs, including telework positions, are available across the state of Delaware. Further information is available at Delaware’s Workforce Development website at Delaware Job-Link.
Also available is the newly launched rapid workforce development website Forward Delaware, located here.
