COVID-19 Client Alerts:
Enhanced Unemployment Insurance Benefits
Although the Employment Development Department has yet to provide comprehensive guidance on the topic, the federal Department of Labor has begun to do so. Unfortunately, EDD has been slow to roll out this program, so it is unclear when the benefits and changes specified in the Act will translate into actual monetary benefits for applicants.
One of the most significant changes of the CARES Act is the expansion of the scope of unemployment insurance. The Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation provision provides an additional 13 weeks of unemployment benefits, which are available after the benefits provided by the state are exhausted. And, the Pandemic Unemployment Assistant provision allows people who usually do not qualify for unemployment (i.e., self-employed, independent contractor) to obtain unemployment insurance.
Last night, the DOL issued guidance indicating that this provision was being expanded to include workers in the gig economy.
The CARES Act also enhances the weekly benefits provided to those eligible. Unemployment benefits in California are capped at $450 per week, but the amount payable depends on the compensation previously earned by the applicant. The CARES Act allows applicants to receive an additional $600 per week, until July 31, 2020.
Copyright © 2020, Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld LLP. All rights reserved. Please be assured that we make every effort to make certain that the information contained in this alert is current at the time this email was delivered. Because laws and legislation are constantly changing, please contact us if you are unsure whether this material is still current. Nothing contained herein should be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. The contents are intended to be for general information purposes only. We assume no liability in connection with the use of the information contained in this article. Given the rapidly evolving nature of legal and governmental responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, unfolding events likely will supersede many of the issues discussed in these updates. We encourage you to contact our lawyers directly for the most current information and counsel regarding legal and governmental responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please contact us to answer any questions you may have.
‹ Return to COVID-19 Client Alerts
Up Next...
