Ricketts Unveils Unemployment Programs During Pandemic

Gov. Ricketts (podium), NDOL Commissioner John Albin (right of Gov.), and R.J. Vega of Copal restaurant (far left) at today’s briefing.

(KFOR NEWS March 31, 2020) Governor Ricketts hass released details of new unemployment programs being implemented in Nebraska as a result of federal legislation to aid the pandemic response. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald J. Trump on March 27, 2020.

The Governor explained that the Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL) is undertaking software changes and making other preparations to roll out the unemployment programs outlined in the CARES Act. Nebraska’s Labor Commissioner, John Albin, is working directly with the U.S. Department of Labor to expedite implementation of the unemployment programs. At today’s press briefing, Commissioner Albin joined the Governor to overview the unemployment programs contained in the CARES Act and to report on the State’s preparations to administer them.

Those programs include:

· Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) – Allows unemployment benefits to individuals who have exhausted all other unemployment benefits, and those not eligible for other unemployment benefits, including workers who are self-employed and independent contractors. The minimum PUA weekly payment will be $174 and top out at $440.

· Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) – This emergency increase in Unemployment Insurance Benefits adds $600 per week in federal benefits to the unemployment benefit amount for COVID-19 unemployment claims, including PUA claims.

· Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) –Allows 13 weeks of federally funded benefits to be added to the end of the normal 26 weeks of benefits.

· Short Time Compensation Programs (also known as Work Share)– Provides federal funding of Short-Time Compensation, a program that allows businesses to uniformly reduce their teammates’ hours while the workers receive a partial unemployment benefit.

Gov. Ricketts also reiterated the State’s social distancing measures at the press conference.

· Some Local Health Departments (LHD) in Lincoln and metro Omaha have issued additional restrictions on social gatherings and/or businesses. Check with your LHD for additional information.

· The 10-person limitation applies to outdoor gatherings like picnics or outdoor activities like sand volleyball.

· Travelers coming back to Nebraska from out of state should self-quarantine for 14 days. This includes snowbirds returning to Nebraska after having spent the winter in places like Arizona, Florida, or Texas. However, the guidance to self-quarantine does not apply to commuters or workers in the transportation industry.

Full video of today’s press briefing is available by clicking here.