Extended unemployment benefits come to an end in Kansas
Unemployed Kansans will next month stop receiving benefits that extended unemployment for an extra 13 weeks in the state.
The U.S. Department of Labor informed the state labor agency that Kansas has “triggered off” the Extended Benefits program, bringing it to a close as some fear new COVID-19 restrictions could once again lead to local furloughs and layoffs.
The last payments for Kansans on the program will be the week ending Dec. 12. The state labor department cannot make any additional payments past then. A representative from KDOL will contact anyone impacted by the change to let them know they will no longer receive those benefits, according to the agency.
Kansas previously qualified for the Extended Benefits program in June, which offered federal reimbursement to the state for an additional 13 weeks of unemployment benefits. Dating back to 1971, the program is triggered during periods of high unemployment and is meant to assist workers who have exhausted the regular unemployment benefits.
In October, some Kansans were notified they lost an extra seven weeks of unemployment that were previously triggered by the state’s high unemployment rate. Those benefits disappeared as the unemployment rate in Kansas fell, but the general program remained in effect until now.
The unemployment rate in Kansas in October was 5.3%, down from 5.9% in September and 6.9% in August, but still well above the typical rate in 2019. In Sedgwick County, the October unemployment rate was 7.2%, the highest in the state.
The Kansas unemployment rate has steadily fallen each month after its high of 11.9% in April as the pandemic took hold across the state. However, the number of workers in the labor force also declined in September, the state labor department said previously, which would lower the overall rate.
Despite losing extended benefits, some Kansans may still be eligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, a separate federal program that expands unemployment to workers who are self-employed or independent contractors, the so-called “gig workers.”
Since March 15, KDOL has paid out more than 3.1 million weekly claims totaling over $2.3 billion between regular unemployment and the federal pandemic programs.
For more information, or to apply for unemployment benefits, go to www.GetKansasBenefits.gov.
This story was originally published November 23, 2020 at 4:04 PM.
