President Joe Biden encouraged states with high unemployment rates to extend financial aid beyond September 4, in an effort to cushion the devastating impact on some local economies as the Delta variant of the coronavirus hits the country.
As of the latest reporting, more than $33 billion in unemployment benefits have been sent to Garden State workers. With federal benefits set to expire on September 4, we encourage everyone to check your email and visit https://t.co/wooT9pcNNE for updates and available resources. pic.twitter.com/mZ8ISL4IGu
— NJ Labor Department (@NJLaborDept) August 13, 2021
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Enhanced benefits for unemployed workers end Sept. 6 under the $ 1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan enacted in March. Those benefits include a $ 300 weekly supplement to traditional state-paid benefits, additional weeks of benefits for people who have been unemployed for an extended period, and a special program aimed at helping so-called gig economy workers, who they do not qualify for the usual unemployment benefits.
Those benefits are administered by the states, but paid for by the federal government.
Reminder: If your employer reopens and offers your job back to you, you are required to accept it. If you turn your job down, your benefits may be stopped. There are few exceptions to this rule.
For more information about work search requirements, visit https://t.co/eA3QFFDKUU. pic.twitter.com/m1kAupBIqr
— NYS Department of Labor (@NYSLabor) August 23, 2021
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Both New York and New Jersey still grapple with high unemployment, which has led residents of both neighboring states to wonder if benefits will be extended.
About 500,000 New Jerseyans are on the verge of losing unemployment benefits, but Gov. Phil Murphy has not yet determined whether to extend federal payments.
At his coronavirus briefing Monday, Murphy said he had “no news” about the possibility of extending benefits.
President Biden said last week that states with unemployment rates higher than the national average (5.4%) could use COVID relief funds to extend benefits beyond the September 6 expiration date.
New Jersey’s unemployment rate is 7.3% and it received $ 6.2 billion in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan.
But without an extension, all three key federal programs will end.
About 250,000 New Jerseyans are currently receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), according to the Department of Labor. The program provides benefits to people who would not normally qualify for traditional unemployment, including the self-employed.
Another 190,000 people receive Pandemic Unemployment Emergency Compensation (PUEC), which adds 13 weeks of benefits for people who exhaust their regular payments. But of those, about 100,000 people will move into an extended benefits program, the Labor Department said.
In all, about 500,000 people have been receiving an additional $ 300 per week supplemental payment, but that too will end on September 6.
New Jersey has the fifth highest unemployment rate in the country, behind Nevada, New York, New Mexico and California.
Although many states are experiencing a drop in unemployment rates, New York is having a harder time recovering from the effect the pandemic has had on employment.
America’s unemployment rate currently stands at 5.4%, a big improvement from the near-record high of 14.8% in April 2020, but New York has an employment rate of 7.6%.
Now, with the change of leadership in the governorship, the 400,000 New Yorkers on the verge of losing unemployment assistance wonder if Gov. Kathy Hochul will support an extension, but the new president did not comment on it during her first speech.
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