PEUC Program to Roll Out Next Week

The Department of Labor & Industrial Relations (DLIR) on Thursday announced it has completed system updates for the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program that was extended by the Continued Assistance Act (CAA).

The PEUC 11-week extension will begin to roll out on Feb. 16 with a phased implementation.

“We’re pleased to have fully restored the PEUC program that so many workers in our state are depending on. These are vital programs that have helped Hawai‘i residents to provide for their families as we continue to navigate COVID-19,” said DLIR Director Anne Perreira-Eustaquio. “While this is a huge step forward, we know there’s still more work to do to ensure everyone receives the benefits they are entitled to.”

The CAA allows PEUC claimants an additional 11 weeks of benefits payable for the week ending Jan. 2 through March 13 and a phaseout to April 10, 2021. Payments will also include the additional $300 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) weekly benefit.

The DLIR will begin processing approximately 68,000 potential eligible claims beginning on Feb. 15 until all potential eligible claims are available and processed. The department will run batches of approximately 5K to 10K claims on a nightly basis.

Once a claimant’s monetary determination has been established, claimants will be able to file weekly claim certifications going back to the week ending Jan. 2, 2021. Claimants will receive a monetary determination by mail notifying them that an additional 11 weeks of benefits have been added.

For more detailed information and FAQs, go online.

None of the benefits described above, nor unemployment benefits of any kind, are available to employees who are terminated for cause, quit their job without good cause, refuse to return to work, or refuse to receive full-time pay. Attempts to collect benefit payments in these situations could be viewed as fraudulent. Investigation of job separation is part of the eligibility determination process.

For more information about unemployment insurance and other labor issues, visit the FAQs online.