Coronavirus Unemployment Benefits
The Department of Labor has given states the flexibility to amend their laws to provide COVID-19 unemployment benefits. For example, federal law allows states to pay benefits when:3
- An employer temporarily ceases operations due to COVID-19, preventing employees from coming to work.
- An individual is quarantined with the expectation of returning to work after the quarantine is over.
- An individual leaves employment due to a risk of exposure or infection or to care for a family member.
Some states have set up new guidelines for eligibility for workers impacted by COVID-19 (coronavirus). For example, in California: "Workers who are temporarily unemployed due to COVID-19 and expected to return to work with their employer within a few weeks are not required to actively seek work each week."4
Washington State has developed new rules: "Workers that are asked to isolate or quarantine by a medical professional or public health official as a result of exposure to COVID-19 may receive unemployment benefits and work search requirements could be waived, so long as they have a return date with their employer. The return to work date can be the date the isolation or quarantine is lifted."5
New York State is waiving the seven day waiting period for collecting unemployment benefits for people who are out of work due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) closures or quarantines
