Topics:

Unemployment
Pandemic
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Ending of PUA

On May 11, 2021, Governor Kim Reynolds announced new steps to address Iowa's workforce shortage. Effective June 12, 2021, the State of Iowa ended its participation in federal pandemic-related unemployment benefit programs. On that same date, Iowa stopped participating in the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. The last payable week for PUA was the week ending June 12, 2021.

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PUA Overview

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) is a program under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 that provides temporary income to individuals who became unemployed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. To be eligible, impacted individuals also had to be either:

  • Self-employed
  • Someone with not enough work history to be eligible for a regular unemployment claim.
  • Someone who has exhausted all other forms of unemployment insurance benefits.

PUA is funded by the federal government, not by state unemployment taxes paid by employers. 

Important: 

  • If you are notified that your benefit year has expired, you must file a new claim online. This is to determine your continued eligibility.
  • States are required to determine if you are eligible for a state unemployment insurance claim when your benefit year expires. If you are determined to be ineligible for a new benefit year, you can be placed back on PUA.
  • The process for filing for a new benefit year may take a few weeks to complete. However, you would be paid for any weeks you are eligible for as long as you remain eligible and continue to file your weekly claim.
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Program Details

  • Payment amounts:
    • Smallest payment amount for individuals will be:
      • $203 per week
    • Largest payment will be:
      • $493 per week with zero dependents
      • $605 with four dependents
  • Last Payable Week:
    • Provides potential weeks up through June 12, 2021. No benefits will be paid for any weeks after June 12, 2021, even if you have a remaining balance on your claim.
  • You must either have a monetarily eligible state claim that has exhausted benefits or some work history within the last 18 months.
    • This includes any individual who was scheduled to start a job and couldn't due to COVID-19 and that they were ineligible at the time due to a separation issue on their claim.
    • PUA benefits for those who have a separation issue on their claim have not been implemented in Iowa.
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Fraud Warning

If you knowingly make or cause another person to make a false statement, or knowingly fail or cause another person to fail to disclose a material fact and, as a result, receive PUA to which you are not entitled, you will be subject to prosecution under 19 section 1001 of Title 18, United States Code.

  • Quitting work without good cause to get UI benefits is fraud under PUA.
  • If, for reasons unrelated to COVID-19, you quit your job without good cause, are terminated for misconduct or refuse to work when work is available, you will be disqualified for benefits from any of the state or federal programs currently available. This means that to receive state or federal unemployment benefits, you must not take any action that causes you to be out of work that is unrelated to COVID-19.
  • Intentional misrepresentation in the reporting of earnings earned during a given week on your continued weekly claim for unemployment insurance can result in the finding of fraud, a disqualification from benefits, and an overpayment of benefits, as well as other penalties and potential criminal prosecution.
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Additional PUA Information

List items for Additional PUA Information

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