Federal unemployment programs will end soon in Kansas. Here’s what you need to know
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Out-of-work Kansans who have been receiving unemployment benefits under federal, pandemic programs will see those payments expire on Sept. 4.
The expiring programs are Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, or FPUC; Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, or PEUC; and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA.
Congress initially created the new, federal benefits in early 2020 through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES, Act. Legislators extended the programs through coronavirus relief bills in both December and March.
Unemployed workers in Kansas should continue to file weekly claims under the federal programs through Sept. 4.
At the same time, many Kansans say they still have not received their benefits under the federal programs. Any workers who are entitled to those federal benefits will be paid back the funds even after the programs expire as long as they are eligible, according to the state labor department.
The FPUC program currently provides an extra $300 per week for eligible workers. The PEUC program extends benefits for a longer time period after a worker exhausted regular unemployment. The PUA program expanded benefits to workers who traditionally aren’t eligible for unemployment but who have lost work as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic, such as gig workers or people who are self-employed.
The American Rescue Plan Act, the March relief legislation, allows the federal unemployment to expire in September. Congressional leaders and President Joe Biden have not announced any plans to extend the benefits.
Republican leaders and others across the country have criticized the ongoing federal unemployment programs, blaming the additional flow of money on a labor shortage that is particularly tight in the restaurant and hospitality industries. Some Republican-led states, like Missouri, ended their federal unemployment programs early. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly allowed the programs to remain in Kansas.
After Sept. 4, the only unemployment available to Kansans is the regular, state-funded unemployment insurance. To qualify, workers must have earned certain wages.
The Kansas Department of Labor posts other resources for unemployed workers on its website. It includes links for accessing food assistance, housing and utility aid, child care assistance and more.
New unemployment thresholds
A new state law that took effect in May changed the threshold that determines how many weeks of unemployment benefits are available to workers in Kansas. The change will impact all initial claims effective on and after Sept. 5, according to the labor department.
The thresholds are based on the state’s three-month seasonally adjusted average unemployment rate.
If that rate is less than 5%, workers can receive unemployment for up to 16 weeks.
If that unemployment rate is at least 5% but still less than 6%, then workers can receive up to 20 weeks of benefits.
If the state’s rate is 6% or higher, no more than 26 weeks of unemployment benefits are available to Kansans.
The Kansas Department of Labor has long struggled since the COVID-19 pandemic hit to pay out benefits to eligible unemployed workers and answer their questions about claims. The state buckled under an outdated 1970s-era computer system, the new federal programs, a lack of call center workers and more.
The delays left some workers waiting months for benefits with no source of income and unable to find a new job. Some faced food and housing insecurity waiting on other federal assistance programs. The department struggled in particular with the PUA program, as it expanded benefits to a whole new class of workers. But in May, the department sharply cut that backlog when it moved people to different programs.
The labor agency also had to deal with record amounts of unemployment fraud and joblessness. The state paid out somewhere between at least $300 million and $600 million in bogus claims.
The state brought on new call center employees intended to help out earlier this year. The labor department is also in the process of modernizing its technology system to improve in the future.
Since mid-March 2020, the state labor department said it has paid out over 4.8 million weekly claims totaling over $3.1 billion, between regular unemployment and the federal pandemic programs.
To apply for unemployment benefits, visit www.getkansasbenefits.gov.
For answers to questions about federal unemployment programs expiring in Kansas, visit www.dol.ks.gov/ui-faqs#unemployment-programs.
This story was originally published August 23, 2021 at 1:37 PM.
