Another 787,000 Americans filed new unemployment claims during Christmas week
Itâs a decline from previous weeks, but still significantly higher than any other Christmas week on record.
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Travelers walk across a nearly empty skyway bridge towards the Uber and Lyft shared ride pick-up point at Logan Airport in Boston on Nov. 20. Gig workers, like those in the ride-sharing industry, are among those who will see additional federal benefits through the government s new $900 billion coronavirus relief and stimulus package, which extends Pandemic Unemployment Assistance through March 14. [ MICHAEL DWYER | AP ]
Published Dec. 31, 2020
Another 787,000 Americans filed new unemployment claims during Christmas week, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor.
But it still is waiting for federal guidance before it can issue PUA or PEUC benefits to new applicants.
IWD also cannot issue payments from Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation the additional $300 per week in unemployment benefits until it receives federal direction.
“IWD anticipates the guidance will be issued within the next two weeks,” the agency said in a news release. “We will have limited resources available to answer customer service calls over the holiday season.”
The wait comes as Iowa saw increases in new and continuing unemployment claims the week of Dec. 20.
New claims rose from 7,271 to 7,644. Continuing claims jumped from 37,492 to 38,296.
December 31, 2020
Maine Dept. of Labor Receives Initial Federal Guidance, Working to Implement Federal UI Extensions
AUGUSTA - The U.S. Department of Labor has issued the first of several expected guidance documents that provides overarching implementation information about unemployment insurance (UI) provisions contained in the Continued Assistance for Unemployed Workers Act of 2020, which extends federal unemployment programs such as Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC).
Additionally, the legislation reauthorizes and modifies the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program (FPUC), which expired July 31, 2020, to provide an additional $300 per week to supplement benefits for weeks of unemployment beginning December 27, 2020, and ending on March 13, 2021.
UPDATE: According to a CNBC report Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Labor said it does not anticipate a lapse in benefits for those seeking unemployment through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation programs.