Where to get help as federal benefits expire
Jobless Nevadans faced the end of their extra federal unemployment benefit programs on Saturday.
The programs, offered under a series of federal stimulus bills including the American Rescue Plan, kept many Nevadans financially afloat during the pandemic. But the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation reminded filers in a Thursday news release that the programs would be ending while offering resources.
The federal programs that ended Saturday include:
■ Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, which provided an additional $300 weekly payment for any claimant who is eligible for at least $1 of an underlying unemployment compensation program
■ Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, giving benefits to claimants who were unemployed as a direct result of COVID-19 and not eligible for regular unemployment insurance or PEUC, including those who are self-employed or are gig workers
■ Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, which provided an extension of benefits after a claimant exhausts regular unemployment.
And the fourth program, State Extended Benefits, offering an additional 13 weeks of federally funded benefits will expire Sept. 11.
DETR said claimants who still have a balance on their unemployment claims will not receive those funds as they are federal, not state, funds.
“The balance is the amount a claimant may have received if the pandemic benefits were extended by Congress,” according to DETR.
Claimants who are waiting for an eligibility determination or appeal decision for any of the federal programs will receive back pay through Saturday, if they are determined to be eligible for benefits.
Help wanted
DETR said it also created a document providing a list of resources for unemployed and underemployed workers. It includes contact information for job training grants, assistance with child care, food stamps and legal aid regarding eviction notices.
The document also encouraged filers to visit EmployNV.gov, or download the mobile app, to access the state’s largest database of open jobs.
Those with disabilities can also visit DETR’s Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation website at https://vrnevada.org/ for help with finding a job in addition to training and counseling services. To reach the bureau by phone, those in Northern Nevada can dial 775-823-8100 and Southern Nevada at 702-486-5230.
DETR Director Elisa Cafferata said helping claimants reenter the workforce will be the department’s next priority.
“We have resources for people who are unemployed and it’s got all the information about job training and resources that are available to folks,” she said. “As we go into the next phase, that’s really what we’re focusing on — to help people get back to work.”
Contact Subrina Hudson at shudson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @SubrinaH on Twitter.