David Y. Igé | DLIR Press Release: State Announces End of All Federal Unemployment Insurance and Assistance Programs

HONOLULU – With federal unemployment benefits ending on September 4, 20201, the state’s Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) is working to ensure that unemployed people who lose extra assistance are informed of upcoming changes and potential next steps. This affects people receiving Emergency Pandemic Compensation (PEUC), Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), and Unemployment Pandemic Assistance (PUA). ” compensation for mixed unemployment (MEUC). Once these programs are terminated, only the regular unemployment insurance program will be available.

“We have answered many questions from applicants asking if they would be eligible to reapply for unemployment insurance,” said Anne Perreira-Eustaquio, director of DLIR. “In short, new UI claims will be reinstated for all people who made an initial new claim but chose to stay in the PEUC program under the $ 25 PEUC option. All others will need to qualify for a new initial application after September 4 based on existing criteria. That said, anyone awaiting claims filed until September 4 will be compensated and receive these benefits as long as they are otherwise qualified. “

The DLIR recently emailed approximately 6,500 applicants eligible for the $ 25 PEUC Option program, advising them to file their proof of application for the week ending September 4, 2021 between September 5 and September 11, 2021, which regardless of the status of the application (weekly / bi-weekly). To ensure a smooth transition from the PEUC program to a new regular unemployment insurance claim, people should file their claim certificates as early as possible, as failure to submit a PEUC claim by the requested date may result in a delay in benefits.

The eligibility criteria for new regular requests are posted on https://www.hawaiiunemploymentinfo.com/end-of-the-federal-programs-2/. Individuals filing claim certifications as part of a regular claim starting September 11 will be subject to a one-week waiting period and will need to register to work with HireNet Hawaii. Providers can file a claim certificate for the first payable week of their claim, but will not receive benefits for this first week.

Individuals who do not qualify for the PEUC $ 25 option and do not meet the criteria for a new initial application after September 4, 2021 should not file a new initial application and seek assistance from the American Job Center. (AJC) of their county. AJC Hawaii is a free one-stop-shop that provides career counseling, HireNet Hawaii assistance, job training, job search assistance, and a resource training center. Individuals can contact their local AJC office to make an appointment. For more information visit: https://www.hawaiiunemploymentinfo.com/resources/.

Resources are also available from the State Department of Human Services at https://humanservices.hawaii.gov/.

Important note: None of the benefits described above, nor any unemployment benefit of any kind, are available to employees who are terminated for cause, quit without cause or refuse to return to work. . Attempts to collect benefits in these situations could be considered fraudulent. The termination investigation is part of the eligibility determination process.

For more information, please visit: https://www.hawaiiunemploymentinfo.com/.

For more information on Unemployment Insurance and other work-related issues, please see the FAQs at https://labor.hawaii.gov/covid-19-labor-faqs/.

Employer / Equal Opportunity Program
Aids and ancillary services are available on request for people with disabilities.
TDD / TTY Dial 711 then ask for (808) 586-8866

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