Kansas labor department to start paying federal unemployment extension next week
Some Kansans could begin to see an extension of their unemployment benefits next week after the state labor department implements a federal program in the December economic stimulus bill.
The Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, or PEUC, program extends unemployment benefits an additional 11 weeks. Rather than receiving 13 weeks of unemployment payments under the program, those eligible will see 24 weeks of benefits.
The state will begin to pay out from the PEUC program no later than Feb. 19, according to the labor agency.
PEUC was a provision of the Continued Assistance for Unemployed Workers Act, the economic stimulus bill passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in December. The Kansas Department of Labor’s implementation of the program comes more than a month after the federal legislation was signed into law.
The labor agency has already begun paying out the other two major unemployment programs from the federal stimulus bill: additional unemployment payments of $300 per week and an extension of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA, program. PUA allows workers who don’t traditionally qualify for unemployment to receive benefits during the pandemic, such as the self-employed, contract workers and “gig” workers.
Unemployed Kansans began to receive the extra $300 on Jan. 22, when the state said it received federal guidance from the U.S. labor department about the program.
Kansas announced the PUA extension was available on Monday. It expands the program from 39 to 50 weeks worth of unemployment.
The labor department said its timeline for implementing the federal unemployment programs is consistent with other states that use “legacy systems.” The labor agency in Kansas has struggled to meet the demand for unemployment in part due to its 1970s era computer system, which officials have said it needs to modernize.
The Kansas Department of Labor will have more information about the PEUC program next week when it launches.
Separately, the labor agency introduced a new anti-fraud security system earlier this month that requires two factor authentication. Applicants will need to create new login credentials to access the new system, and cannot log in with their old information.
Since March 15, 2020, Kansas has paid out over 4 million weekly unemployment claims totaling over $2.7 billion, between regular unemployment and the federal pandemic programs.
For more information or to apply for unemployment benefits, visit to www.GetKansasBenefits.gov.
