Gov. J.B. Pritzker | Facebook
Gov. J.B. Pritzker | Facebook
Illinois residents are paying the price for a federal rule that prevents some from getting extended Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) because the state unemployment rate has ticked downward.
The state’s overall unemployment rate falls below the threshold required for the government’s High Unemployment Period (HUP) — meaning the extended seven-week benefits for both programs are no longer available in Illinois.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is looking to Congress for help.
“This is precisely why I’ve encouraged Congress to set out long-term rules that help the people most hurt by this pandemic, and why it’s imperative that they pass something immediately that corrects this gap,” the governor said, Capitol Fax reported. “Our federal leaders must come together around a solution, and we will be ready to help people get the benefits they need to get through this pandemic.”
With the changes, the maximum number of weeks to receive PUA benefits now stands at 50 weeks, and extended benefits (EB) for regular state unemployment insurance recipients have been reduced to 13 weeks.
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